Ebook - Astonishing Essays - Jamy Ian Swiss (Volume 8 , ) (Digital Download)
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Unveiling The Conjurer's Conundrum: A Journey into Magic and Skepticism
Step into the extraordinary mind of Jamy Ian Swiss with Volume 8 in the 'Astonishing Essays' series, and embark on a captivating exploration of the magician's complex relationship with skepticism. In 'The Conjurer's Conundrum,' Swiss, a dedicated activist for scientific skepticism for over 35 years, masterfully guides readers through the profound and long-standing connection between the art of illusion and the rigorous world of science.
From Ancient Texts to Modern Debunkers
Swiss brilliantly traces this fascinating lineage, beginning with Reginald Scot's seminal 1584 publication, 'The Discoverie of Witchcraft.' He then navigates through the Spiritualism era, highlighting the pivotal role of magician debunkers like the legendary Harry Houdini. The narrative culminates in the modern skepticism movement, personified by the MacArthur Award-winning author, magician, and escape artist, James Randi. This ebook offers a rich historical tapestry, revealing how magicians have always stood at the crossroads of wonder and truth.
Tales of Deception, Truth, and 'Honest Liars'
Prepare to be enthralled by Swiss's vivid accounts of testing and confronting self-proclaimed psychics, both on stage and television, and his undercover investigations in collaboration with criminal justice. Readers will delight in his face-to-face challenges against psychic frauds attempting to mislead professional scientists. Both magicians and curious individuals will revel in Swiss's revelatory insights into the science behind magic—and the magic inherent in science. Along the way, you'll uncover what it truly means to live life as an 'honest liar,' a fascinating paradox central to the magician's ethos.
The Power of Critical Thinking
At its core, 'The Conjurer's Conundrum' delivers the fundamental lesson that seeing is not believing. This realization often propels budding conjurors to embrace rational inquiry, critical thinking, and a scientific worldview. Many magicians, professional deceivers by trade, passionately advocate for protecting people from deception. They become social activists, promoting the scientific method's benefits and warning against pseudoscience and its predators. This profound commitment forms what Jamy Ian Swiss calls 'The Conjurer's Conundrum,' a powerful testament to the ethical responsibilities that often accompany the art of illusion.
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Astonishing Essays - Jamy Ian Swiss (Volume 8 , Instant Download )
Magic’s Most Revered Essayist has a New Book
In The Conjurer’s Conundrum, Jamy Ian Swiss explores the magician’s relationship with skepticism. In this lively, personal book, Swiss, an activist for scientific skepticism for more than 35 years, takes readers on a magical mystery tour of the longstanding connection between magic and science: from the publication of The Discoverie of Witchcraft by Reginald Scot, in 1584, to the era of Spiritualism and its magician debunkers like Harry Houdini; to the modern skepticism movement, personified by the MacArthur Award-winning author, magician, and escape artist, James Randi.
Readers will delight in Swiss’s tales of testing and confronting self-proclaimed psychics on stage and on television, investigating them undercover in collaboration with criminal investigation, and challenging psychic frauds face-to-face when they try to mislead a renowned professional scientist. Magicians and civilians alike will enjoy Swiss’s revelatory accounts of the science of magic—and the magic in science. And along the way you will learn what it means to commit to living one’s life as an “honest liar.”
The most fundamental lesson in The Conjurer’s Conundrum is that seeing is not believing. For many budding conjurors, this realization often comes to embrace rational inquiry, critical thinking, and a scientific worldview. Some magicians have become social activists in support of scientific skepticism, promoting the benefits and wonders of the scientific method – while warning of the dangers of pseudoscience and of the predators who weaponize and monetize it. It may seem odd that magicians – who, after all, are professional deceivers – care passionately about trying to protect people from being deceived. But most of them do, and the result is what Jamy Ian Swiss calls The Conjuror’s Conundrum.
