Opinions on Derren Brown?

mossieh

Hi,
first off let me state, I am entirely sceptical regarding pretty much all of the paranormal realm, I do however respect anyones right to believe whatever they want.

I'm curious to know what you folks make of Derren Brown. He has done several shows where he recreated the results of psychics/mediums etc using scientific psychological techniques. His techniques generally involve misdirection, hypnosis and/or subliminal suggestion. Do these shows affect your belief (or lack thereof) in professed psychics or mediums?

Again let me state, I'm not looking for a fight, just curious to hear what you make of him.

6th

Its not too hard to recreate an affect, hollywood does it all the time, but the fact that an affect can be copied does not mean that that is the only way it can be done.

There was a great (if not fuuny at times) thread on Derren Brown a while back on here - made for some interesting thinking. I'll try dig it up.

There are people who can copy the Mona Lisa ..... does that take away from the genius of the original?

For the record, I think Brown is a very talented guy and does no damage to my belief system.

6th

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054931899

Oryx

I like DB. He shows how fraud works and that to me is useful. I dont think a blinkered view whether you are pro or con the paranormal is a good thing. The only thing I dont like is that people seem to assume that because these things CAN be faked, that they are always fake. As 6th says, this may not neccesarily be the case.

(Ps Hi 6th )

6th

Too true about the blinkers! People with blind faith in the paranormal are just as bad (and do just as much damage) as cynical skeptics (not to be confused with genuine skeptics).

(Ps Right back at ya KittyKat - pm me your email ..... I get little time for keepin in touch but promise i'll make the effort )

stevenmu

Like the others, I think that while he shows certain effects can be faked, that doesn't insinuate in any way that everyone else is a fake. To throw another example into the mix, all kinds of documents, from cheques to passports can easily be faked, that doesn't mean that all cheques or passports are fake. Lots of people looking to sell or buy products over the internet are outright conmen, but that certainly doesn't mean they all are. Actually maybe a better example is that lots of people taking exams, say in college or in school, have a good understanding and knowledge of the subject and earn the good grades they get, others cheat and use tricks to get the same good grades, and give the impression that they have the same knowledge and understanding as the people who earned their grades, but that doesn't take away from the ability of the people who have the knowledge and understanding.

Slightly off-topic, it's a pity he's not doing much TV work lately, I do really enjoy his shows, especially the specials he does from time to time, it would be great to see more of him, I hope he's working on something big.

Dubh Geannain

I have his book. "Tricks of the Mind". Alot of interesting stuff in there though I haven't had the chance to read it through. He does in a round about way admit his work (not saying all magicians or whatever) is all about deception and illusion.

His humour is a bit off too IMO. To paraphrase him from his book "Watch as your friends look on in amazement bewildered by your brilliance, then step up on the table and urinate on their faces". Wtf
He does that he has few remaining close friends, I wonder why?

Anyone read the book all the way through though by the way? There's some interesting stuff on increasing your memory. Works a treat. If your doing a degree/course that requires you to memorise lots of data; dates to use history as an example, the stuff he teaches is invaluable.

mossieh

Yes, it's a fair point, i.e. the fact that something can be faked does not mean that all practicioners are fakers. Personally, I'm a fan of Occam's Razor, i.e. all things being equal, the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. For me, the simplest explanation of these phenomena is Derren Brown style trickery. Thank you for your responses anyway!