Interest in the New Age movement seems to have slackened off in the past couple of years, although millions of Americans still subscribe to some elements. Belief in the abilities of psychics appears to have gained in popularity, judging by the number of TV commercials advertising the services of "professional" psychics who will give you the scoop on your life at $3.99 per minute, discreetly billed on your monthly phone statement.
Richard Wiseman, a senior lecturer and research fellow at the University of Hertfordshire, was ten years old when his grandfather amazed him by making a coin appear seemingly out of nowhere. The trick profoundly affected the child and by age 19 he became a practicing magician. Today he calls himself a professional psychic detective, whose duties involve exposing charlatans and opportunists who prey on the unsuspecting masses.
Wiseman's book, Deception & Self-Deception (Prometheus, $25.95) discusses general principles of deception and how they're used to fake psychic ability. Most of the book centers on Wiseman's investigations of psychics past and present.
This topic should be of interest to both believers and skeptics, although wading through Wiseman's academic writing style can prove taxing.
Personally, I have undergone a couple of experiences with psychics. One, well known in the Columbus, Ohio community, demonstrated a startling knowledge of my family's history in a reading given on a crisp Fall Sunday some years ago. She had never met me, my wife, or our adopted son. Yet she told us details of our son's life, particularly his relationship with his by-then-deceased father that provoked a look of astonishment. She was amazingly accurate on the past, but much less successful in predicting the future.
Recently, my wife attended a New Age exposition and received a reading from an Akron area psychic, who managed to describe to a remarkable degree traits of my spouse's long-dead grandmother.
I am not totally convinced by these experiences, but I'm open to receiving more proof. Professor Wiseman doesn't seem as willing to suspend his disbelief.
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