Derren Brown: Psychobabble versus Psychic-babble
I recently watched a youtube video where Derren Brown debunks psychics and such by explaining “cold reading”.
He expresses disgust at these techniques, calling psychics and mediums charlatans.
However, I believe his explanations for his own tricks are also nonsense. He is forgoing mysticism, which is more or less unbelievable, and instead creating a much more believable wrapping of psychobabble. He claims people’s reactions and body language reveal things to him. He makes mistakes, increasing the realism.
He’s replacing psychics with psychobabble. Both are false; he is an illusionist, and no less of a charlatan than purveyors of the supernatural.
He’s still great entertainment though. And seems a nice person. But I found that video more than a little hypocritical.
[/rant by someone who read something about cold reading on the internets]
Disclaimer: I have no actual evidence that he is an illusionist. However most of his stunts could be duplicated with the use of stooges or sleight of hand or technical trickery. It seems the simplest explanation, but requires forgoing the longing for real superpowers to consider it.