Homeopathy, quackery and fraud | James Randi | TED

翻译人员: Wenjing 刘文静 校对人员: Zhu Jie

Good morning.

上午好。

Happy to see so many fine folks out here

能见到这么多名流在座真开心。

and so many smiling faces.

看来大家心情也不错。

I have a very peculiar

面对真实的世界，

background, attitude and approach

我的背景，态度和方法

to the real world

都别具一格，

because I am a conjurer.

因为我是魔术师。

Now, I prefer that term over magician,

我可不是什么变戏法的，

because if I were a magician, that would mean

若是变戏法的，

that I use spells and incantations

就得采用咒语符文，

and weird gestures

古里古怪的手势，

in order to accomplish real magic.

那样才能变出戏法。

No, I don't do that; I'm a conjurer,

我可不来那一套；我是魔术师，

who is someone who pretends to be

假扮成

a real magician. (Laughter)

货真价实的术士。

Now, how do we go about that sort of thing?

那么，那种把戏是怎么弄的呢？

We depend on the fact

有个前提是

that audiences, such as yourselves,

像你们一样的观众

will make assumptions.

都会对所闻所见进行假设。

For example, when I walked up here

举个例子，我走上台来，

and I took the microphone from the stand

我从讲台上取下麦克风

and switched it on,

把它拧开，

you assumed this was a microphone, which it is not.

你们就认定这是个麦克风了，其实错了。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

As a matter of fact, this is something

事实上，这件东西是你们当中

that about half of you, more than half of you will not be familiar with.

至少一半人所不熟悉的。

It's a beard trimmer, you see?

这是把剃须刀，看到了吧。

And it makes a very bad microphone;

当麦克风用它一点儿都不好使。

I've tried it many times. (Laughter)

我试用多次了。

The other assumption that you made --

你们的另一个假定是--

and this little lesson is to show you

这只是告诉大家

that you will make assumptions.

你们都会假设--

Not only that you can, but that you will

可能并且即将进行种种假设--

when they are properly suggested to you.

当你们受到一定的暗示。

You believe I'm looking at you.

你们相信我正在看着你们。

Wrong. I'm not looking at you. I can't see you.

错。我没在看你们。我看不到你们。

I know you're out there, they told me backstage, it's a full house and such.

我知道你们就座在大厅里 ，上台之前他们已经说了，观众座无虚席。

I know you're there because I can hear you,

我知道你们在座是因为我听见你们了，

but I can't see you because I normally wear glasses.

但我看不到，原因是我通常戴眼镜才看得见。

These are not glasses, these are empty frames. (Laughter)

我现在戴的只是没镜片的空镜框，

Quite empty frames.

的确是空镜框。

Now why would a grown man appear before you

为什么一个上了年纪的人

wearing empty frames on his face?

戴着个空镜框出现在你们眼前？

To fool you, ladies and gentlemen,

是来骗你们的，先生们女士们

to deceive you, to show that you, too,

勾引你们上当，

can make assumptions.

让大家明白你们也会做出假设，

Don't you ever forget that.

这一点千万别忘记。

Now, I have to do something -- first of all, switch to real glasses

现在，我得先把眼镜戴上，

so I can actually see you,

这样才能看见你们，

which would probably be a convenience. I don't know.

或许能方便我看清楚，也不一定。

I haven't had a good look. Well, it's not that great a convenience.

我还没好好看一看呢。哦，马马虎虎，跟不戴差不多。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I have to do something now, which seems

现在我得做的事情，对魔术师来说，

a little bit strange for a magician.

看着有点儿怪异。

But I'm going to take some medication.

我要吃些药。

This is a full bottle of

这儿是满满一瓶的

Calms Forte.

安睡药片。

I'll explain that in just a moment.

待会儿我再解释。

Ignore the instructions,

不看服用说明。

that's what the government has to put in there

说明书都是按政府要求写的，

to confuse you, I'm sure.

肯定是让你看着糊涂的。

I will take enough of these. Mm.

我吃足够量的药片。

Indeed, the whole container.

其实是一整瓶的量。

Thirty-two tablets of Calms Forte.

32片安睡药。

Now that I've done that -- I'll explain it in a moment --

既然已经服下去了--我过一会跟大家解释--

I must tell you that

我必须告诉你们，

I am an actor.

我是个演员。

I'm an actor who plays a specific part.

我扮演某一特定的角色。

I play the part of a magician,

我演个术士，

a wizard, if you will, a real wizard.

男巫，或者干脆叫神汉。

If someone were to appear on this stage in front of me

要是有谁到台上来出现在我跟前，

and actually claim to be

他又号称是

an ancient prince of Denmark named Hamlet,

哈姆雷特，一位古代丹麦的王子，

you would be insulted

你们肯定觉着被侮辱了，

and rightly so.

的确如此。

Why would a man assume that you would believe

怎么会有谁可以假定你们就相信

something bizarre like this?

这类稀奇古怪的事情呢？

But there exists out there

还真大有人在，

a very large population

他们明目张胆地

of people who will tell you

告诉众生

that they have psychic, magical powers

他们具备灵异的、魔幻的力量，

that they can predict the future,

他们能预知未来，

that they can make contact with the deceased.

他们能与亡人接触。

Oh, they also say

啊，他们还说，

they will sell you astrology

可以把占星术以及

or other fortunetelling methods.

其它占卜用的方法卖给你们。

Oh, they gladly sell you that, yes.

哦，他们可真是巴不得卖给你们呢。

And they also say

他们还说

that they can give you perpetual motion machines

能给你永动机

and free energy systems.

和什么不耗能的玩意儿。

They claim to be psychics,

他们自称灵媒师，

or sensitives, whatever they can.

或者有特异功能什么的。

But the one thing that has made a big comeback

但是有一点让他们现了原形，

just recently

就在近期发生的，

is this business of

竟有这样的事儿，

speaking with the dead.

跟死人说话。

Now, to my innocent mind,

恕我孤陋寡闻了，

dead implies

我以为死亡即

incapable of communicating. (Laughter)

不能与人交流。

You might agree with me on that.

你们也这么想吧。

But these people, they tend to tell you that

可这帮人，他们要跟你们说的是，

not only can they communicate with the dead --

他们不但能跟死人交流--

"Hi, there" --

你好哇--

but they can hear the dead as well,

还能听见死人说的话呢，

and they can relay this information back to the living.

再把他们听到的讯息回传给生者。

I wonder if that's true.

我怀疑其真实性。

I don't think so, because

我不以为然是因为

this subculture of people

处于非主流文化中的这帮人

use exactly the same gimmicks that we magicians do,

用的手法跟我们魔术师一模照样，

exactly the same --

完全一样，

the same physical methods, the same psychological methods --

同样的物质方法，同样的心理手段。

and they effectively and profoundly

迄今他们有效地、深刻地

deceive millions of people around the earth,

欺骗了全球上百万众生

to their detriment.

令人深受其害。

They deceive these people,

他们向老百姓行骗。

costs them a lot of money,

骗取大量钱财。

cost them a lot of emotional anguish.

令众生陷入感情的痛苦之中。

Billions of dollars are spent

上亿美元都被骗走

every year, all over the globe,

年年如此，随处可见，

on these charlatans.

这类自吹自擂的骗子。

Now, I have two questions

我有两个问题

I would like to ask these people

我要向这类人发问

if I had the opportunity to do so.

如果我有这个机会。

First question: If I want to ask them to call up --

第一个问题：如果我要他们召唤谁---

because they do hear them through the ear.

因为他们用耳朵听到那些讯息。

They listen to the spirits like this --

他们像这样听灵魂说些什么。

I'm going to ask you to call up the ghost of my grandmother

我要你召唤我奶奶的灵魂，

because, when she died, she had the family will,

她去世的时候有一份家庭遗嘱，

and she secreted it someplace. We don't know where it is,

她给藏在什么地方了，我们都不知道。

so we ask Granny, "Where is the will, Granny?"

所以我们得问问奶奶，“遗嘱放在哪儿，奶奶？”

What does Granny say? She says, "I'm in heaven and it's wonderful.

奶奶怎么说的？她说，“我在天堂，这儿真美。

I'm here with all my old friends, my deceased friends,

我在这儿跟所有的老朋友一起，那些故去的朋友，

and my family

以及我的家人，

and all the puppy dogs and the kittens that I used to have when I was a little girl.

还有我小时候养过的宠物阿猫阿狗。

And I love you, and I'll always be with you.

我爱你们，永远和你们在一起。

Good bye."

再见。

And she didn't answer the damn question!

她死活就没回答问题。

Where is the will?

遗嘱放在哪儿？

Now, she could easily have said,

其实她本来就该直接说，

"Oh, it's in the library on the second shelf, behind the encyclopedia,"

“哦，放在百科全书后面了，在阅览室的第二层架子上。”

but she doesn't say that. No, she doesn't.

但她就不说。她没说。

She doesn't bring any useful information to us.

她不把有用的信息带给我们。

We paid a lot of money for that information,

我们可是为获得信息付了大价钱的，

be we didn't get it.

钱花了，信儿没问到。

The second question that I'd like to ask, rather simple:

我要问的第二个问题，相当简单。

Suppose I ask them to contact

比方说，假设我请他们

the spirit of my deceased father-in-law, as an example.

跟我已经故去的岳父的灵魂取得联系。

Why do they insist on saying --

为什么他们坚持说---

remember, they speak into this ear --

记住，他们对着他的耳朵说---

why do they say, "My name starts with J or M?"

为什么要说，“我的名字是J打头还是M？”

Is this a hunting game?

这玩的是猎杀游戏吗？

Hunting and fishing? What is it?

打猎还是钓鱼？什么把戏？不就一个问题么？

Is it 20 questions? No, it's more like 120 questions.

难道问了20个问题？不，更像是120个问题。

But it is a cruel, vicious,

太不幸，太邪恶了，

absolutely conscienceless --

彻底丧失良心了---

I'll be all right, keep your seats (Laughter) --

我没事儿，你们别担心---

game that these people play.

这伙人搞什么鬼把戏。

And they take advantage of the innocent, the naive,

他们在沾别人的便宜，利用那些

the grieving, the needy people out there.

天真、无知、悲伤和贫穷的人们。

Now, this is a process

其中有个过程，

that is called cold reading.

所谓冷读术。

There's one fellow out there,

有个知名知姓的男巫，

Van Praagh is his name, James Van Praagh.

他叫凡•普拉，全名是詹姆斯•凡•普拉。

He's one of the big practitioners of this sort of thing.

干这行的里面他算大佬。

John Edward, Sylvia Browne

还有约翰•爱德华，斯尔维亚•布朗，

and Rosemary Altea, they are other operators.

罗斯玛丽•艾尔提，他们都是这行当里面数得着的。

There are hundreds of them all over the earth, but in this country,

全球有几百个专干这行的巫师巫婆，但在这个国家，

James Van Praagh is very big.

詹姆斯•凡•普拉就是老大了。

And what does he do? He likes to tell you

知道他管用的伎俩吗？他通常会忽悠你

how the deceased got deceased,

已经故去的人是怎么走的，

the people he's talking to through his ear, you see?

他用耳朵与逝者交谈。

So what he says is, very often, is like this: he says,

他惯用的专业术语是，

"He tells me, he tells me, before he passed,

在他生前，他告诉我，他告诉我，

that he had trouble breathing."

他呼吸困难。”

Folks, that's what dying is all about!

在座的各位，那不就是人死亡的过程么。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

You stop breathing, and then you're dead.

停止呼吸，然后宣告死亡。

It's that simple.

多显而易见的事儿。

And that's the kind of information they're going to bring back to you?

那就是逝者要带回给人们的信息吗？

I don't think so.

我想不是。

Now, these people will make guesses, they'll say things like,

马上，这帮专业人士要进行猜测了，他们会说，

"Why am I getting electricity?

“为什么我得到一个“电”字？

He's saying to me, 'Electricity.'

他在跟我说“电”。

Was he an electrician?" "No."

“他是个电工？”不是。

"Did he ever have an electric razor?" "No."

“他曾用过一个电动剃须刀？”没有。

It was a game of hunting questions like this.

少来这种搜索问题的把戏。

This is what they go through.

他们无非就指着这套骗钱。

Now, folks often ask us

人们经常致电

at the James Randi Educational Foundation,

詹姆斯•兰迪教育基金会，

they call me, they say, "Why are you so concerned about this, Mr. Randi?

他们问：“兰迪先生，你为何对次如此关心？

Isn't it just a lot of fun?"

是不是其中大有乐趣？”

No, it is not fun. It is a cruel farce.

不，不是觉得有意思。真是令人痛苦的丑剧。

Now, it may bring a certain amount of comfort,

也许骗子给当事人带来一定的慰藉，

but that comfort lasts

却也不过是短暂的

only about 20 minutes or so.

二十来分钟而已。

And then the people look in the mirror, and they say,

过后人们揽镜自照，方大梦初醒，

I just paid a lot of money for that reading.

我付了一大笔钱都换来什么了。

And what did she say to me? 'I love you!'"

她跟我说了些什么？“我爱你！”

They always say that.

骗子惯用的把戏。

They don't get any information,

人们什么信息也没得到，

they don't get any value for what they spend.

上当了，钱白花了。

Now, Sylvia Browne is the big operator.

斯尔维亚•布朗就是目前的头号骗子。

We call her "The Talons."

我们都叫她“大魔爪”。

Sylvia Browne -- thank you --

斯尔维亚•布朗--谢谢你--

Sylvia Browne is the big operator

现在这行当中，

in this field at this very moment.

斯尔维亚•布朗就算老大了。

Now, Sylvia Browne -- just to show you --

斯尔维亚•布朗--你听好了--我要揭穿你

she actually gets 700 dollars

如何打一通20分钟的电话，

for a 20 minute reading over the telephone,

就骗取了700美元。

she doesn't even go there in person,

她甚至都不必走一趟。

and you have to wait up to two years because

而你得等上两年的时间才约得到她，

she's booked ahead that amount of time.

因为她提前预定的时间就是两年。

You pay by credit card or whatever,

可以用信用卡或别的方式付款，

and then she will call you

接下来两年之内的某个时间，

sometime in the next two years.

她会给你打电话。

You can tell it's her. "Hello, this is Sylvia Browne."

一听就知道是她本人。“你好，我是斯尔维亚•布朗。”

That's her, you can tell right away.

错不了。一听就是她。

Now, Montel Williams is an intelligent man.

蒙特尔·威廉姆斯智能过人。

We all know who he is on television.

这位美国著名电视节目主持人家喻户晓。

He's well educated, he's smart,

他修养高，又聪明。

he knows what Sylvia Browne is doing

他晓得斯尔维亚•布朗的勾当。

but he doesn't give a damn.

但他不去理会。

He just doesn't care.

事不关己，高高挂起。

Because, the bottom line is, the sponsors love it,

因为只要赞助商们喜欢，

and he will expose her

他就会随时向电视观众

to television publicity all the time.

推介她。

Now, what does Sylvia Browne give you for that 700 dollars?

而问题是斯尔维亚•布朗凭什么收了你700美元呢。

She gives you the names of your guardian angels, that's first.

首先，她会说出你的守护天使是谁。

Now, without that, how could we possibly function? (Laughter)

没有那可怎么行呢？

She gives you the names of previous lives,

她告诉你的前世叫什么名字，

who you were in previous lives.

上辈子你是谁。

Duh.

切--

It turns out that the women

结果那些听她瞎掰扯的女人，

that she gives readings for

都成了古巴比伦的公主，

were all Babylonian princesses, or something like that.

或者有类似的显赫身世。

And the men were all Grecian warriors

男的都曾经是跟随阿伽门农

fighting with Agamemnon.

打仗的希腊斗士。

Nothing is ever said about

却从没有人提及

a 14 year-old bootblack in the streets of London

伦敦大街上擦皮鞋的孩童，

who died of consumption.

14岁就死于肺病。

He isn't worth bringing back, obviously.

显然，卑微的小生命死不足惜。

And the strange thing -- folks, you may have noticed this too.

可能你们也注意到了，有件事很奇怪---

You see these folks on television --

在电视上露面的这些家伙---

they never call anybody back from hell. (Laughter)

从来不召回地狱的死人。

Everyone comes back from heaven, but never from hell.

他们找的都是天堂里的，从来不去敲地狱的门。

If they call back any of my friends,

若是把我故去的某个朋友叫回来，

they're not going to... Well, you see the story.

他们也不会去叫......反正大家都明白。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now, Sylvia Browne is an exception,

斯尔维亚•布朗

an exception in one way,

多少有点儿例外，

because the James Randi Educational Foundation, my foundation,

原因就是詹姆斯•兰迪教育基金，我本人的基金会，

offers a one million dollar prize in negotiable bonds.

提供一份价值一百万美元的可转让债券。

Very simply won.

赢取的条件很简单。

All you have to do is prove any paranormal, occult

只要你能证实超常玄妙的事情，

or supernatural event or power of any kind

或者超自然事情的真实性，

under proper observing conditions.

而且是在正常的条件下可观察到的。

It's very easy, win the million dollars.

谁做到了，就能轻易赢得百万美元。

Sylvia Browne is an exception in that

斯尔维亚•布朗多少有点儿例外，

she's the only professional psychic

她是全世界唯一的

in the whole world

接受我们挑战的

that has accepted our challenge.

职业灵媒师。

She did this on the "Larry King Live" show on CNN

六年前，她在拉里·金主持的CNN直播节目现场中

six and a half years ago.

接受了我们的挑战。

And we haven't heard from her since. Strange.

奇怪的是，从此她就再没动静了。

She said that, first of all, that she didn't know how to contact me.

她自己讲，起初，她不知如何联系我。

Duh.

(⊙o⊙)哦

A professional psychic who speaks to dead people,

职业灵媒师，有本事跟死人联络的，

she can't reach me?

她能找不到我？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I'm alive, you may have noticed.

你们也能看出来吧，我还活着，

Well, pretty well anyway.

好生生地活人呀。

She couldn't reach me. Now she says she doesn't want to reach me

她联系不上我。现在，她又讲她不想联系我，

because I'm a godless person.

因为我是个无神论者。

All the more reason to take the million dollars,

尽管如此，仍有更好的理由去赢取这百万美元，

wouldn't you think, Sylvia?

塞尔维亚，你说呢？

Now these people need to be stopped, seriously now.

该出来阻止这伙人了，刻不容缓。

They need to be stopped because this is a cruel farce.

必须阻止他们的丑陋闹剧。

We get people coming to the foundation all the time.

我们一直努力让人们到基金会来获得帮助。

They're ruined financially and emotionally

他们在金钱和情感上都受了伤害

because they've given their money and their faith

他们把钱、信任都给了

to these people.

这些人。

Now, I popped some pills earlier.

开始我吞下了一些药片，

I have to explain that to you.

我得解释一下。

Homeopathy, let's find out what that's all about.

同种疗法，我们看看这是什么疗法。

Hmm. You've heard of it.

嗯，你们多少有所了解。

It's an alternative form of healing, right?

对，是另一种形式的疗法。

Homeopathy actually consists -- and that's what this is.

事实上同种疗法包括---仅此而已。

This is Calms Forte,

这是解压舒眠锭。

32 caplets of sleeping pills! I forgot to tell you that.

我忘了告诉大家---这是32片安眠药。

I just ingested

我刚消化了

six and a half days worth of sleeping pills.

合六天半剂量的安眠药。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Six and a half days, that certainly is a fatal dose.

六天半，当然是致命的剂量。

It says right on the back here,

这背面的说明书写着。

"In case of overdose,

"万一吞服过量，

contact your poison control center immediately,"

立即联系您附近的毒药控制中心。"

and it gives an 800 number.

后面写着个800的号码。

Keep your seats -- it's going to be okay.

都别担心。我没事儿。

I don't really need it

我不需要急救，

because I've been doing this stunt

因为我在过去八至十年间，

for audiences all over the world

一直向全世界的观众

for the last eight or 10 years,

表演这项绝技，

taking fatal doses of homeopathic sleeping pills.

服用过量的同种疗法安眠药。

Why don't they affect me?

这些药对我怎麽不管用呀？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

The answer may surprise you.

答案你可能想不到。

What is homeopathy?

什么是同种疗法？

It's taking a medicine that really works

其实是服用真正有效的药物，

and diluting it down

进行稀释，

well beyond Avogadro's limit.

刚好在阿伏伽德罗界限之内。

Diluting it down to the point

稀释到一定程度，

where there's none of it left. (Laughter)

淡化为乌有。

Now folks, this is not

朋友们，我可不是在打比方，

just a metaphor I'm going to give you now, it's true.

实际情况如此。

It's exactly equivalent to taking

这正相当于

one 325 milligram aspirin tablet,

将325毫克阿司匹林药片

throwing it into the middle of Lake Tahoe,

投入塔霍湖里，

and then stirring it up, obviously with a very big stick,

然后搅动一番，当然是用很大一根木棒，

and waiting two years or so

等过了大约两年的时间，

until the solution is homogeneous.

直到溶解得均匀了。

Then, when you get a headache,

之后，一旦你犯了头疼病，

you take a sip of this water, and -- voila! -- it is gone.

喝一口这湖里的水，哇塞！不疼了。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now that is true. That is what homeopathy is all about.

事实上，同种疗法不过如此。

And another claim that they make -- you'll love this one --

他们还说---你们一定觉得好玩---

the more dilute the medicine is, they say,

药物越稀释，

the more powerful it is.

疗效越强。

Now wait a minute, we heard about a guy in Florida.

但是，我们听说佛罗里达的一个人，

The poor man, he was on homeopathic medicine.

可怜的家伙，服用了同种疗法的药。

He died of an overdose.

他死于服药过量。

He forgot to take his pill.

他忘了吃他的药。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Work on it. Work on it.

这是怎么说的。

It's a ridiculous thing. It is absolutely ridiculous.

荒唐，绝对荒唐。

I don't know what we're doing,

真不知道我们在干什么。

believing in all this nonsense over all these years.

多年来相信这些胡说八道。

Now, let me tell you,

现在，让我来告诉你们，

The James Randi Educational Foundation

詹姆斯•兰迪教育基金会

is waving this very big carrot,

挥舞着这根大胡萝卜，

but I must say, the fact that nobody

但是我必须说，事实上，

has taken us up on this offer

对我们的悬赏虽然无人问津，

doesn't mean that the powers don't exist.

并不是没有能人。

They might, some place out there.

他们可能不知在哪儿。

Maybe these people are just independently wealthy.

也许这些人单单有钱。

Well, with Sylvia Browne I would think so.

我想他们跟塞尔维亚布朗尼一伙。

You know, 700 dollars for a 20 minute reading

你们晓得，通个20分钟的电话，

over the telephone --

就赚700美元，

that's more than lawyers make!

比律师还能挣。

I mean that's a fabulous amount of money.

真是惊人的一大笔钱。

These people don't need the million dollars perhaps,

这些有钱人可能真不在乎几百万美元，

but wouldn't you think they'd like to take it

但你不觉得他们想趁机

just to make me look silly?

让我难堪，

Just to get rid of this godless person out there

趁机干掉某个无神论者吗？

that Sylvia Browne talks about all the time?

那可是塞尔维亚布朗尼一直的心病呢。

I think that something needs to be done about this.

我想应该采取实际行动。

We really would love to have suggestions from you folks

我们非常乐意听听在座各位的建议，

on how to contact federal, state

该如何联系上联邦政府

and local authorities

以及当地政府，

to get them to do something.

说服他们对此有所作为。

If you find out -- now I understand.

如果你们查明真相，---我现在才明白---

We've seen people, even today, speaking to us

始终有人向我们诉说

about AIDS epidemics

艾滋病的蔓延，

and starving kids around the world

全世界挨饿的儿童，

and impure water supplies that people have to suffer with.

供应水质不纯净的问题令人们深受其害。

Those are very important,

都是重大的事情。

critically important to us.

事关生存大计。

And we must do something about those problems.

我们必须努力解决那些问题。

But at the same time,

然而与此同时......

as Arthur C. Clarke said,

正如阿瑟C克拉克所说，

The rotting of the human mind,

“人心大坏。”

the business of believing in the paranormal and the occult

相信什么超常、神秘、

and the supernatural --

超自然的事儿，

all of this total nonsense,

统统是胡说八道，专门骗人的，

this medieval thinking --

令人发指的愚昧糟粕。

I think something should be done about that,

这也是亟待解决的问题，

and it all lies in education.

关键在教育。

Largely, it's the media

很大程度上，问题的产生

who are to blame for this sort of thing.

归咎于媒体。

They shamelessly promote

他们无耻地鼓吹

all kinds of nonsense of this sort

这类蒙昧无知的东西，

because it pleases the sponsors.

仅仅是为了取悦赞助商。

It's the bottom line, the dollar line.

其底线在于是否赚钱。

That's what they're looking at.

只要赚钱，其它的不管。

We really must do something about this.

我们实在不能袖手旁观。

I'm willing to take your suggestions,

对各位的建议我洗耳恭听，

and I'm willing to have you

我也希望各位

tune in to our webpage.

到访我们的网站：

It's www.randi.org.

网址是：www.randi.org

Go in there and look at the archives,

去浏览里面保存的资料，

and you will begin to understand much more

你们就会更多地了解

of what I've been talking about today.

今天我在这里所讲的内容。

You will see the records that we have.

请去看我们保存的记录。

There's nothing like sitting in that library

坐在图书馆里，

and having a family appear there

受访者是一家人，

and say that Mum gave away all the family fortune.

诉说他们的母亲卖掉了全家所有的财产。

She cashed in the CDs,

收藏的唱片都被卖了，

she gave away the stocks and the certificates.

以及股票和存根。

That's really sad to hear,

真是没有比听这样的事情更叫人难过的了。

and it hasn't helped them one bit,

一点儿也帮不到他们，

hasn't solved any of their problems.

也解决不了他们的任何实际问题。

Yes, there could be a rotting of the American mind,

正是印证了那句话，侵蚀了美国人的心灵，

and of the minds all the way around the earth,

也同样侵蚀了地球人的心灵。

if we don't start to think sensibly about these things.

该理智地思考这些现象了。

Now, we've offered this carrot,

至此，我们悬赏，

as I say, we've dangled the carrot.

前面说过，我们很希望有人接受挑战。

We're waiting for the psychics to come forth and snap at it.

我们拭目以待，诸多灵媒师前来应战。

Oh, we get lots of them,

哦，相当多，

hundreds of them every year come by.

每年都有几百号人来找我们。

These are dowsers and people

这些催眠师，

who think that they can talk to the dead as well,

这些自认为能跟死人交谈的人，

but they're amateurs; they don't know how to evaluate

但是他们太不专业了，竟不知道如何

their own so-called powers.

对其所谓超能力进行定级。

The professionals never come near us,

专业干这行的从来也不找我们，

except in that case of Sylvia Browne

除了塞尔维亚布朗尼的个案。

that I told you about a moment ago.

刚才我已经说过了。

She did accept and then backed away.

他确实接受挑战了，后来又退缩了。

Ladies and gentlemen,

女士们，先生们

I'm James Randi,

本人詹姆斯•兰迪

and I'm waiting.

在此恭候。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）