Frauds and Charlatans

Derren Brown is a mentalist, a magician of the mind. But what he does isn't really magic. Sometimes it looks like jedi mind tricks. It's part hypnosis, part psychology and relies heavily on a technique called Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). His work is fascinating because, in a way, he takes away people's identities.

Watch his program called "The Heist" to see just how malleable the mind can be.

When I say he takes away people's identities, I don't mean he gives them amnesia or plastic surgery. But all of his tricks essentially force people into behavior that they wouldn't ordinarily engage in. He is tampering with their free will. You might say "I would never rob a security guard at gun point." So what happens when you DO rob a security guard at gun point? Who was this person that committed the crime? Was it you? I see two options; yes or no.

If no, then who robbed the guard? And where were you while all this was going on?

If yes, then obviously you don't know yourself as well as you thought. Which is strange, considering you ARE you. AND I suppose you would have to take responsbility for your actions.

You could argue it was you, BUT Derren Brown tricked you into doing it through an elaborate set-up involving Pavlovian conditioning. Does that absolve you of responsibility? Maybe. But if you watch the Millgram Experiment part of the program, that defense doesn't seem very persuasive. In fact, I would argue that what Derren Brown did to these people isn't all that different from what happens to us everyday. Of course, his conditioning process was extremely focused and had a specific goal in mind. It's unlikely someone would be conditioned in a similar fashion in just two weeks without this kind of intense effort. But how about smaller, subtler conditioning stretched out over years? It makes me question what makes me "me" and why "I" do what I do.

Richard Dawkins interviewed him concerning psychics, fortune tellers and faith healers. Basically, they perform their trade in the same way he does his.

Part 1 of 6. The whole interview is worth watching.