Scepticism
The practice of asking for evidence before accepting a claim, applied to magic, psychic powers and alternative healing.
Also: skepticism, scientific scepticism, rationalism
Sceptical inquiry into magic has a long history, from Cicero's doubts about augury to Reginald Scot's Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584), which argued that witchcraft accusations rested on delusion and fraud. Modern organisations such as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, founded in 1976, test claims of psychic powers and investigate mediums and healers. Magicians such as Harry Houdini and James Randi were prominent investigators, because the tools of the stage help to spot trickery. Fair scepticism, scholars say, asks what the evidence is without mocking those who believe, and studies why belief persists. Anthropologists add that many magical practices are valued for meaning, belonging and comfort, which tests of efficacy do not address.