Nostradamus Critical Essay | Critical Essay by James Randi

Critical Essay by James Randi

SOURCE: "The Ten Quatrains," in The Mask of Nostradamus, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1990, pp. 163-218.

Known as "The Amazing Randi" and described by Time magazine as a "conjurer, showman, crusader, and America's most implacable foe of flummery," Randi is the author of several lively works concerned with exposing metaphysical charlatanism. He has written on Harry Houdini, Uri Geller, and Nostradamus. In the following excerpt, he critically examines several of Nostradamus's best-known quatrains, debunking the claims of "the Nostradamians" throughout.

Nostradamus first commanded my attention because of his perennial popularity. As I looked into his life, I became impressed with his ingenuity and his fling at immortality. I recognized his worth as a physician and as a poet, his perseverance and courage. He was a person of considerable ability who would have succeeded in any age.

In this chapter we will examine [several] Nostradamus quatrains suggested by leading Nostradamians, those most...
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