45: The Ethics Of Mentalism with Jon Archer

Scamapalooza with Nicholas J. Johnson

What’s the difference between a con artist and a magician? A great magician tells you they’re about to lie you. They admit it out right. And then fool you anyway.

But a great con artist will suck you in and leave you refusing to believe you were ever deceived.

So what then, about mentalism, that branch of magic that brings to life psychic phenomena like psychokinesis and telepathy or that makes extraordinary psychological techniques like neurolinguistic programming or body language reading seem legit.

These magicians are often so credible that audiences are left actually believing that the entertainer has abilities that they do not have and often, do not exist.

Are they con artist? Is it ethical to lie to an audience in this way? Or is it all just show business?

On this episode of Scamapalooza, magician and comedian Jon Archer seeks to get inside the mind…of the mind readers.