🎩🔍 An Honest Liar - when does deception become fraud?

Documentary discussion - watch beforehand, no screening.

What this is

A documentary about James Randi, stage illusion, skepticism, fraud, and the weird human hunger to believe. Randi spent his life around deception, but not all deception is the same. A magic trick can be honest because everyone knows there is a trick. Fraud is something else: deception pretending to be truth. That is where this gets interesting. We’ll talk about illusion, belief, charisma, skepticism, and the uncomfortable question of why people often want to be fooled.

A few questions for the room

• “When is deception harmless, and when does it become exploitation?”
• “Why do intelligent people still fall for obvious fraud?”
• “Can skepticism become its own kind of performance?”

Watching

Watch the documentary beforehand. No screening at the event. Official info

When and where

🗓️ Date: Sunday, October 18th, 2026 🕒 Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM PDT 📍 Location: UBC Learning Exchange 612 Main St, Vancouver, BC V6A 2V3, Canada Meeting point: Main entrance at 612 Main Street. Please arrive 10 minutes before the event starts. Doors close 10 minutes after the start time. Cap: 12