Brian Brushwood: Why we fall for scams

Magician and podcaster Brian Brushwood talks about deception and skepticism while exploring historical hoaxes, the psychology of magic, the libertarian dystopia of Epcot, and the story behind "World’s Greatest Con".
Be sure to check out Brian Brushwood's channels on Youtube: @scamschool and @ModernRogue !

0:00— Introduction
1:43— Brushwood's podcast: World's Greatest Con
6:00— The con of Disney's EPCOT
13:20— The Project Alpha hoax
17:47— James Randi, Uri Geller, and Banachek
28:49— Why do we love to be conned?
31:00— Arthur Conan Doyle's rationality and mysticism
33:25— How to built a better bullshit detector
35:42— Why Brushwood feels hopeful about AI
40:55— How the internet changed magic
42:50— Psychic surgery and the placebo effect
45:21— Brushwood's origin story
46:09— Magic's gender imbalance
48:58— Skepticism and atheism

https://reason.com/podcast/2025/05/21/brian-brushwood-why-we-fall-for-scams/
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"You don't get conned because you're stupid—you get conned because you're human."

That's the message of this week's guest, Brian Brushwood. He's an Austin-based magician, podcaster, and professional skeptic. With shows like @scamschool and @ModernRogue he's taught millions of us how to upgrade our B.S. detectors in a world where truth is more up for grabs than ever before.

Reason's Nick Gillespie talks with him about World's Greatest Con, Brushwood's mind-blowing podcast where he reveals grifts like Disney World's authoritarian Epcot theme park, the psychic-soldier panic of the Cold War, and the myth that the French used magic tricks to subdue colonial Algeria.

Along the way, they look at how media monocultures used to gatekeep truth—and how the chaotic pluralism of the internet is both a blessing and a curse (mostly a blessing!). Brushwood is a dyed-in-the-wool libertarian who celebrates decentralization, transparency, and personal agency—even when it's messy. He discusses the influence of performers like the Amazing Randi and Penn & Teller, why teaching magic online pissed off the old guard, and why skepticism has to evolve or die in a world full of customized realities.