---
aliases:
- Ray Hyman
born: 1928-06-23
category: Skeptics & Critics
created: 2026-05-15
location: Chelsea, Massachusetts
summary: Ray Hyman is a University of Oregon psychologist and scientific skeptic who
  evaluated Uri Geller for DARPA in 1973, criticized SRI remote viewing methodology
  throughout the 1970s-80s, and wrote the skeptical half of the 1995 AIR evaluation
  of STAR GATE, concluding that methodological flaws precluded accepting the data
  as evidence for remote viewing.
tags:
- Person
- Skeptic
- PSI
- Stargate
- AIR
- SRI
- 1970s
- 1990s
title: Ray Hyman
updated: 2026-05-17
---

Ray Hyman is a psychologist and a prominent figure in the scientific skepticism movement. He was contracted by [DARPA](/organizations/darpa/) in 1973 to evaluate [Uri Geller](/people/uri-geller/)'s purported psychic abilities at [SRI](/organizations/stanford-research-institute/). Along with [George Lawrence](/people/george-lawrence/) and [Robert Van de Castle](/people/robert-van-de-castle/), Hyman concluded that anyone who believed in Geller's powers was falling for the "ridiculous"[^1].

Hyman, along with [Martin Gardner](/people/martin-gardner/), joined forces in an anti-Geller crusade. He was critical of [Hal Puthoff](/people/hal-puthoff/) and [Russell Targ](/people/russell-targ/)'s methodology, echoing Gardner's criticisms of [J. B. Rhine](/people/j-b-rhine/)'s research, citing loose laboratory controls, skewing of data, and the influence of experimenter bias[^1].

In 1983, Hyman weighed in on the [James Randi](/people/james-randi/) hoax against the McDonnell Laboratory for Psychical Research, stating that Randi was "very upset by Geller’s using trickery to deceive scientists. He thought it was very immoral. And he felt that it was a prostitution of his beloved magic"[^1].

In 1995, Hyman was one of the team leaders for the [American Institutes for Research](/organizations/american-institutes-for-research/)'s evaluation of the [Star Gate program](/programs/stargate-project/), which ultimately recommended its cancellation. However, this evaluation was criticized for its limited scope and the researchers' pre-existing skeptical biases[^1].

[^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.