the official site of Michael Shermer

When Scientists Sin

Fraud, deception and lies in research reveal how science is (mostly) self-correcting In his 1974 commencement speech at the California Institute of ... (July 5th, 2010)

When Ideas Have Sex

How free exchange between people increases prosperity and trust In his 1776 work An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, ... (June 1st, 2010)

Doing Science in the Past

The comparative method of historical science helps to explain Haiti’s poverty HISTORY IS NOT OFTEN THOUGHT OF AS A SCIENCE, but it can be if it ... (May 17th, 2010)

Faith Healing

A torrid tale of quackbusting in 1920s America sheds light on modern medical scares A review of Pope Brock’s Charlatan. America’s Most ... (February 1st, 2008)

Deities for Atheists

A review of George Basalla’s Civilized Life in the Universe: Scientists on Intelligent Extraterrestrials. On February 8, 2000, the New York Times ... (March 3rd, 2006)

You Can Judge This Book by its Cover

A review of Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking. Anyone who does a lot of public speaking knows there are certain ... (February 2nd, 2005)

Mr. Deity and the Skeptic

Skeptic Michael Shermer pleads his case before Jesus and Mr. Deity. Watch all Mr. Deity episodes at MrDeity.com. (September 15th, 2009)

On the Modern History of Skepticism

In this interview with Reason Editor in Chief Matt Welch, shot at The Amazing Meeting in Las Vegas, Shermer talks about the history of modern ... (August 11th, 2009)

Debating “Miracles” on Premier Christian Radio

You don’t have to look far for claims of the miraculous. But what constitutes a “miracle” and do Christian beliefs in this area ... (July 25th, 2009)

Breaking News: The Government Wants to Poison Children!

I received this from a listener. She noted the following on the website “PreventDisease.com” (quite the ironically named website): They ... (July 29th, 2010)

We Have a Winner…

I would like to thank all of you that participated in the logo submission.  We received many great entries in a variety of creative directions.  I ... (July 27th, 2010)

The Reasonableness of Weird Things

The Amazing Meeting (TAM) conference in Las Vegas is always the center of the skeptical universe, and TAM8 was no exception. Bigger and more ... (July 26th, 2010)

Anti-science propaganda: how Ben Stein’s new ‘documentary’ film entitled Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed equates evolution with Nazism. Was anyone really fired for their belief in Intelligent Design? Read these four articles and listen to the Skepticality podcast to find out!

1. Ben Stein’s Blunder
2. The Richard Sternberg Affair
3. The Expelled Case
   of Caroline Crocker
4. Was Guillermo Gonzalez Expelled?
5. READ Dawkin’s open letter to a victim of Ben Stein’s propaganda
6. WATCH a parody of the film
   on RichardDawkins.net: Sexpelled: No Intercourse Allowed

Listen to the following Skepticality episodes that deal with the subject.

• episode 74
• episode 76
• episode 77

Does Belief Help Us to Survive?

I don’t think religious beliefs are different from any other kind of beliefs: political attitudes, commitments to political parties, or economic ... (August 10th, 2009)

Confessions of a Former Environmental Skeptic

In his 1964 Republican presidential nomination acceptance speech Barry Goldwater gave voice to one of the most memorable one-liners in political ... (April 15th, 2008)

Scientology, Anonymous

Imagine reading the following press release: Hello, Jews. We are anonymous. Over the years, we have been watching you. Your campaigns of ... (February 18th, 2008)