Skeptic: Promoting Science and Critical Thinking

2008 July–December

December 23rd: Fooled by Ponzi (and Madoff)

We present an insider’s look at Ponzi schemes by an expert on human gullibility who not only just wrote a book on the subject, but with considerable irony just lost a good chunk of his retirement savings in the Madoff Ponzi scheme. This is one of the most insightful articles we’ve ever published that puts the lie to the belief that intelligent and educated skeptics and scientists can’t be fooled.

December 17th: How to Be Psychic in Ten Easy Steps

For our annual fundraising drive at the Skeptics Society, this year’s premium give-away is a PDF booklet on how to do your own psychic readings, in exchange for which we respectfully ask you to show your support for your Skeptics Society by making a donation to our annual fundraising campaign.

December 10th: Regulation Schmegulation

Michael Shermer debunks the myth of deregulation as the cause of the current economic crisis; Skeptic.com offers rare Pyramid Power resources from Junior Skeptic # 23; and Michael Shermer and Karl Giberson debates how best to “save Darwin.”

December 3rd: Newtonmas is here again (almost)

It’s that time of year once again. Giving gifts on December 25, Sir Isaac Newton’s birthday (he’s 366 this year!), has long been a tradition amongst skeptics, so here are a few gems we plucked out of our catalogue that we think your friends and family members will enjoy receiving as gifts (and it’s okay to buy yourself a gift as well!).

November 26th: The Powerful Pull of Belief

Michael Shermer discusses the confirmation bias — the powerful compulsion to seek out confirmatory evidence for our beliefs, in the context of the film Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple.

November 19th: Oppenheimer the Opera

Michael Shermer reviews the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Doctor Atomic, the story of the building of the atomic bomb and the brilliant but enigmatic J. Robert Oppenheimer.

November 12th: Just What is the Consensus on Global Warming?

Gary J. Whittenberger Ph.D. discusses how a global warming petition project has misled the public by indicating there is a consensus that the evidence is weak or nonexistent for anthropogenic global warming.

November 5th: Does God Exist?

Dr Michael Shermer takes on Dr John Lennox, who holds three doctorates in the fields of science and mathematics (Ph.D., D.Phil., D.Sc.) and is a Fellow in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Green College, University of Oxford.

October 29th: Introducing SkepticBlog

Steven Novella introduces SkepticBlog — a collaboration among some of the most recognized names in promoting science, critical thinking, and skepticism, featuring the cast and producers of The Skeptologists, a pilot skeptical reality show.

October 22nd: Thank God for Evolution

Michael J. Booker, Ph.D reviews Michael Dowd’s book entitled Thank God for Evolution! How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World; Michael Dowd responds.

October 15th: From Science Fiction to Science Fact

Tauriq Moosa reviews Michio Kaku’s book entitled Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration of the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation and Time Travel.

October 8th: Puncturing the Acupuncture Myth

Skeptic magazine’s very own Skepdoc, Harriet Hall M.D., punctures the acupuncture myth and tells you why “almost everything you’ve heard about acupuncture is wrong.”

October 1st: Was Vanity Fair Hoaxed?

Mark Bellinghaus, a first rate skeptical investigator of all things Marilyn, sheds some light on how a recent Marilyn Monroe hoax fooled Vanity Fair magazine.

September 24th: How to Resolve the War between Science & Religion

Shawn K. Stover, an associate professor of biology at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia, discusses how to resolve the war between science and religion.

September 17th: What Makes People Vote Republican?

We link to Jonathan Haidt’s article on science and politics entitled What Makes People Vote Republican? on Edge.org, with commentaries on it by Michael Shermer and others.

September 10th: Shermer in Australia

Michael Shermer shares his stories after a two-week tour of Australia sponsored by the Australian government for their annual National Science Week.

September 3rd: announcing the Fall Season of Caltech lectures

The Skeptics Society is pleased to announce its Fall season of the Skeptics Distinguished Lecture Series at Caltech. This continues the fifteen-year-long series, presenting over 200 lectures by some of the most distinguished experts in the world.

August 27th: Money, Markets & Morality

We present ABC Radio National’s show All in the Mind, a debate recorded for National Science Week in Australia, between Dr. Michael Shermer and shareholder activist and Crikey founder, Stephen Mayne.

August 20th: Flagella Myths

Mark Perakh discusses how Intelligent Design proponents created the myth that bacterial flagella look like man-made machines.

August 15th: Proof of Bigfoot?

Michael Shermer responds to the recently claimed Bigfoot find. Plus, we present a brief history of Bigfoot summarized from Daniel Loxton’s two Junior Skeptic issues bound into Skeptic magazines Vol 11 No 2 and Vol 11 No 3.

August 13th: Redefining Near Death Experiences

Sebastian Dieguez presents a rejoinder to Mark Crislip’s “Near Death Experiences & the Medical Literature” (eSkeptic June 18th, 2008), calling for a redefinition of NDEs.

August 6th: Does science make belief in God obsolete?

This is the third in a series of conversations presented by the John Templeton Foundation. The conversation explores the BIG Questions (the theme of this year’s Skeptics Society Conference at Caltech), among which is “Does science make belief in God obsolete?”.

July 30th: Toward a Type 1 Civilization

Michael Shermer postulates a “Type 1” civilization in which exists a “globalism that includes worldwide wireless Internet access, with all knowledge digitized and available to everyone…

July 23rd: announcing our 2008 Conference

The Skeptics Society announces its 2008 Conference at Caltech: ORIGINS — The BIG Questions.

July 16th: Lying for God

Paul Gross reviews Lauri Lebo’s The Devil in Dover: An Insider’s Story of Dogma v. Darwin in Small-town America.

July 9th: Charlatan: Quackery Then & Now

Harriet Hall, MD reviews Pope Brock’s Charlatan. America’s Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam.

July 2nd: The Real Evolution Anniversary

Michael Shermer celebrates the 150th anniversary of the 1858 discovery of natural selection by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace.