SKEPTIC: Reality-based. Really.
Jon Mills — Inventing God: Psychology of Belief and the Rise of Secular Spirituality
Michael Shermer interviews Jon Mills on psychoanalysis, therapeutic dynamics, and the psychological roots of aggression and trauma. Mills discusses Freud’s influence, the moral dimensions of aggression, and violence’s societal role. They explore intergenerational trauma, individuality, youth struggles, and the evolution of belief in God. The conversation also examines technology’s impact on mental health and spirituality beyond traditional religion, highlighting challenges in understanding human behavior amid global issues.
2024 Election Postmortem
In this special solo episode, Michael Shermer reflects on the 2024 election.
Ben Westhoff — Fentanyl and the Opioid Epidemic
In 2023, over 107,000 Americans died from overdoses, with fentanyl responsible for more than 75,000 of these deaths—a staggering toll almost double that of car accidents or gun homicides. Fentanyl is increasingly mixed with meth and cocaine, spreading its lethal reach beyond heroin users. Journalist Ben Westhoff, author of Fentanyl, Inc., joins us to explore the crisis and his work advising government leaders on combating this unprecedented epidemic.
Dr. Warren Hern: Stories From the Front Lines of Abortion Care
Dr. Warren Hern delves into the complexities of abortion care from pre-Roe to today’s tumultuous landscape. He shares first-hand experiences of defending women’s health, grappling with political opposition, and facing threats as an advocate. Hern’s insights offer a riveting view into how abortion access impacts women, society, and democracy itself, revealing urgent, seldom-discussed truths.
The Most Important Election of My Lifetime … Again
In this solo episode, Michael Shermer discusses the upcoming election, reflecting on the historical context of past elections and the political polarization that has intensified over the years.
Edward Goldberg — The Future of Global Order and America’s Influence
Shermer and Goldberg discuss: the historical factors that led to America’s rise as a global leader, including its economy and political culture. They explore the future of U.S. global dominance, its alliances, and whether the nation can continue to handle global crises. The discussion also touches on the 2024 election’s implications for U.S. foreign policy and the potential risks and rewards of maintaining its hegemonic role.
Faith, Politics, and Power: Talia Lavin on the Christian Right’s America
Shermer and Lavin discuss historical phenomena like the Satanic Panic and Recovered Memory Movement, as well as contemporary issues such as the movement’s influence on societal institutions, opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, and Christian Zionism. The conversation also delves into apocalyptic beliefs, control of female sexuality, and the movement’s impact on children and families.
Mark Weinstein — The Social Reset: Big Tech, Mental Health, and the Future of Connection
Shermer and Weinstein discuss AI’s impact on social media platforms and personal relationships, solutions to combat teen mental health issues, and strategies for parental control. They examine protective measures, Web3’s promises regarding privacy and data ownership, and methods to defeat bots and trolls. The conversation also explores social media’s potential mental health benefits, creating equitable creator economies, and operating without surveillance capitalism.
Do Animals Have the Same Rights as Humans?
Can humans justifiably do whatever they want with animals? This thought-provoking article challenges common justifications for human dominance over animals—from religious arguments to claims of human superiority. Through philosophical perspectives like Singer’s utilitarianism and Regan’s rights theory, it explores the moral status of animals and questions our assumptions about species-based discrimination.
Insect on the Menu: Separating Fact From Fiction
Arnold van Huis explores the potential of edible insects as sustainable food, addressing common misconceptions and cultural barriers. While the West has shown resistance, citing health and safety concerns, the nutritional and environmental benefits of insects position them as a viable future food source. Could a shift in perception make insects a staple in Western diets?
When Dolphins Network
Explore the fascinating world of dolphin social networks, where these intelligent creatures display complex social interactions and even partner with humans to hunt. This article delves into groundbreaking research on dolphin behavior, revealing how dolphins form “small-world” social networks that enhance survival and cooperation across species.
The Lost Bird
Gísli Pálsson reflects on the extinction of the great auk, a flightless bird hunted to extinction in 1844, and examines its historical, scientific, and ethical significance. Through personal narrative, museum artifacts, and the quest for de-extinction, the essay raises questions about humanity’s role in species extinction and potential resurrection efforts.
The Moral Arc: How Thinking Like a Scientist Makes the World More Moral
In this, the final lecture of his Chapman University Skepticism 101 course, Dr. Michael Shermer pulls back to take a bigger picture look at what science and reason have done for humanity in the realm of moral progress. Watch The Moral Arc: How Thinking Like a Scientist Makes the World More Moral.
What is Truth, Anyway?
In this lecture Dr. Michael Shermer addresses one of the deepest questions of all: what is truth? How do we know what is true, untrue, or uncertain?
Is Freedom of Speech Harmful for College Students?
In this lecture, Dr. Michael Shermer addresses the growing crisis of free speech in college and culture at large, triggered as it was by the title lecture, which he was tasked to deliver to students at California State University, Fullerton, after a campus paroxysm erupted over Taco Tuesday.
What are Science & Skepticism?
In this lecture, Dr. Michael Shermer presents descriptions of skepticism and science and how they work, along with a discussion of the difference between science and pseudoscience, and some very practical applications of how to test claims and evaluate evidence.
Evolution & Creationism, Part 2: Who says evolution never happened, why do they say it, and what do they claim?
Dr. Michael Shermer continues the discussion of evolution and creationism, focusing on the history of the creationism movement and the four stages it has gone through.
Evolution & Creationism, Part 1
In this lecture on Evolution and Creationism (Part 1), Dr. Michael Shermer takes viewers to the Galápagos Islands to retrace Darwin’s footsteps and show that, in fact, Darwin did not discover natural selection when he was there in September of 1835. He worked out his theory when he returned home, and Shermer shows exactly how Darwin did that, along with the story of the theory’s co-discoverer, Alfred Russel Wallace.
Holocaust Denial
In this lecture on Holocaust Denial, Dr. Shermer employs the methods of science to history, showing how we can determine truth about the past.
Pathways to Evil, Part 2
In his lecture on Pathways to Evil (Part 2), Dr. Michael Shermer fleshes out the themes of Part 1 by exploring how the dials controlling our inner demons and better angels can be dialed up or down depending on circumstances and conditions. Are we all good apples but occasionally bad barrels turn good apples rotten, or do we all harbor the capacity to turn bad?
Pathways to Evil, Part 1
In his Skepticism 101 lecture on Pathways to Evil (Part 1), Dr. Michael Shermer considers the nature of evil in his attempt to answer the question of how you can get normal civilized, educated, and intelligent people to commit murder and even genocide.
How to Think About the Bermuda Triangle
Dr. Michael Shermer examines the claims about the Bermuda Triangle using the tools of skepticism, science, and rationality to reveal that there is no mystery to explain.
Politics of Belief
Dr. Michael Shermer explains how we arrived at the Left-Right spectrum, both historically and evolutionarily, and the numerous metaphors used to wrap our minds around such complex systems as politics and economics.
Deities for Atheists, Skygods for Skeptics: UFOs & ETIs
Dr. Michael Shermer distinguishes between two questions: (1) Are extraterrestrial intelligences (ETIs) out there somewhere in the cosmos? and (2) Have aliens come here? Evidence for both questions is considered in the larger context of why the issue so compels us to answer it almost religiously.
Cults, Myths, and Religion
Dr. Michael Shermer considers the characteristics of cults, how they differ from sects, religions, and myths, the role that myths and religions play in culture and people’s lives, and what Scientologists really believe.
Cognitive Biases & How Thinking Goes Wrong
Dr. Michael Shermer reviews the many ways that our attempts to understand the truth about the world are derailed by cognitive biases, including the anchoring bias, the representative bias, the availability bias, the confirmation bias, the hindsight bias, the self-serving bias, and even the bias bias.
Conspiracies & Conspiracy Theories
Dr. Michael Shermer explains the difference between conspiracies and conspiracy theories, who is more likely to believe which conspiracy theories, the social, political, cultural, and psychological conditions in which conspiracy theories flourish, real conspiracies, and who really killed JFK.
JAN. 15–26, 2025
Expedition to Antarctica with Richard Dawkins
Join Richard Dawkins on a 12-day Antarctic expedition aboard Swan Hellenic’s Vega in January 2025. Explore pristine wilderness, observe wildlife, and attend lectures while cruising the Antarctic Peninsula.
Research Center
REPORT (PADS-009)
Being “Liberal” in America
Ninth report in the Political Accuracy & Divisions Study
Analysts have recognized for decades now that the world is becoming more liberal. It seems that the more removed people are from basic survival concerns, the more liberal their worldviews become, in the sense of being more accepting of cultural differences and more protective of civil rights. Some analysts have noted how paradoxically intolerant and dogmatic this trend has become in Western societies (i.e., the societies most removed from basic survival concerns): amongst many Western progressives, for example, all group disadvantages are assumed to always be a result of oppression, with oppression always being driven by white people (and usually men) … Thus, it would seem that at the extremes, liberalism and the human tendency towards tribalism interact to produce both a demand for equality and justice as well as …
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