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eSkeptic: the email newsletter of the Skeptics Society

e Skeptic Archives for 2020

December 29th: The After Time: The Future of Civilization After COVID-19
In Science Salon 149, the last of 2020, Dr. Michael Shermer reflects on the many issues we have witnessed this year: Black Live Matter, class conflicts, income inequality, lack of education, anti-Semitism, far-left illiberalism, far-right xenophobia and bigotry, and religious indoctrination. He then reads an expanded version of his essay The After Time: The Future of Civilization After COVID-19.
December 26th: Save 40% on new digital subscriptions
BOXING WEEK SALE! From now until January 9, 2021, save 40% on new digital subscriptions via PocketMags.com. Subscribe now and download the current issue (25.4) instantly. Three more digital issues will follow as they are released (in March 2021, June 2021, and September 2021).
December 22nd: Psychological Risks with Covid-19 Vaccines
Robert E. Bartholomew & Kate MacKrill remind us that, if history is a guide — and given the large number of people to be vaccinated — a mass anxiety event is not improbable. PLUS: In Science Salon # 148, Michael Shermer reflects on the recent resurrection of Jordan Peterson, the resurgent criticism of him and why so many people attack him, why similar such unwarranted attacks have been made against other public intellectuals.
December 18th: Evolution Revolution: Festschrift 2000 for Stephen Jay Gould
From our Distinguished Science Lecture Series Archives from October 2000, we present Dr. Stephen Jay Gould’s remarkable lecture tracing the history of western culture’s uneasy relationship with the pedestal-shattering discoveries of science. PLUS: we present the third report in our Civil Unrest and Presidential Election Study.
December 15th: Michael Shermer with David Barash — On the Brink of Destruction
2020 has been one of the most momentous years of the past half century. In this conversation based on the book Threats: Intimidation and its Discontents, Shermer and Barash discuss: the evolutionary logic of nuclear deterrence, threat strategy and motive behind nuking, close calls with nuclear weapons, why they are not a sustainable strategy, the arms race within the U.S. between the Army, Navy, and Airforce, and more…
December 11th: Havana Syndrome Skepticism
A report by the National Academy of Sciences says microwaves caused an array of mysterious health complaints at the American embassy in Cuba. Robert E. Bartholomew reminds us why we should be skeptical. It was probably psychogenic.
December 8th: Announcing the 100th issue of Skeptic magazine!
We are pleased to announce Skeptic’s 100th issue (25.4) which focuses on QAnon in conspiratorial context. Instantly download the digital edition or order the print edition today. PLUS: In Science Salon podcast # 146, Michael Shermer speaks Donald Prothero about his new book Weird Earth: Debunking Strange Ideas About Our Planet.
December 4th: Political Intolerance Is Lower Than You Might Think
Have Americans become more politically intolerant over the last year? If so, is this intolerance directed more toward perceived oppositional political parties or specific political candidates? We seek answers to these questions in the second report from Skeptic Research Center’s Civil Unrest & Presidential Election Study (CUPES).
December 1st: Celebrating Skeptic’s 100th issue!
In celebration of Skeptic magazine’s 100th issue, we present sage graphic art advice for skeptical groups and a gallery of art reflecting more than 47 years of combined skeptical activism from Skeptic’s long time Art Director, Pat Linse, and Junior Skeptic Creator, Daniel Loxton. Plus, a message your Skeptic’s Society Executive Director, Michael Shermer.
November 24th: Agustín Fuentes on Why We Believe
Why are so many humans religious? Why do we daydream, imagine, and hope? In Science Salon # 144 Michael Shermer speaks with Agustin Fuentes about his new book Why We Believe: Evolution and the Human Way of Being.
November 20th: Our Biggest Sale Ever! On Now Thru Dec 5, 2020
For the next 16 days, now through December 5, 2020, shop our biggest sale ever! Get 40% off digital subscriptions via pocketmags.com, and get 25% off everything at shop.skeptic.com including magazine subscriptions and back issues!
November 17th: Michael Shermer with Nicholas Christakis
In Science Salon # 143 Michael Shermer speaks with Nicholas Christakis about his new book Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live.
November 13th: Did Political Disunity Change in 2020?
The Skeptic Research Center presents the first report in the new Civil Unrest & Presidential Election Study: Did Political Disunity Change in 2020? (CUPES-001). PLUS: From the Distinguished Science Lecture Series Archives from October 2011, we present Dr. Steven Pinker discussing his book The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined.
November 9th: Galileo’s Error and Carl Safan’s Birthday
In Science Salon # 142 Michael Shermer speaks with Philip Goff about his new book Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness. PLUS, we celebrate Carl Sagan’s birthday; he would have been 86 years old today.
November 6th: Dr. Richard Dawkins in Conversation with Dr. Michael Shermer
In March 2019, Jared Diamond predicted what might happen if Trump loses his bid for reelection in 2020. PLUS: From the Distinguished Science Lecture Series Archives from October 2010, we present Dr. Richard Dawkins in Conversation with Dr. Michael Shermer discussing Dawkins’ book The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution.
November 2nd: Richard Kreitner on American Secession & Division
In Science Salon podcast # 141, Michael Shermer speaks with Richard Kreitner about this new book: Break it Up: Secession, Division, and the Secret History of America’s Imperfect Union.
October 27th: Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art
In Science Salon podcast # 140, Michael Shermer speaks with Rebecca Wragg Sykes about her new book Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art. PLUS: Evolutionary biologist and National Geographic photographer Mark Moffett considers how we might reduce racism, bigotry, and even speciesism.
October 24th: James Randi in Memoriam, 1928–2020
In loving memory of our friend James Randi who passed away at the age of 92 on October 20, 2020 we present a classic lecture on skepticism given at Caltech by James Randi on March 22, 1992 at the inaugural session of the Distinguished Science Lecture Series hosted by Michael Shermer and presented by The Skeptics Society in California (1992–2015). With wit and wonderfully illustrative examples, Randi teaches us several lessons on the scientific investigation of unusual claims.
October 20th: Michael Shermer with Shelby Steele — Shame: How America’s Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country & the film What Killed Michael Brown?
In Science Salon podcast # 139, Michael Shermer speaks with Shelby Steele about his book Shame: How America’s Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country and about his new film What Killed Michael Brown?
October 16th: A Special Science Salon Episode with Douglas Murray on the Madness of 2020: The Madness of Crowds Continues…
In this special episode of the Science Salon Podcast, Michael Shermer catches up with Douglas Murray one year after the publication of his bestselling book The Madness of Crowds, now out in paperback, with an Afterword update on all that has happened the past year, one of the most momentous in living memory.
October 13th: Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism, and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100
In addition to healthy nutrition and physical activity, deepening friendships, practicing empathy and contemplating your purpose in life can improve your lifespan. Learn more about this in Science Salon podcast # 137 in which Michael Shermer speaks with Marta Zaraska.
October 9th: Get 7 digital Skeptic issues for only $14.99!
Do not miss this incredible sale on new Skeptic digital subscriptions via PocketMags.com. Starting today, Oct. 9, and running through Oct. 16, 2020, get seven digital issues for only $14.99!
October 6th: The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense
In Science Salon podcast # 136, Michael Shermer speaks with Gad Saad about his new book The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense.
October 2nd: Replicating Milgram: A Study on Why People Commit Evil Deeds
Dr. Michael Shermer, working with Chris Hansen and Dateline NBC producers in 2010, replicated a number of classic psychology experiments, including Stanley Milgram’s famous shock experiments. Here’s a summary of that research along with the two-part video from the Dateline NBC show, called “What Were You Thinking?”
September 29th: Science Salon podcast # 135: Michael Shermer with Paul Halpern
In Science Salon podcast # 135, Michael Shermer speaks with Paul Halpern about his new book Synchronicity: The Epic Quest to Understand the Quantum Nature of Cause and Effect.
September 25th: Do Diversity Training Programs Work?
Agenda-driven diversity and antiracism training programs are everywhere, but do they work in creating an inclusive culture? In our current climate of high racial tensions and deadlocked civil discourse, Dr. Mona Sue Weissmark asks “Is there a more effective way to break down these conversation barriers in order to answer some of the most difficult, polarizing questions that we face today?” PLUS, given the rising level of social and economic unrest seen in 2020, we announce a new study coming out soon in the Skeptic Research Center: Civil Unrest and Presidential Election Study (CUPES).
September 22nd: The WEIRDest People in the World
In Science Salon podcast # 134, Michael Shermer speaks Joe Henrich about his book: The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous.
September 15th: Michael Shermer with Michael E. McCullough — The Kindness of Strangers: How a Selfish Ape Invented a New Moral Code
In Science Salon podcast # 133, Michael Shermer speaks with Michael E. McCullough about his new book: The Kindness of Strangers: How a Selfish Ape Invented a New Moral Code.
September 11th: Political Disagreement and Emotional Closeness (SPAS-009)
In SPAS-009, we assess the extent to which people disagree on political matters with close friends and family, whether this disagreement relates to their emotional closeness to one another, whether it varies by political orientation and commitment (e.g., activism).
September 8th: Michael Shermer with Leonard Mlodinow — Stephen Hawking: A Memoir of Friendship and Physics
In Science Salon podcast # 132, Michael Shermer speaks with Leonard Mlodinow about his new book in which he recounts, in a unique and deeply personal portrayal, nearly two decades as Stephen Hawking’s collaborator and friend. PLUS: Skeptic Magazine 25.3, What Science Says About Race, is available now! Instantly download the digital edition or order the print edition today.
September 4th: Political Orientation and Political Attitudes (SPAS-008)
In SPAS-008, we asked: (1) To what extent are peoples’ political orientation consistent with their political party affiliation? and (2) How does political orientation correspond to political attitudes? To investigate this, we assessed attitudes towards abortion, climate change, and immigration among 600 self-identified liberals, moderates, and conservatives. Check out our latest findings.
September 1st: The Future of Civilization After Covid-19
Dr. Michael Shermer considers the pitfalls of projecting the consequences of the pandemic for our future (the availability heuristic, the negativity bias, the difficulties of superforecasting, and the contingent nature of history). PLUS: In Science Salon # 131, Michael Shermer speaks with Stuart Ritchie his book Science Fictions: How Fraud, Bias, Negligence, and Hype Undermine the Search for Truth.
August 28th: Political Orientation and Information Sources; Plus 99¢ back issues!
In SPAS-007, the researchers asked: “Do sources of information differ by political orientation?”. PLUS, this weekend only, Skeptic magazine back issues (in print or digital formats) are on sale for only 99 cents each!
August 25th: Debunking the Myths About Sex and Identity in Our Society
In Science Salon # 130, Michael Shermer speaks with Debra Soh — a neuroscientist who specializes in gender, sex, and sexual orientation — about her new book: The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths About Sex and Identity in Our Society.
August 21st: Electronic Screen Syndrome (ESS): Is It Real?
In SPAS-006, the researchers asked: “Do people with different political orientations have different bases—evidence or emotion—for their political opinions?” PLUS: Harriet Hall, M.D. examines Electronic Screen Syndrome (ESS) and shares the science.
August 18th: Celebrating the Centennial of Women’s Right to Vote
Today, August 18, marks the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, guaranteeing women the right to vote. We honor that momentous event with an excerpt adapted from the chapter on women’s rights in Dr. Shermer’s 2015 book The Moral Arc. PLUS: in Science Salon # 129, Michael Shermer speaks with Mona Sue Weissmark about her book The Science of Diversity which uses a multidisciplinary approach to excavate the theories, principles, and paradigms that illuminate our understanding of the issues surrounding human diversity, social equality, and justice.
August 14th: Plagued by Nonsense—Pandemics Throughout History: How Mistakes, Fakes, and Missing Facts Make Epidemics Worse
Right now, we are all confronting one of humanity’s scariest enemies: epidemic disease. Are we brave enough to face this horror? You bet we are! Download Junior Skeptic 76 for free: Pandemics Throughout History—How Mistakes, Fakes, and Missing Facts Make Epidemics Worse. PLUS: Dr. Michael Shermer gives a remote lecture on free speech & censorship.
August 11th: Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All
In Science Salon # 128, Michael Shermer speaks with Michael Shellenberger about his new book Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All. PLUS, save 40% on new digital subscription via PocketMags.com, now thru August 15, 2020.
August 7th: Attitudes about Language; Fat Man & Little Boy
In SPAS-005, the researchers asked, “Do attitudes about language differ by political party affiliation?” PLUS: On the 75th anniversary of nuclear weapons, Dr. Michael Shermer presents a moral case for their use in ending WWII and the deterrence of Great Power wars since, and a call to eventually eliminate them.
August 4th: Michael Shermer with William Perry and Tom Collina — The Button: The New Nuclear Arms Race and Presidential Power from Truman to Trump
In Science Salon # 127, Michael Shermer speaks with William J. Perry, Secretary of Defense in the Clinton administration and Tom Z. Collina, the Director of Policy at Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation in Washington, DC, as they share their firsthand experience on the front lines of the nation’s nuclear history.
July 31st: Attitudes on Inequality and Political Affiliation
Do beliefs in the prevalence of inequality, and demand for equality, differ by political party affiliation? In the fourth report from the Skeptic Research Center, Attitudes on Inequality and Political Affiliation, Dr. Anondah Saide and Dr. Kevin McCaffree assessed attitudes on inequality among self-identified Republicans, Democrats, and those who reported no political party identification in particular.
July 28th: Michael Shermer with Sarah Scoles on UFO Culture (Science Salon # 126)
More than half a century since Roswell, UFOs have been making headlines once again. In Science Salon # 126 Michael Shermer speaks with Sarah Scoles about her new book They Are Already Here: UFO Culture and Why We See Saucers.
July 25th: Moral and Political Attitudes of the Least Tolerant (SPAS-003)
In the third SPAS report from the Skeptic Research Center, Moral and Political Attitudes of the Least Tolerant, Dr. Anondah Saide and Dr. Kevin McCaffree asked the question: Are there attitudinal differences between people that are the most versus least tolerant towards people with opposite political views?
July 21st: Michael Shermer with Bjorn Lomborg on Climate Change Panic
In Science Salon # 125 Michael Shermer speaks Bjorn Lomborg about his new book False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet.
July 17th: Political Affiliation & Intolerance; Plus Conspiracies
Dr. Anondah Saide and Dr. Kevin McCaffree examine whether political party identification is associated with tolerant attitudes towards individuals with different political views. ALSO, Michael Shermer explains who believes conspiracy theories and why they believe them in an essay derived from a lecture on conspiracies and conspiracy theories.
July 14th: Intimate Alien: The Hidden Story of the UFO
In Science Salon # 124 Michael Shermer speaks with David J. Halperin about what our fascination with UFOs tells us about ourselves as individuals, as a culture, and as a species.
July 10th: Announcing the Skeptic Research Center
The Skeptic Research Center (SRC) is a collaboration with qualified researchers to release digestible single-topic analyses of proprietary polling and survey data, detailing peoples’ attitudes about the important concerns of our time. Our data is open-source for full transparency. Our goal is to empower you with an understanding of what your fellow citizens really believe and how they really behave.
July 7th: Michael Shermer with Gerald Posner — Pharma: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America
In Science Salon Podcast # 123, Michael Shermer and Gerald Posner discuss how Big Pharma conspires to hack FDA regulations, the Opioid crisis. addiction, greed, capitalism, drug patents, innovation, and the prospects for a COVID-19 vaccine. PLUS, save 40% on new digital subscription via PocketMags.com, now thru July 25, 2020.
July 3rd: 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.
June 30th: The Failure of the Roman Empire and the Road to Prosperity
In Science Salon # 122 Michael Shermer speaks with Walter Scheidel as he recounts the gripping story of how the end of the Roman Empire was the beginning of the modern world. PLUS, Harriet Hall, M.D. sets the record straight on wearing face masks during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
June 26th: Truth, Post-Truth, and Anything But
In a lecture, Dr. Michael Shermer addresses one of the deepest questions of all: what is truth? Following that, Lee McIntyre and Michael Shermer debate whether we are living in a Post-Truth era of fake news and alternative facts.
June 23rd: Maria Konnikova — The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
In Science Salon # 121 Michael Shermer speaks with Harvard Psychologist and high-stakes poker player Maria Konnikova about her book The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win — the ultimate master class in learning to distinguish between what can be controlled and what can’t.
June 19th: Is Freedom of Speech Dangerous 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.
June 16th: How Exploration Created the Modern World and Will Take Us to the Stars
In Science Salon # 120 Michael Shermer speaks with Andrew Rader about his book Beyond the Known: How Exploration Created the Modern World and Will Take Us to the Stars. PLUS is Göbekli Tepe, a 12,000 year old site in Turkey, proof of a lost civilization, or is there another answer?
June 12th: What are Science & Skepticism?
In this lecture, Dr. Michael Shermer presents description 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.
June 9th: Michael Shermer with Howard Bloom — Einstein, Michael Jackson, and Me: A Search for the Soul in the Power Pits of Rock and Roll
In Science Salon # 119 Michael Shermer speaks with Howard Bloom about his book Einstein, Michael Jackson, and Me: A Search for the Soul in the Power Pits of Rock and Roll. PLUS, we examine free speech and censorship in Skeptic Magazine 25.2 (2020): Giving the Devil His Due, available now in print and digital formats.
June 5th: 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
June 2nd: Artificial Intelligence, the Problem of Control, and Travels Within the Feminist Divide
In Science Salon # 118 Michael Shermer speaks with distinguished artificial intelligence researcher Stuart Russell about this new book Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control. PLUS social psychologist Carol Tavris discusses two new books whose authors separate what’s right in the pursuit of justice from what’s self-righteous.
May 31st: Wicked Games: Lance Armstrong, Forgiveness and Redemption, and a Game Theory of Doping
Part 2 of the documentary film “Lance” airs tonight on ESPN and served as a catalyst for this article that employs game theory to understand why athletes dope even when they don’t want to, as well as thoughts on forgiveness and redemption. The article is a follow up to and extension of Dr. Shermer’s article in the April 2008 issue of Scientific American.
May 29th: Michael Shermer on 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.
May 26th: Michael Shermer with Matt Ridley — How Innovation Works: and Why It Flourishes in Freedom
Innovation is the main event of the modern age, the reason we experience both dramatic improvements in our living standards and unsettling changes in our society. In Science Salon # 117, Michael Shermer speaks with Matt Ridley about his book How Innovation Works: and Why It Flourishes in Freedom.
May 22nd: Michael Shermer on 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.
May 19th: Michael Shermer with Howard Steven Friedman — Ultimate Price: The Value We Place on Life
How much is a human life worth? In Science Salon # 116, Michael Shermer speaks with Howard Steven Friedman about the calculations that governments routinely use to place a price on human life.
May 15th: Skepticism 101: 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?
May 12th: Michael Shermer with Matthew Cobb — The Idea of the Brain: The Past and Future of Neuroscience
In Science Salon # 115, Michael Shermer speaks with scientist and historian Matthew Cobb about his book The Idea of the Brain: The Past and Future of Neuroscience which traces how our conception of the brain has evolved over the centuries.
May 8th: Michael Shermer with Matthew Cobb — The Idea of the Brain: The Past and Future of Neuroscience
In his 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.
May 5th: The Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism; Identity, The Academy, and the Hunt for Political Heresies
In Science Salon # 114, Michael Shermer speaks with Katherine Stewart about her new book The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism. PLUS: Frank S. Robinson reviews The Tyranny of Virtue: Identity, The Academy, and the Hunt for Political Heresies by Robert Boyers.
May 1st: Michael Shermer on the Bermuda Triangle, and Robert Sheaffer on the Pentagon’s “UFO Program”
The media keeps making claims that the Pentagon supposedly announced that UFOs are ‘real.’ How much of that is really true? Robert Sheaffer — leading skeptical investigators of UFOs — separates the facts from the hype. Plus: 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.
April 28th: Michael Shermer with Dave Rubin — Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason
In Science Salon # 113 Michael Shermer speaks with Dave Rubin, the host of the political talk show The Rubin Report — the most-watched talk show about free speech and big ideas on YouTube — about his first book Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason.
April 24th: Carl Sagan lecture on The Possibility of Life in the Universe (from 1979)
Listen to “The Possibility of Life in the Universe,” a lecture by Carl Sagan, delivered one early evening in September 1974 (most likely Thursday, 5 September) to the U.S. Air Force Academy at Arnold Hall theater in front of a 3,000 cadet packed house lecture.
April 21st: Michael Shermer with Ann Druyan — Cosmos: Possible Worlds
In Science Salon # 112 Michael Shermer speaks with Ann Druyan about her book Cosmos: Possible Worlds, exploring how science and civilization grew up together. This book is the sequel to Carl Sagan’s beloved classic and the companion to the hit television series hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
April 17th: Michael Shermer gives a remote lecture on the 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. This Chapman University lecture is based on chapters in his books The Believing Brain, The Moral Arc, and Giving the Devil His Due, along with the books of Christian Sith, George Lakoff, Alan Fiske, Jonathan Haidt, Thomas Sowell, and Steven Pinker.
April 14th: Michael Shermer with Scott Barry Kaufman — Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization
In Science Salon # 111 Michael Shermer speaks with psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman about his book Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization. Kaufman picks up where Abraham Maslow left off, unraveling the mysteries of his unfinished theory of transcendence, and integrating these ideas with the latest research on attachment, connection, creativity, love, purpose and other building blocks of a life well lived.
April 9th: Giving the Devil His Due: Michael Shermer’s new book, available today!
We are pleased to announce a brand new book by New York Times best selling author Dr. Michael Shermer entitled Giving the Devil His Due: Reflections of a Scientific Humanist. Order your autographed 1st edition from Shop Skeptic.
April 7th: 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.
April 3rd: Michael Shermer on 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.
March 31st: Michael Shermer with Bart Ehrman — Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife
Nearly everyone wonders about what, if anything, comes after death. In Science Salon # 110 Michael Shermer speaks with Bart Ehrman about his book Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife in which Ehrman investigates the powerful instincts that gave rise to the common ideas of heaven and hell and that help them endure. PLUS, save 40% on new digital subscriptions to Skeptic magazine now through April 12, 2020.
March 27th: Skepticism 101: Cognitive Biases & How Thinking Goes Wrong
Dr. 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.
March 24th: Michael Shermer with Neil Shubin — Some Assembly Required: Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, from Ancient Fossils to DNA
In Science Salon # 109 Michael Shermer speaks with Neil Shubin about his new book Some Assembly Required: Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, from Ancient Fossils to DNA — a lively and accessible account of the great transformations in the history of life on Earth.
March 17th: Michael Shermer with Brian Greene — Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe
In Science Salon # 108 Michael Shermer speaks with Brian Greene about his book Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe. PLUS, during the Coronvirus outbreak, while many schools are closed, Shermer shares one of his Chapman University lectures, taught remotely, free for everyone to view.
March 10th: Michael Shermer with Fred Kaplan — The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War
In Science Salon # 107 Michael Shermer speaks with Fred Kaplan about his book The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War. PLUS, find out who believes in conspiracies and why, and read real conspiracy theories (and conspiracies with no theories) in the latest issue of Skeptic magazine, available now in print and digital formats.
March 3rd: Michael Shermer with Daniel Chirot — You Say You Want a Revolution? Radical Idealism and its Tragic Consequences
In Science Salon # 106 Michael Shermer speaks with Daniel Chirot about his book You Say You Want a Revolution? Radical Idealism and its Tragic Consequences. PLUS: An excerpt from Is A Good God Logically Possible? by James P. Sterba.
February 25th: Michael Shermer with Diana Pasulka — American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology
More than half of American adults and more than 75 percent of young Americans believe in intelligent extraterrestrial life. This level of belief rivals that of belief in God. In Science Salon # 105 Michael Shermer speaks with Diana Pasulka about her book: American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology.
February 18th: Michael Shermer with Judith Finlayson — You Are What Your Grandparents Ate
In Science Salon # 104 Michael Shermer speaks with Judith Finlayson about her book You Are What Your Grandparents Ate: What You Need to Know About Nutrition, Experience, Epigenetics and the Origins of Chronic Disease. PLUS: Carol Tavris avers that organizations’ Codes of Conduct that try to specify each and every possible behavior they wish to prohibit (or encourage), will find themselves in linguistic and psychological quicksand.
February 11th: Michael Shermer with Robert Frank — Under the Influence: Putting Peer Pressure to Work
In Science Salon # 103 Michael Shermer speaks with Robert Frank about how social environments profoundly influence our behavior. This conversation is based on Frank’s new book: Under the Influence: Putting Peer Pressure to Work. PLUS: Michael Aisner presents a vintage slice of history, science, and skepticism about UFOs in this interview he recorded in 1966 with UFOlogist Dr. J. Allen Hynek, his photo analyst cohort Fred Beckman, and then repackaged in the early 1970s with contributions from Sherman J. Larson, of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomenon.
February 4th: Michael Shermer with Christopher Ryan — Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress
In Science Salon # 102 Michael Shermer speaks Christopher Ryan about his new book: Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress. PLUS, The recent spate of drone sightings in the Midwest have residents on edge. Medical sociologist Robert Bartholomew avers that one explanation can be ruled out — mass hysteria.
January 28th: Michael Shermer with Hugo Mercier
In Science Salon # 101 Michael Shermer speaks with Hugo Mercier about his new book: Not Born Yesterday: The Science of Who We Trust and What We Believe.
January 26th: The Crooked Timber of Auschwitz
On the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, Michael Shermer and Alex Grobman present a brief history of how a concentration camp became an extermination center.
January 21st: Science Salon # 100: Ask Me Anything # 6 with Michael Shermer
In Science Salon # 100 Michael Shermer presents his answers to Ask Me Anything # 6. PLUS, this weekend only, Skeptic magazine back issues (in print or digital formats) are on sale for only 99 cents each!
January 14th: Human Misunderstanding & Water Fluoridation
In Science Salon # 99 Michael Shermer speaks with Bobby Duffy about his research into public perception across more than 40 countries, offering a sweeping account of the stubborn problem of human delusion: how society breeds it, why it will never go away, and what our misperceptions say about what we really believe. PLUS: Harriet Hall, M.D. examines the evidence and the arguments for and against water fluoridation to see what holds up to scrutiny.
January 7th: An Instinct for Truth and Why Estrogen Matters
In Science Salon # 98 Michael Shermer speaks with Robert Pennock about his new book An Instinct for Truth: Curiosity and the Moral Character of Science. Taking a virtue-theoretic perspective, Pennock explores curiosity, veracity, skepticism, humility to evidence, and other scientific virtues and vices. PLUS, Sociologist and Certified Sex Therapist Marty Klein, Ph.D. reviews Estrogen Matters: Why Taking Hormones in Menopause Can Improve Women’s Well-Being and Lengthen Their Lives — Without Raising the Risk of Breast Cancer by Avrum Bluming, M.D. and Carol Tavris, Ph.D.
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