The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine

Bob Schadewald was the leading skeptical authority on the history of flat-Earth advocacy. Now the book he left unfinished has been prepared and published online.

Daniel Loxton shares an excerpt from Junior Skeptic 50 (released in print format in 2014).

Daniel Loxton provides links to many of his pieces which touch upon skeptical history. (Updated from a piece published previously at the now-retired Skepticblog.)

Jim Lippard discusses the birth of the modern skeptical movement, and introduces some of the questions he plans to ask about the successes, shortcomings, and conceptual foundations for that ongoing project.

In this week’s eSkeptic, we’re pleased to present Daniel Loxton’s challenging and provocative new project, “Why Is There a Skeptical Movement?”. Almost two years in the writing, these two meticulously-researched chapter-length explorations dig deeply into the roots, founding principles, and purpose of scientific skepticism. Arguing that it is essential for skeptics to “appreciate that we’re caretakers for the work of those who have come before,” Loxton carries forward the discussion about the scope and limits of scientific skepticism.

In this week’s eSkeptic, we present the first-ever, 18th-century, scientific investigation of an extraordinary claim — mesmerism — commissioned by King Louis XVI of France, designed and conducted by scientific luminaries Benjamin Franklin, Antoine Lavoisier and others, translated by Charles and Danielle Salas, with an introduction by Michael Shermer about its importance in the history of skepticism.

In this week’s eSkeptic, David Voron reviews Facing Death: Epicurus and His Critics by James Warren.

In this week’s eSkeptic, Michael Shermer remembers the life of Francis Crick (1916–2004); Anusuya Vethanayagam reviews the film I-Robot

In this week’s eSkeptic, Tim Callahan reviews Doubt: A History by Jennifer Michael Hecht.