Michael Shermer

Michael Shermer is an American science writer and historian of science who founded the Skeptics Society and promotes scientific skepticism.

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Carl Sagan: Carl Sagan was an American astronomer and science communicator who advocated scientific skepticism and public science education. Sagan’s public defense of skepticism helped shape Shermer’s approach to science communication.
Scientific skepticism: Scientific skepticism evaluates claims through evidence, testability, and established scientific methods. This is the intellectual movement Shermer publicly advocates.
Skeptic (magazine): Skeptic is a quarterly magazine published by the Skeptics Society on science, pseudoscience, and controversial claims. Shermer founded and edits this magazine as a central outlet for skeptical inquiry.
Pseudoskepticism: Pseudoskepticism is a label for criticism that presents itself as skeptical while rejecting claims without fair examination. The charge challenges whether skeptical critics apply standards consistently to disputed claims.
James Randi: James Randi was a stage magician and skeptic known for investigating paranormal claims and exposing fraud. Randi’s investigations exemplify the claim-testing tradition promoted by the Skeptics Society.
Skeptics Society: The Skeptics Society is a nonprofit organization founded by Michael Shermer to promote scientific skepticism. Shermer created this organization to support skeptical inquiry and public education.
Why People Believe Weird Things: Why People Believe Weird Things is Michael Shermer’s book examining pseudoscience, conspiracy theories, and paranormal beliefs. The book presents Shermer’s explanations of how people adopt extraordinary beliefs.
Religious naturalism: Religious naturalism finds religious meaning within a naturalistic understanding of the universe, without supernatural claims. It offers a way to retain religious language and meaning within a worldview Shermer approaches naturalistically.
Richard Dawkins: Richard Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist and author known for popularizing evolution and criticizing religion. Dawkins and Shermer both bring scientific arguments into public debates about religion.
Skeptic: A skeptic withholds acceptance of claims until adequate evidence supports them. The term captures the stance Shermer advances, though his work emphasizes scientific methods.