Skeptic Magazine

Skeptic magazine, often referred to simply as Skeptic, is a quarterly publication focused on science education and advocacy. It is distributed globally by The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote scientific skepticism while combatting the rise of pseudoscience, superstitions, and unfounded beliefs. Founded in the spring of 1992 by Michael Shermer, who also serves as the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, the magazine is produced through Millennium Press. Pat Linse acts as the Co-publisher and Art Director. The editorial board features notable figures such as evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins from Oxford University, Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist Jared Diamond, magician and educator James “The Amazing” Randi, actress and comedian Julia Sweeney, mentalist Mark Edward, science writer Daniel Loxton, and scientists Lawrence M. Krauss and Christof Koch. Skeptic enjoys an international readership with over 50,000 subscribers and is available on newsstands across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, and beyond.

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What Happened to the Intellectual Dark Web?

3 weeks ago | skeptic.com | Jamie Roberts

EPISODE # 509 Apr 01, 2025 About this episode:Outside of the academics and activists whose ideology came to dominate the West in the second decade of the twenty-first century, arguably no group influenced public discourse as much as the Intellectual Dark Web.
Sex and Beauty: The Extraordinary Implications of Darwin’s Strangest Idea

1 month ago | skeptic.com | Matt Ridley

EPISODE # 508 Mar 25, 2025 About this episode:In all animals, mating is a deal. But few creatures behave as if sex is a simple, even mutually beneficial, transaction. Many more treat it with reverence, suspicion, angst, and violence. Matt Ridley revisits Darwin’s revelatory theory of mate choice through the close study of the peculiar rituals of birds, and considers how this mating process complicates our own view of human evolution.
When Dolphins Network

Nov 1, 2024 | skeptic.com | Lee Alan Dugatkin

David Lusseau always wanted to be a biologist. “Well, either biologist or clown,” he adds, “but I realized there was not much money in clowning.” When Marie the dolphin entered Lusseau’s life, she sealed the deal for him becoming a biologist.
Skeptic " Reading Room " The Lost Bird

Oct 25, 2024 | skeptic.com | Gisli Palsson

The great auk (Pinguinus impennis) displayed in the Natural History Museum of Denmark stands erect on its pedestal, its great beak jutting forward, apparently fearless. It is possessed of a certain dignity and grace. It demands my attention. It was probably killed off in Iceland, where I come from, and was one of the last of its kind.
Skeptic " Reading Room " Known Knowns

Oct 18, 2024 | skeptic.com | Michelle Ainsworth

A review of Informatica: Mastering Information Through the Ages by Alex Wright (2023) and Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge, From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic by Simon Winchester (2023)Can the history of how humans organize knowledge help us understand 21st century information overload?
Identity Politics and Its Discontents

Oct 4, 2024 | skeptic.com | Christopher Rufo |Yascha Mounk

Skeptic: You are a controversial figure for your work in the area of Critical Race Theory (CRT). What led you to this subject? Rufo: My professional background is in documentary filmmaking. The book writing process was totally different. I hope what I was able to do with the book is bring my narrative training to telling stories that engage people and move them at an emotional level. Skeptic: Well, you did that. It’s a highly readable book in which you present a history of ideas.
What Type of Social Justice Do We Want?

Sep 6, 2024 | skeptic.com | Michael Mills |Robert Maranto |Richard E. Redding

We are three college professors who wish to call attention to a growing problem, namely the erosion of the foundational values of a college education: free inquiry and free speech, rationality and empiricism, civil discussion and debate, and openness to new ideas. The Rise of Critical TheoriesCritical theory is a school of thought that has its roots in Marxist theories of human nature and society.
460. Joshua Blu Buhs — The Cultural History of Charles Fort and His Followers

Aug 25, 2024 | skeptic.com | Michael Shermer

EPISODE # 460Joshua Blu Buhs — The Cultural History of Charles Fort and His Followershttps://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/sciencesalon/mss460_Joshua_Blu_Buhs_2024_08_25.mp3Flying saucers. Bigfoot. Frogs raining from the sky. Such phenomena fascinated Charles Fort, the maverick writer who scanned newspapers, journals, and magazines for reports of bizarre occurrences: dogs that talked, vampires, strange visions in the sky, and paranormal activity.
Skeptic » Reading Room » A Scientific Perspective on the Patriarchy: The Gender Pay Gap and Unequal Opportunity

Aug 23, 2024 | skeptic.com

New research challenges common assumptions about the gender pay gap and women’s career advancement. This article examines economic studies revealing how factors like career choices, work hours, and job preferences contribute to wage disparities between men and women. It explores the “educational-gender-equality paradox” and questions the effectiveness of quotas in addressing workplace inequality. Marc Defant shares insights into the complex interplay of personal decisions, societal expectations, and labor market dynamics shaping gender differences in the workforce.
What is Cancel Culture Anyway?

Aug 2, 2024 | skeptic.com | Carol Tavris

It seems obvious that we live in the era of cancel culture, but what does that mean, exactly? To many on the left, “cancel culture” is merely a whiny self-defensive term offered by justifiably banished academics, writers, and celebrities—“cis white intellectuals” as one online writer disdainfully put it—who face no realistic threats to their freedom or livelihoods.