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Reflections on Sean Carroll’s The Big Picture
Sean Carroll is a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technologies. He has also dedicated a considerable amount of time to science popularization through his books, such as From...
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CSICon Las Vegas: “Go for the speakers, return for the people”
Have you heard the saying, “Go for the speakers, return for the people”? That was CSICon this year. Held October 27–30, 2016, at the Excalibur Casino in Las Vegas the lineup of speakers was some of...
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Mystery Coin of the Yukon
Among the curious mysteries of Canada’s Yukon Territory is the reported discovery of an unusual coin in the gold fields near Dawson City in 1900. According to raconteur Ed Ferrell in his Strange...
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A Champlain ‘Croc’ of Mythic Proportions
Lake Champlain “monster” investigators Katy Elizabeth and Dennis Hall (collectively known as “Champ Search”) posted the following statement on their “Champ Search” Facebook Group1 (April 12, 2016,...
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The Parable of the Power Pose and How to Reverse It
Some things sound too good to be true, and on closer examination, they are—even in science. For example, over the past few years, many classic psychology studies—most in the field of social...
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Let’s Bring More Students to CSICon
I had the honor of speaking this October at CSICon, held at the Excalibur Casino in Las Vegas. Attendance was respectable with about 500 attendees. I had many conversations with attendees over the...
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Our Conspiracy-Generating Brains
Suspicious Minds: Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories. By Rob Brotherton. Bloomsbury Sigma, New York, 2015. ISBN 978-1472915610. 304 pp. Softcover, $27. There has been an explosion of academic interest...
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Fate: Inventing Reasons for the Things That Happen
In April 2016, Houston, Texas, was struck by a massive flood that claimed seven lives. On his blog End of the American Dream, Michael Snyder noted that this was the “Eighth historic flood in this...
View ArticleThe Science Literacy Paradox
When presented with contradictory evidence about a politically contentious issue, it’s easy to fall into the trap of reacting emotionally and negatively to that information rather than responding with...
View ArticleA Mentalist and a Paranormal Investigator in Vienna
This October, I told a thousand Viennese intellectuals about the time I was haunted. I was speaking at TEDxVienna, an event affiliated with the TED talks. TEDxVienna, of all the TEDx events, seems...
View ArticleAuthority and Skepticism
When I was a child, the conversations around the dinner table in our house were especially vigorous and impassioned (as I soon learned when I discovered that I had to adjust my manner when I was a...
View ArticleHow Can Skepticism Do Better?
I am delighted to contribute an essay to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) and its wonderful magazine, Skeptical Inquirer (SI), both of which I have been...
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Science and Skepticism
These are the times that try men’s souls.” This was true when Thomas Paine uttered these words, and they remain true today (though with a more inclusive gender reference). The fact that Donald Trump,...
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On Homeopathy: The Undiluted Facts—An Interview with Edzard Ernst
One of the great things about the holiday break is the opportunity to get some reading done—and Edzard Ernst has a new book out this year. His new book traces the genesis, principles, and practice of...
View ArticleWhy Skepticism?
Twenty years ago, I became actively involved in the skeptical movement when I and several others founded a humble local skeptical group. We were inspired by CSICOP (now CSI) and Skeptical Inquirer to...
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The True Story of The Bye Bye Man
A new horror film titled The Bye Bye Man scared up $16 million in box office sales over the past week. The film is based on the chapter “The Bridge to Body Island” in Robert Damon Schneck’s nonfiction...
View ArticleWhat Science Is and How and Why It Works
If you cherry-pick scientific truths to serve cultural, economic, religious, or political objectives, you undermine the foundations of an informed democracy. Science distinguishes itself from all...
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Turmeric/Curcumin: The “Natural Remedy of the Century” or a Waste...
Turmeric is a yellow spice used in Indian cuisine; its active ingredient, marketed as a dietary supplement, is curcumin. It is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine, where it is said to balance vata,...
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Fake News Begets Fake News: Pizzagate
Pizzagate, the conspiracy theory—based on John Podesta’s leaked emails—that claims a popular Washington, D.C. pizzeria hosts a pedophilia ring (not unlike the alleged pedo rings of the 1980s Satanic...
View ArticlePromote Reason, Prevent Climate Catastrophes: Let’s Get ’Er Done
We had another Reason Rally in Washington, DC, this year. Like so many of us, I am concerned about women’s rights and civil rights writ large. I am very concerned about so many of our leaders, who are...
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