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Michael Shermer’s latest book

The Believing Brain (book cover)

The Believing Brain
From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies—How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths

A comprehensive theory on how beliefs are born, formed, nourished, reinforced, challenged, changed, and extinguished. This book synthesizes Dr. Shermer’s 30 years of research to answer the questions of how and why we believe what we do in all aspects of our lives, from our suspicions and superstitions to our politics, economics, and social beliefs.
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Scientific American columns

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CSI, Science

In Michael Shermer’s June 2013 ‘Skeptic’ column for Scientific American, he reviews University of Pennsylvania ... (June 1st, 2013)

Gun Science

In Michael Shermer’s May 2013 ‘Skeptic’ column for Scientific American, he asks “What can be done about gun ... (May 1st, 2013)

Proof of Hallucination

In Michael Shermer’s April 2013 ‘Skeptic’ column for Scientific American, he argues that Eban Alexander, author of the ... (April 1st, 2013)

reviews by Michael Shermer

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As Far As Her Eyes Can See

Michael Shermer reviews Lisa Randall’s Knocking on Heaven’s Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the ... (December 1st, 2011)

Faith Healing

A torrid tale of quackbusting in 1920s America sheds light on modern medical scares A review of Pope Brock’s Charlatan. America’s Most ... (February 1st, 2008)

The Einstein Enigma

A review of Walter Isaacson’s Einstein: His Life and Universe. In the final weeks of his life Albert Einstein learned of the death of his old ... (May 7th, 2007)

multimedia appearances

Shermer in the 'God Helmet'

What happens after we die?

Michael Shermer discusses the belief in life after death. (May 6th, 2013)

Shermer on God’s Existence

Dr. Michael Shermer gives his argument against the existence of God at the Oxford Union. Watch more at http://www.oxford-union.org/debates (December 27th, 2012)

Chopra asks Shermer: Who Are You?

Deepak Chopra interviews Michael Shermer as part of his "soul profiles" series. (October 16th, 2012)

Shermer on SkepticBlog

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zip lines and con jobs

Two news developments from the creationism battlefield reveal their sleazy use of funds, and the financial problems of the "Creation Museum" (June 12th, 2013)

Science Journalism

I recently got into a small kerfuffle with a journalist, actually a sports writer who decided to dabble in science journalism. The exchange started ... (June 10th, 2013)

See You at The Amazing Meeting 2013!

Daniel Loxton encourages skeptics to register for The Amazing Meeting 2013 conference in Las Vegas, and especially to attend the skeptical history ... (June 9th, 2013)

Now THAT is a fish tale!

Do mermaids exist? Apparently, a TV special on Animal Planet has made the claim...until you look closer. (June 5th, 2013)

Vaccine Denial Pseudoscience

I was recently asked about this article, Bedrock of vaccination theory crumbles as science reveals antibodies not necessary to fight viruses, which ... (June 3rd, 2013)

essays

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Does Belief Help Us to Survive?

I don’t think religious beliefs are different from any other kind of beliefs: political attitudes, commitments to political parties, or economic ... (August 10th, 2009)

Confessions of a Former Environmental Skeptic

In his 1964 Republican presidential nomination acceptance speech Barry Goldwater gave voice to one of the most memorable one-liners in political ... (April 15th, 2008)

Scientology, Anonymous

Imagine reading the following press release: Hello, Jews. We are anonymous. Over the years, we have been watching you. Your campaigns of ... (February 18th, 2008)

Why People Don’t Trust Free Markets

The new science of evolutionary economics offers an explanation for capitalism skepticism In his magnum opus on the power of free markets, Human ... (January 29th, 2008)

Why We Should Trade with Cuba

The new science of neuroeconomics offers new insights into old political problems The 19th-century French economist Frederic Bastiat expressed a ... (January 23rd, 2008)

Tweets from Shermer

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skepticism 101

Michael Shermer on TEDTalks

The Power of Belief

In this 14-minute introduction to skepticism from the remarkable TED conference, Dr. Michael Shermer discusses the power of belief systems.

Skeptic magazine & Skeptic.com

Skeptic magazine

Dr. Michael Shermer is the founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine and Skeptic.com, a scientific and educational outreach for scholars, scientists, historians, and professors dedicated to exploring the facts surrounding controversial ideas and extraordinary claims.

Latest additions to Skeptic.com:

13-06-19

For some obsessed fans of Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film, The Shining, there exists hidden meaning in the film. Are these fans suffering ... (June 19th, 2013)

13-06-12

We are surrounded by information: on TV, the Internet, in magazines, books, and emails from friends, family, commercial advertisers, politicians and ... (June 12th, 2013)

13-06-05

In this week’s eSkeptic, Kenneth W. Krause reviews (June 5th, 2013)