PolicyJanuary 1, 2019
The Case for Scientific Humanism
The case for scientific humanism
Stories by Michael Shermer
Michael Shermer is publisher of Skeptic magazine (www.skeptic.com) and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. His new book is Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopia (Henry Holt, 2018).
BehaviorDecember 1, 2018
Kids Today Are Being Socialized to Think They’re Fragile Snowflakes
A looming crisis and how to avert it
BehaviorNovember 1, 2018
The Singular of “Data” Is Not “Anecdote”
Why the singular of “data” is not “anecdote”
Mental HealthOctober 1, 2018
Why Do People Kill Themselves?
Why do people die by suicide?
Public HealthSeptember 1, 2018
Abortion Is a Problem to Be Solved, Not a Moral Issue
Education and birth control are slowly making the politics less relevant
BiologyAugust 1, 2018
What Personal Genome Testing Can and Can't Do
The limitations of personal genome service testing
PolicyJuly 16, 2018
Mysterianism Redux
A follow up to my Scientific American column on consciousness, free will and God…the final mysteries?
BehaviorJuly 1, 2018
Will Science Ever Solve the Mysteries of Consciousness, Free Will and God?
Are consciousness, free will and God insoluble mysteries?
BehaviorJune 1, 2018
Web Searches Reveal (in Aggregate) What We’re Really Thinking
Google as a window into our private thoughts
BehaviorMay 1, 2018
Does the Philosophy of “the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number” Have Any Merit?
BehaviorApril 1, 2018
The Number of Americans with No Religious Affiliation Is Rising
The rise of the atheists
PolicyMarch 1, 2018
Is Truth an Outdated Concept?
Are we living in a post-truth world?
BehaviorFebruary 1, 2018
Our Actions Don’t Matter in a Cosmic Sense—but That Doesn’t Mean They Don’t Matter
Science reveals our deepest purpose
BehaviorJanuary 1, 2018
Science Denial versus Science Pleasure
PolicyDecember 1, 2017
Can We Agree to Outlaw War—Again?
Why “outcasting” works better than violence
CultureNovember 1, 2017
Does Success Come Mostly from Talent, Hard Work—or Luck?
Does it come from talent, hard work—or luck?
BehaviorOctober 1, 2017
Belief in Aliens May Be a Religious Impulse
Is belief in aliens a religious impulse?
BehaviorSeptember 1, 2017
The Unfortunate Fallout of Campus Postmodernism
The roots of the current campus madness
PolicyAugust 9, 2017
It Was Necessary to Use Nukes against Japan--but North Korea Is More Complicated
Kim Jong-un's increasing threats bring to mind the world's only nuclear attack, which happened 72 years ago this week
BehaviorAugust 1, 2017
Are We All Racists Deep Inside?
Private thoughts and public acts
CognitionJuly 1, 2017
Why the “You” in an Afterlife Wouldn't Really Be You
Memories, points of view and the self
EvolutionJune 1, 2017
No, There Wasn't an Advanced Civilization 12,000 Years Ago
Did an advanced civilization disappear more than 12,000 years ago?
PolicyMay 1, 2017
We’ve Known for 400 Years That Torture Doesn’t Work
Why torture doesn't work
CultureApril 1, 2017
What Would It Take to Prove the Resurrection?
How to think about claims, even the Resurrection