Skepticism

The 'Dr. Phil' Experience: Just Be Yourself

Dougall Fraser | Posted 05.21.2012

Read More: Self-Esteem, Dr. Phil, Skepticism, Self-Help, Dr. Phil Show, Jim Underdown, Psychics, James Underdown, Gay Voices News
Dougall Fraser

Whether I am explaining how I see auras, giving psychic readings to clients, or introducing my husband David to others, I realize that my life may seem a little unusual. Because I am intuitive, I acutely feel people's judgment, but I do my best to rise above it.

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Where's The Proof?

Posted 05.18.2012

Read More: Sasquatch, Cryptozoology, Ohio Bigfoot Conference, Weird Science, Yeti, Cryptids, Superstition, Skepticism, Bigfoot, Video, Science News

By: Benjamin Radford, Life's Little Mysteries contributor Published: 05/17/2012 12:32 PM EDT on Lifes Little Mysteries It may surprise people to...

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What Sleight Of Hand Reveals About Brain Function

| Mariette DiChristina | Posted 05.17.2012

Read More: Magic, Neuroscience, Video, Cognitive Science, Pseudoscience, Neuromagic, James Randi, Psychology, Magician, Skepticism, Perception, Science News

“I see you have a watch with a buckle.” Standing at my side, Apollo Robbins held my wrist lightly as he turned my hand over and back. I knew exac...

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Skepticism: Helping or Hindering?

Karen Luniw | Posted 05.17.2012

Read More: Success, Law of Attraction, Universal Principles, Self-Help, Skepticism, Attraction, Business People, Business News
Karen Luniw

Healthy skepticism is a good thing but what if we could actually reframe it and call it 'awareness' instead?

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Science, Religion Incompatible? Scientist, Skeptic Join Debate

Posted 03.09.2012

Read More: Change My Mind, Religion and Science Incompatible, Atheist, Atheism, Agnostic, Kenneth R Miller, Kenneth Miller Brown, Religion and Science, Muslim, Skepticism, Christian, Michael Shermer, Science and Religion Incompatible, Science and Theology, Science and Religion, Science News

Do you believe in God? Or do you put your faith in science? Some argue that it has to be one or the other--that either you accept scientific dogma...

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The Journey to Unbelief

Nicholas Warner | Posted 04.24.2012

Read More: Religion Science, Atheism, Deepak Chopra, Religion and Science, Religious Belief, Skepticism, Agnosticism, Scientific Theory, Culture News
Nicholas Warner

As a humanist, I value the remarkable achievements of science and what we have come to understand about the universe and I equally treasure the human experience of that universe.

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"Psychic" Sally Morgan Sues Critics for £150,000 After Refusing $1 Million to Prove Her Powers

D.J. Grothe | Posted 04.03.2012

Read More: Sally Morgan, Paranormal, Simon Singh, Daily Mail, Christopher French, Psychic, Jref, Libel, Paul Zenon, Psychic Sally, James Randi Educational Foundation, Skepticism, Lawsuit, Psychic Medium, Video, Weird News News
D.J. Grothe

Since 1996, The James Randi Educational Foundation has offered $1 million to any psychic who can prove their powers are real under fair conditions that prevent cheating.

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An Open Letter to Dr. Phil: Get Real

D.J. Grothe | Posted 03.13.2012

Read More: Jref, James Randi, Char Margolis, Dr. Phil, Skepticism, Scams, John Edward, Psychics, Video, Weird News News
D.J. Grothe

When national media outlets give such a large platform to hucksters who make false promises and beguile the public, they are as much to blame for the public deception as the fake psychics themselves.

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Why Faith Claims Should Be 'Corrected': A Professor's Argument

Paul Pardi | Posted 02.27.2012

Read More: Faith and Science, Religion, Education, Knowledge, Atheism, Pedagogy, Skepticism, Faith, Truth, Religion and Science, Religion in the Classroom, Religion News
Paul Pardi

What role should faith play, if any, in the way we think about the conversation in the classroom or an ordered society? According to one professor, it should be relegated to personal preference.

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Cara Santa Maria

The Real Definition Of Insanity

HuffingtonPost.com | Cara Santa Maria | Posted 02.19.2012

Read More: Mental Illness, Legal Definition, Law, Mental Health, Not Guilty, Insanity, Talk Nerdy to Me, Schizophrenia, Science, Bipolar, Psychology, Myths, Skepticism, Education News

"The definition of insanity is repeating the same mistakes over and over again and expecting different results," utters the know-it-all guy in the coffee shop offering free "therapy" to his visibly shaken friend. He couldn't be more wrong.

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Cara Santa Maria

Psychiatry And Modern Science: Perspectives On The DSM

HuffingtonPost.com | Cara Santa Maria | Posted 01.04.2012

Read More: Psychiatry, Mental Disorders, Mental Illness, Psychodynamics, Talk Nerdy to Me, Freud, Diagnostics, Science, Psychology, Skepticism, Dsm, Robert Spitzer, Education News

The DSM is the go-to manual for diagnostic criteria of a wide range of mental disorders, but some question it's validity and reliability.

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Cara Santa Maria

WATCH: Why People Believe Strange Things

HuffingtonPost.com | Cara Santa Maria | Posted 11.30.2011

Read More: Skeptic, Miracles, Intelligent Design, Religious Symbols, Video, Crop Circles, Scientific Method, Talk Nerdy to Me, Why People Believe Strange Things, Ufo, Science, Flying Saucer, Skepticism, Michael Shermer, Belief, Education News

2011-11-30-Screenshot20111130at5.48.25PM.jpgHave you ever wondered why otherwise intelligent people believe things that don't seem to be grounded in reality or reason?

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Why We're Announcing Two Atheist-Led Initiatives at Park51 Islamic Center

Chris Stedman | Posted 01.14.2012

Read More: Atheism, Interfaith Work, Humanism, New York City, Interfaith, Community, Humanist Community Project, Skepticism, Values in Action, Nonreligious, Agnosticism, Religious Tolerance, Harvard Humanist park51, Religion News
Chris Stedman

This idea that nonreligious people do not gather, both as a moral community and in cooperation with the religious, is entirely without merit.

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Moving Forward Together

Cara Santa Maria | Posted 01.05.2012

Read More: Talk Nerdy to Me, Vlog, Science, Conversation, Science News, Skepticism, Open-Mindedness, Sexuality, Discussion, Education News
Cara Santa Maria

I am dedicating the month of November to a conversation about sexuality. This subject is often rife with pseudoscience, pop science, junk science, and whatever other forms of non-science exist out there in magazines, books, and online. Let's get to the truth.

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We Are All Scientists

Cara Santa Maria | Posted 01.05.2012

Read More: Observation, Exploration, Science, Theory, Scientific Literacy, Skepticism, Talk Nerdy to Me, Nature, Education News
Cara Santa Maria

I have no expectation that every man, woman, and child should strive to become a professional scientist. But I do have every expectation that every man, woman, and child should strive to become more scientifically literate.

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Do Atheists Belong In The Interfaith Movement?

Chris Stedman | Posted 08.14.2011

Read More: Friendly Atheist, Lyz Liddell, Or Rose, Kumbaya, Freethought, Jen Mccreight, Science Blogs, Tufts, Ashutosh Varshney, Skepticism, Valarie Kaur, Faith, Tufts Freethought Society, Center for Inquiry, Queer, Atheism, Jesse Galef, Josh Rosenau, Jen Bailey, Robert Putnam, Chris Latondresse, Interfaith Youth Core, Secular Student Alliance, Religion, Evangelical, p.z. Myers, Humanism, Ron Lindsay, American Humanist Association, Blag Hag, Interfaith, Christianity, Eboo Patel, Roy Speckhardt, Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard, Religion News
Chris Stedman

In my experience, interfaith work doesn't require that people check their convictions at the door, and if the only thing keeping atheists from participating is a semantic disagreement with the word "faith," I think that is a missed opportunity.

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Make a Joyful Noise

Paula Gordon | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Lincoln, Egypt, David Reynolds, Kevin Phillips, Geneive Abdo, Koch Brothers, Robert Monks, Joyful Noise, Freedom, Gerry Adams, Stuart Kauffman, Skepticism, Brute Force, John Brown, GINI Index, Politics News
Paula Gordon

What's Egypt got that America has apparently lost? An authentic yearning to be free. How else to account for obscene genuflecting to Ronald Reagan...

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Channeling Erik: The Insider's Guide To Death And The Afterlife

Elisa Medhus, M.D. | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Quantum Physics, Jihadists, Atheism, Physics, Mediums, Psychic, Suicide, Afterlife, Death, Religion, Bereavement, Channeling, Baptists, Consciousness, Grief, Atheists, Skepticism, Spirituality, Heaven, Hell, Death & Dying, Healthy Living News
Elisa Medhus, M.D.

As a scientist and physician, I thought I had it all figured out. You live; you die; you're done. My entire paradigm, however, underwent a cataclysmic transformation soon after the death of my son, Erik.

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Reasoning, Scepticism and the Burden of Proof

Hisham Wyne | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Occam's Razor, Burden of Proof, Skepticism, Faith, Hypothesis, Rationality, World News
Hisham Wyne

In a corner of the multi-verse, natives of a world ardently believe a unicorn driving a black Camaro is responsible for pulling the sun around the sky...

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The Eternally Boring Hereafter

Michael Shermer | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Clint Eastwood, Near-Death Experiences, Life After Death, Skeptic Magazine, Hereafter, Peter Morgan, Matt Damon, Skepticism, Entertainment News
Michael Shermer

If the hereafter is anything like its filmic namesake, then it will turn out to be glacially slow, eternally boring, and pointless, with seemingly random plot lines aimlessly wandering about the ethereal landscape.

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Facebook Building a Socialphone -- Maybe Maybe Not

Ramon Nuez | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Michael Arrington, Third Party, Social Networking, Networking Platform, User Experience, Static Web, Popularity, Integrations, Facebook, Joe Hewitt, Current Projects, Platforms, Spokesperson, Apple, Assets, Mobile Phone, Rare Opportunity, Mobile Web, Handset, Skepticism, Technology News
Ramon Nuez

One of the many assets Facebook could employ on its socialphone is Places. An integration of Places and the socialphone could provide the company a laundry list possibilities -- not to mention an additional source of revenue.

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A Proposal for a Minor Revolution in Human Affairs

Barrett Brown | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Information Age, Project PM, Internet, Skepticism, Media News
Barrett Brown

Today, we are blessed to exist in an age of unprecedented tumult and potential by virtue of the advent of the internet and the information age as a whole.

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Want to Help Save 34 Billion a Year in Health Care Costs? Be a Skeptic

David Brenders, Ph.D. | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Natural Medicine, Skepticism, Homeopathy, Dana Ullman, Health Care, Healthy Living News
David Brenders, Ph.D.

I am puzzled to find the distain for a similarly liberating and enlightening word: skeptic. I am referring to the articles by Dana Ullman touting the efficacy of homeopathic medicine.

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When is Chiropractic Care a Scam? What About Reflexology? Magnetic Therapy?

Todd Kashdan | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Magnetic Therapy, Contact Lenses, Chiropractic, Massage, Health, Exercise, Cognitive Dissonance, Health Care Reform, Self-Assessment, Reflexology, Health Insurance, Skepticism, Healthy Living News
Todd Kashdan

When someone is in chronic pain, unable to function, they are susceptible to charismatic people who claim to have the answers.

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Swines and Birds and Homeopaths, Oh My!

Jacob Dickerman | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: History, Homeopathic Remedies, James Randi, Swine Flu, James Randi's Million Dollar Challange, Skepticism, Homeopathy, Jacque Benveniste, Alternative Medicine, Samuel Hahnemann, Healthy Living News
Jacob Dickerman

Unfortunately, people looking to help protect themselves and their families are being preyed upon by a group whose theory of medicine goes counter to everything that is known about physiology, physics, chemistry, germ theory, and hydro-dynamics.

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