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Michael Brant Shermer (born September 8, 1954) is an American science writer, historian of science, executive director of The Skeptics Society, and founding publisher of ''
Skeptic Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the ...
'' magazine, a publication focused on investigating
pseudoscientific Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claim ...
and
supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
claims. The author of over a dozen books, Shermer is known for engaging in debates on
pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claim ...
and religion in which he emphasizes scientific skepticism. Shermer was the co-producer and co-host of ''Exploring the Unknown'', a 13-hour Fox Family television series broadcast in 1999. From April 2001 to January 2019, he contributed a monthly ''Skeptic'' column to ''
Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it ...
'' magazine. Shermer was raised in a non-religious household, before converting to
christian fundamentalism Christian fundamentalism, also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity, is a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism. In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British and ...
as a teenager. He stopped believing in God during graduate school, influenced by a traumatic accident that left his then-girlfriend paralyzed. He identifies as an
agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficien ...
and an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
,Shermer, Michael (June 2005)
"Why I Am An Atheist"
michaelshermer.com
but prefers "
skeptic Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the ...
". He also advocates for
humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...
.


Early life and education

Shermer was born on September 8, 1954, in Los Angeles. He is partly of Greek and German ancestry. Shermer was raised in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...
, primarily in the
La Cañada Flintridge LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
area.Shermer, Michael. ''The Believing Brain''. 2011. Times Books. Chapter 4Shermer, 2002, p. 127 His parents divorced when he was four and later remarried. He has a step-sister, two step-brothers, and two half-sisters.Shermer, ''The Believing Brain'', Chapter 6 Although Shermer went to Sunday school, he said that neither his biological parents, stepparents nor siblings were religious nor non-religious, as they did not discuss that topic often, nor did they attend church or pray together. He began his senior year of high school in 1971, when the evangelical movement in the United States was growing in popularity. At the behest of a friend, Shermer embraced
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
. He attended the
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...
Church in
Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...
, and observed a sermon delivered by "a very dynamic and histrionic preacher who inspired me to come forward at the end of the sermon to be saved." For seven years, Shermer evangelized door-to-door. Shermer attended an informal Christian fellowship at "The Barn" in
La Crescenta, California La Crescenta-Montrose () is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The community is bordered by Glendale to the south and west, La Cañada Flintridge to the east, and Angeles National Forest to the north. Acc ...
, which he described as "a quintessential 1970s-era hang-out with a long-haired hippie-type, guitar-playing leader". At the Barn, Shermer describes enjoying the social aspects of religion, especially theological debates. Shermer graduated from Crescenta Valley High School in 1972. He enrolled at
Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and th ...
that year, intending to pursue Christian theology. Despite restrictions, such as a ban on dancing and visiting opposite sex dorms, he accepted the university’s teachings. When he learned a doctorate in theology required proficiency in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Aramaic, he changed majors to psychology. He completed his BA in psychology at Pepperdine in 1976. Shermer went on to study
experimental psychology Experimental psychology refers to work done by those who apply experimental methods to psychological study and the underlying processes. Experimental psychologists employ human participants and animal subjects to study a great many topics, in ...
at
California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU ...
. Discussions with his professors,Shermer, ''Why People Believe Weird Things'', 2002, p. 128 along with studies in the
natural Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans ar ...
and
social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of s ...
s, led him to question his religious beliefs. Fueled by what he perceived to be the intolerance generated by the absolute morality taught in his religious studies; the hypocrisy in what many believers preached and what they practiced; and a growing awareness of other religious beliefs that were determined by the temporal, geographic, and cultural circumstances in which their adherents were born, he abandoned his religious views. Halfway through graduate school, he stopped wearing his Christian silver
ichthys The ichthys or ichthus (), from the Greek (, 1st cent. AD Koine Greek pronunciation: , " fish") is (in its modern rendition) a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to ...
medallion. Shermer attributed the paralysis of his college girlfriend as a key point when he lost faith. After she was in an automobile accident that broke her back and rendered her paralyzed from the waist down, Shermer relayed, "If anyone deserved to be healed it was her, and nothing happened, so I just thought there was probably no God at all." Shermer earned an MA degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton in 1978.


Career


Cycling

After earning his MA in experimental psychology in 1978, Shermer worked as a writer for a bicycle magazine in
Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...
. He took up bicycle racing after his first assignment, a
Cycles Peugeot Cycles Peugeot, founded in 1882, is a manufacturer of bicycles based in Sochaux, France and currently a part of Cycleurope, a subsidiary of Sweden-based firm Grimaldi Industri. History Peugeot is a French manufacturer founded by Jean Pequign ...
press conference, He completed a
century ride A century ride is a road cycling ride of 100 kilometers or more in metric system countries or 100 miles (160.9 km) or more in imperial system countries, usually as a cycling club-sponsored event. Many cycling clubs sponsor an annual century rid ...
(100 miles) and started to ride hundreds of miles a week. Shermer began competitive cycling in 1979 and rode professionally for ten years, primarily in long distance ultramarathon
road racing Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...
. He is a founding member of the Ultra Cycling Hall of Fame. Shermer worked with cycling technologists in developing better products for the sport. During his association with
Bell Helmets Bell Sports is an American maker of bicycle and motorcycle helmets. The company is a subsidiary of Vista Outdoor, after BRG Sports –owner of Riddell football helmets– sold some of its brands (including Bell, Giro, C-Preme, and Blackburn) to ...
, a bicycle-race sponsor, he advised them on design issues regarding expanded-polystyrene for use in cycling helmets, which would absorb greater impact than the old leather "
hairnet A hairnet, or sometimes simply a net or caul, is a small, often elasticised, fine net worn over long hair to hold it in place. It is worn to keep hair contained. A snood is similar, but a looser fit, and with a much coarser mesh and noticeably ...
" helmets used by bicyclists for decades. Shermer advised them that if their helmets looked too much like
motorcycle helmets A motorcycle helmet is a type of helmet used by motorcycle riders. Motorcycle helmets contribute to motorcycle safety by protecting the rider's head in the event of an impact. They reduce the risk of head injury by 69% and the risk of death by 42%. ...
, in which polystyrene was already being used, and not like the old hairnet helmets, no serious cyclists or amateur would use them. This suggestion led to their model, the ''V1 Pro'', which looked like a black leather hairnet, but functioned on the inside like a motorcycle helmet. In 1982, he worked with Wayman Spence, whose small supply company, Spenco Medical, adapted the gel technology Spence developed for bedridden patients with pressure sores into
cycling gloves Cycling gloves are gloves designed for cycling. They may provide warmth, comfort and protection. Basic functionality Warmth Gloves are frequently used to keep the hands warm, a function that is particularly necessary when cycling in cold w ...
and saddles to alleviate the
carpal tunnel syndrome Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the collection of symptoms and signs associated with median neuropathy at the carpal tunnel. Most CTS is related to idiopathic compression of the median nerve as it travels through the wrist at the carpal tunn ...
and saddle sores suffered by cyclists.Shermer, Michael (2007). ''The Mind of The Market: Compassionate Apes, Competitive Humans, and Other Tales from Evolutionary Economics''. Holt Paperbacks. pp. 59–61 While a long distance racer, he helped to found the 3,000-mile nonstop transcontinental bicycle
Race Across America The Race Across America, or RAAM, is an ultra-distance road cycling race held across the United States that started in 1982 as the Great American Bike Race. RAAM is one of the longest annual endurance events in the world. All entrants must prove ...
(known as "RAAM", along with Lon Haldeman and John Marino), in which he competed five times (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, and 1989), was an assistant race director for six years, and the executive race director for seven years."Michael Shermer: Curriculum Vitae"
michaelshermer.com. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
An acute medical condition is named for him: " Shermer's Neck" is pain in and extreme weakness of the neck muscles found among long-distance bicyclists. Shermer suffered the condition about 2,000 miles into the 1983 Race Across America. Shermer's embrace of scientific skepticism crystallized during his time as a cyclist, explaining, "I became a skeptic on Saturday, August 6, 1983, on the long climbing road to
Loveland Pass, Colorado Loveland Pass is a high mountain pass in north-central Colorado, at an elevation of above sea level in the Rocky Mountains of the Western United States. Background It is located on the Continental Divide in the Front Range, west of Denver o ...
", after months of training under the guidance of a "nutritionist" with an
unaccredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
PhD. After years of practicing
acupuncture Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientif ...
, chiropractic,
massage therapy Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In Eu ...
,
negative ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...
s, rolfing,
pyramid power Pyramid power refers to the belief that the ancient Egyptian pyramids and objects of similar shape can confer a variety of benefits. Among these assumed properties are the ability to preserve foods,Bovis, Antoine. (Nice: Bovis, c. 1935). Transl ...
, and fundamentalist Christianity to improve his life and training, Shermer stopped rationalizing the failure of these practices. Shermer participated in the Furnace Creek 508 in October 2011, a qualifying race for RAAM, finishing second in the four man team category. Shermer has written on the subject of pervasive doping in competitive cycling and a game theoretic view of the dynamics driving the problem in several sports. He covered r-EPO doping and described it as widespread and well known within the sport, which was later shown to be instrumental in the doping scandal surrounding Lance Armstrong in 2010., 1h20 onward


Teaching

While cycling, Shermer taught Psychology 101 during the evenings at Glendale Community College, a two-year college. Wanting to teach at a four-year university, he decided to earn his PhD. He lost interest in psychology and switched to studying the
history of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Science's earliest roots can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Meso ...
, earning his PhD at
Claremont Graduate University The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges which includes five undergraduate ( Pomona College, Claremont McKenna ...
in 1991. His dissertation was titled ''Heretic-Scientist:
Alfred Russel Wallace Alfred Russel Wallace (8 January 1823 – 7 November 1913) was a British natural history, naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, biologist and illustrator. He is best known for independently conceiving the theory of evolution thro ...
and the Evolution of Man: A Study on the Nature of Historical Change''. Shermer then became an adjunct professor of the history of science at
Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...
, California. In 2007, Shermer became a senior research fellow at Claremont Graduate University. In 2011, he worked as an adjunct professor at
Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California. It encompasses ten schools and colleges, including Fowler School of Engineering, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Fowler School of Law, and Schmid College of Sci ...
, and was later made a Presidential Fellow. At Chapman, he taught a yearly critical thinking course called Skepticism 101.


Skeptics Society

In 1991, Shermer and Pat Linse co-founded the Skeptics Society in Los Angeles with the assistance of Kim Ziel Shermer. The Skeptics Society is a non-profit organization that promotes scientific skepticism and seeks to debunk pseudoscience and irrational beliefs. It started off as a garage hobby but eventually grew into a full-time occupation. The Skeptics Society publishes the magazine ''Skeptic'', organizes the Caltech Lecture Series, and as of 2017, it had over 50,000 members. Shermer is listed as one of the scientific advisors for the
American Council on Science and Health The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) is a pro-industry advocacy organization founded in 1978 by Elizabeth Whelan. ACSH's publications focus on advocacy related to food, nutrition, health, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, biology, biote ...
(ACSH).


Published works

Shermer’s early writing covered cycling, followed by math and science education for children which included several collaborations with
Arthur Benjamin Arthur Leslie Benjamin (18 September 1893, in Sydney – 10 April 1960, in London) was an Australian composer, pianist, conductor and teacher. He is best known as the composer of '' Jamaican Rumba'' (1938) and of the '' Storm Clouds Cantata'' ...
. From April 2001 to January 2019, he wrote the monthly ''Skeptic'' column for ''
Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it ...
''. He has also contributed to ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' magazine. He is the author of a series of books that attempt to explain the ubiquity of irrational or poorly substantiated beliefs, including
UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are ide ...
s,
Bigfoot Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...
, and paranormal claims. Writing in '' Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time'' (1997), Shermer refers to "patternicity", his term for
pareidolia Pareidolia (; ) is the tendency for perception to impose a meaningful interpretation on a nebulous stimulus, usually visual, so that one sees an object, pattern, or meaning where there is none. Common examples are perceived images of animals, ...
and
apophenia Apophenia () is the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things. The term (German: ' from the Greek verb ''ἀποφαίνειν'' (apophaínein)) was coined by psychiatrist Klaus Conrad in his 1958 publication on the b ...
or the willing suspension of disbelief. He writes in the Introduction:
So we are left with the legacy of two types of thinking errors: ''Type 1 Error: believing a falsehood'' and ''Type 2 Error: rejecting a truth''. ... Believers in UFOs,
alien abductions Alien abduction (also called abduction phenomenon, alien abduction syndrome, or UFO abduction) refers to the phenomenon of people reporting their experience of being kidnapped by extraterrestrial beings and subjected to physical and psychologic ...
,
ESP ESP most commonly refers to: * Extrasensory perception, a paranormal ability ESP may also refer to: Arts, entertainment Music * ESP Guitars, a manufacturer of electric guitars * E.S. Posthumus, an independent music group formed in 2000, ...
, and
psychic phenomena A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural l ...
have committed a Type 1 Error in thinking: they are believing a falsehood. ... It's not that these folks are ignorant or uninformed; they are intelligent but misinformed. Their thinking has gone wrong.
In ''How We Believe: The Search for God in an Age of Science'' (2000), Shermer explored the psychology behind the belief in God. In February 2002, he characterized the position that "God had no part in the process f the evolution of mankind as the "standard scientific theory". This statement was criticized in January 2006 by the scientist Eugenie Scott, who commented that science makes no claim about God one way or the other. Shermer's book ''In Darwin's Shadow: The Life and Science of Alfred Russel Wallace: A Biographical Study on the Psychology of History'' (2002) was based on his dissertation. In his book ''The Borderlands of Science'', (2001) Shermer rated several noted scientists for gullibility toward "pseudo" or "borderland" ideas, using a rating version, developed by psychologist Frank Sulloway, of the Big Five model of personality. Shermer rated Wallace extremely high (99th percentile) on agreeableness/accommodation and argued that this was the key trait in distinguishing Wallace from scientists who give less credence to fringe ideas. In May 2002, Shermer and Alex Grobman published their book '' Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened and Why Do They Say It?'', which examined and countered the
Holocaust denial Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: ...
movement. This book recounts meeting various denialists and concludes that free speech is the best way to deal with pseudohistory. '' Science Friction: Where the Known Meets the Unknown'' was released in 2005. His 2006 book '' Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design'' marshals point-by-point arguments supporting
evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
, sharply criticizing
intelligent design Intelligent design (ID) is a pseudoscientific argument for the existence of God, presented by its proponents as "an evidence-based scientific theory about life's origins". Numbers 2006, p. 373; " Dcaptured headlines for its bold attempt to ...
. This book also argues that science cannot invalidate religion, and that
Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...
and conservatives can and should accept evolution. In ''The Mind of The Market: Compassionate Apes, Competitive Humans, and Other Tales from Evolutionary Economics'' (2007), Shermer reported on the findings of multiple behavioral and biochemical studies that address evolutionary explanations for modern behavior. It garnered several critical reviews from academics, with skeptic Robert T. Carroll saying: "He has been blinded by his libertarianism and seduced by the allure of evolutionary psychology to explain everything, including ethics and economics." In May 2011, Shermer published ''The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies: How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths''. In a review for ''
Commonweal Commonweal or common weal may refer to: * Common good, what is shared and beneficial for members of a given community * Common Weal, a Scottish think tank and advocacy group * ''Commonweal'' (magazine), an American lay-Catholic-oriented magazin ...
'', writer Joseph Bottum described Shermer as more of a popularizer of science and stated, "science emerges from ''The Believing Brain'' as a full-blown ideology, lifted out of its proper realm and applied to all the puzzles of the world." In January 2015, Shermer published '' The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom''. Writing for ''
Society A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soc ...
'' in 2017,
Eugene Goodheart Eugene Goodheart (June 26, 1931 – April 9, 2020) was an American literary scholar. He was Edytha Macy Gross Professor of Humanities at Brandeis University from 1983 to 2001. Biography Goodheart was born on June 26, 1931, in Brooklyn. He rece ...
noted that Shermer identified skepticism with
scientism Scientism is the opinion that science and the scientific method are the best or only way to render truth about the world and reality. While the term was defined originally to mean "methods and attitudes typical of or attributed to natural scientis ...
and observed that in his book ''Skeptic: Viewing the World with a Skeptical Eye'' (2016) Shermer was a "vivid and lucid" writer who imported his "political convictions into his advocacy of evolutionary theory, compromising his objectivity as a defender of science."
Harriet Hall Harriet A. Hall (born July 2, 1945) is a U.S. retired family physician, former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon and skeptic who writes about alternative medicine and quackery for '' Skeptic'' and ''Skeptical Inquirer''. She writes under the name ...
says of Shermer's 2018 publication, ''Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopia'', that "the topics of ''Heavens on Earth'' are usually relegated to the spheres of philosophy and religion, but Shermer approaches them through science, looking for evidence – or lack thereof." She goes on to say that " me will argue that Shermer goes beyond the science" but that "it will definitely ... make the reader think." In 2020, Shermer published ''Giving the Devil His Due,'' a series of 30 reflections on essays that he had published the previous 15 years.


Media appearances and lectures

Shermer appeared as a guest on '' Donahue'' in 1994 to respond to Bradley Smith's and David Cole's
Holocaust denial Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: ...
claims, and in 1995 on ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Produced ...
'' to challenge
Rosemary Altea Rosemary Altea (born Rosemary Edwards) is a British author who describes herself as a medium and healer. She has appeared on various programs, including ''Larry King Live'', ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', and featured in the series premiere of ' ...
's psychic claims. In 1994 and 1995, Shermer made several appearances on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's daytime paranormal-themed show ''The Other Side''. He proposed a skepticism-oriented reality show to the producers but it did not move forward. Several years later Fox Family Channel, picked up the series.Shermer, Michael (2001). ''The Borderlands of Science''.
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...
, pp. 10–13.
In 1999, Shermer co-produced and co-hosted the Fox Family TV series ''Exploring the Unknown''. Budgeted at approximately $200,000 per episode, the series was viewed by Shermer as a direct extension of the work done at the Skeptics Society and ''Skeptic'' magazine, with a neutral title chosen to broaden viewership. Shermer made a guest appearance in a 2004 episode of Penn & Teller's '' Bullshit!'', in which he argued that events in the
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...
constitute "mythic storytelling", rather than events described literally. His stance was supported by the show's hosts, who have expressed their own atheism. The episode in question, ''The Bible: Fact or Fiction?'', sought to debunk the notion that the Bible is an empirically reliable historical record. Opposing Shermer was
Paul L. Maier Paul L. Maier (born May 31, 1930) is a historian and novelist. He has written several works of scholarly and popular non-fiction about Christianity and novels about Christian historians. He is the former Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient H ...
, professor of ancient history at
Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...
."The Bible: Fact or Fiction?"
'' Penn & Teller: Bullshit!'' Season 2. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
Shermer presented at the three Beyond Belief events from 2006 to 2008. He has presented at several TED conferences with "Why people believe strange things" in 2006, "The pattern behind self-deception" in 2010, and "Reasonable Doubt" in 2015. Shermer has debated
Deepak Chopra Deepak Chopra (; ; born October 22, 1946) is an Indian-American author and alternative medicine advocate. A prominent figure in the New Age movement, his books and videos have made him one of the best-known and wealthiest figures in alternativ ...
several times, including on the
ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show '' Good Morning America'', '' ...
program ''
Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the prog ...
'' in March 2010. In 2012, Shermer was one of three guest speakers at the first
Reason Rally The first Reason Rally was a public gathering for secularism and religious skepticism held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2012. The rally was sponsored by major atheistic and secular organizations of the United States an ...
in Washington, DC, an event attended by thousands of atheists, where he gave a talk titled "The Moral Arc of Reason." That same year, Shermer participated in an
Intelligence Squared Intelligence Squared is a media company that organizes live debates and other cultural events around the world. It was founded in 2002 in London, where its head office is based, and has affiliates in the US, Australia, and Hong Kong. The debat ...
debate titled "Science Refutes God" paired with
Lawrence Krauss Lawrence Maxwell Krauss (born May 27, 1954) is an American theoretical physicist and cosmologist who previously taught at Arizona State University, Yale University, and Case Western Reserve University. He founded ASU's Origins Project, now c ...
, and opposing
Dinesh D'Souza Dinesh Joseph D'Souza (; born April 25, 1961) is an Indian-American right-wing political commentator, author, filmmaker, and conspiracy theorist. He has written over a dozen books, several of them ''New York Times'' best-sellers. In 2012, D' ...
and Ian Hutchinson. He is also an occasional guest on '' Skepticality'', the official
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...
of ''Skeptic''., 1h20 onward Shermer appeared in the 2014 documentary ''
Merchants of Doubt ''Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming'' is a 2010 non-fiction book by American historians of science Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway. It identifies parallels betwe ...
.''


Allegations of sexual harassment

In 2018, Kimberly Winston reported in ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' that Shermer had "denied allegations of sexual harassment and assault from several women." In 2019
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
reported that although he was not charged for any wrongdoing,
Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockford ...
had canceled author Shermer’s visit for the President’s Convocation at that institution after it discovered that sexual assault allegations had been made against Shermer. Writing for ''The Guardian'' in 2020, Fara Dabhoiwala stated that several of Shermer's public speaking engagements had been canceled as a result of the allegations of sexual harassment and assault from women, allegations that Shermer has denied. '' Undark Magazine'' reported that the allegations against Shermer began to emerge in 2013 and 2014. The magazine also reported that Shermer had sent
cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not disc ...
letters to the student-run newspaper of Santa Barbara City College and accused the editor of
defamation Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
in an email to the college.


Personal life

Shermer married Kim Ziel. They had one daughter together and later divorced. On June 25, 2014 he married Jennifer Graf, a native of
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
, Germany. The ceremony was performed by Shermer's sister, Tina, who was ordained online for the occasion. As of 2007, Shermer lived in
Altadena, California Altadena () ("Alta", Spanish for "Upper", and "dena" from Pasadena) is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in the Verdugo Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, approximately 14 miles (23 km) from the down ...
, but no longer resided there by 2021. He has advocated for a reducetarian diet.


Political positions

Shermer is a self-described
libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's en ...
. In a 2015 interview, Shermer stated that he preferred to talk about individual issues after previous experience with people refusing to listen to him after learning he held libertarian views. In 2000, Shermer voted for libertarian
Harry Browne Harry Edson Browne (June 17, 1933 – March 1, 2006) was an American writer, politician, and investment advisor. He was the Libertarian Party's Presidential nominee in the U.S. elections of 1996 and 2000. He authored 12 books that in total hav ...
, on the assumption that the winner of the
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic ...
George W. Bush contest would be irrelevant. He later regretted this decision, believing that Bush's foreign policy made the world more dangerous. He voted for
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...
in 2004. Shermer named
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
as his favorite president, for his championing of liberty and his application of scientific thinking to the political, economic, and social spheres. In June 2006, Shermer, who formerly expressed skepticism regarding the mainstream scientific views on
global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
, wrote in ''Scientific American'' magazine that, in the light of the accumulation of evidence, the position of denying global warming is no longer tenable.


Gun control

Shermer supports some measures to reduce gun-related violence. He once opposed most
gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with onl ...
measures, primarily because of his beliefs in the principles of increasing individual freedom and decreasing government intervention, and also because he has owned guns for most of his life. As an adult, he owned a
.357 Magnum The .357 Smith & Wesson Magnum, .357 S&W Magnum, .357 Magnum, or 9×33mmR as it is known in unofficial metric designation, is a smokeless powder cartridge with a bullet diameter. It was created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, and Douglas B. ...
pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, a ...
for a quarter of a century for protection, although he eventually took it out of the house, and then got rid of it entirely. Though he no longer owns guns, he continues to support the right to own guns to protect one's family.Shermer, Michael (2013)
"The Sandy Hook Effect"
''Skeptic''. Vol. 18 No. 1. p. 39
However, by 2013, the data on gun homicides, suicides, and accidental shootings convinced him that some modest gun control measures might be necessary.


Capital punishment

Shermer once favored
capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...
in sympathy for victims' families, but later came to oppose the death penalty, partially out of a resistance to giving the government too much power – in light of the hundreds of executed individuals who were later revealed to be innocent – and partially from his view that
retributive justice Retributive justice is a theory of punishment that when an offender breaks the law, justice requires that they suffer in return, and that the response to a crime is proportional to the offence. As opposed to revenge, retribution—and thus ret ...
is driven by humanity's baser instincts, and it does not effect restorative justice. He changed his mind about the issue during research for ''
The Moral Arc ''The Moral Arc: How Science Leads Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom'' is a 2015 book by Michael Shermer. Steven Pinker describes the book as a sequel to ''The Better Angels of Our Nature''. In his book — which took four years to res ...
'', reasoning that " apital punishmentis one of these barbaric practices that we need to get rid of.
he United States of He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
America is really the last of the 19 industrialized democracies to have the death penalty. (...) The Italian enlightenment philosopher
Cesare Beccaria Cesare Bonesana di Beccaria, Marquis of Gualdrasco and Villareggio (; 15 March 173828 November 1794) was an Italian criminologist, jurist, philosopher, economist and politician, who is widely considered one of the greatest thinkers of the Age ...
, in his book '' On Crimes and Punishments'', put forward the idea that the punishment should fit the crime and that the criteria should be whether it keeps people from committing crimes, and the Death Penalty does not do that."


Awards and honors

* Fellow, 2001,
Linnean Society of London The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature coll ...
*
California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU ...
Distinguished Alumni Award, 2002 * NCAS Philip J. Klass Award, October 2006 * Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters,
Whittier College Whittier College (Whittier Academy (1887–1901)) is a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and, as of fall 2022, had approximately 1,300 (undergraduate and graduate) students. It was ...
, 2008"105th Whittier College Commencement Ceremony"
. May 23, 2008.
* Independent Investigations Group, 10th Anniversary Gala award, 2010


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Shermer, Michael (2022)''. Conspiracy - Why the Rational Believe the Irrational''. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-1421444451.


Media work and appearances


Television

;''Exploring the Unknown'' (1999) * "Michael Shermer and
Out of Body Experience An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE) is a phenomenon in which a person perceives the world from a location outside their physical body. An OBE is a form of autoscopy (literally "seeing self"), although this term is more commonly us ...
s" * "Michael Shermer on How to Fake
UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are ide ...
Photographs" * "Michael Shermer on Spoonbending" * "Michael Shermer Firewalking Across Hot Coals" * "Michael Shermer Tests the
Polygraph A polygraph, often incorrectly referred to as a lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked ...
and Lie Detection", Parts 1 & 2 * "Michael Shermer Learns the Art of Con Games", Parts 1 & 2 * "Michael Shermer Decodes the
Bible Code The Bible code ( he, הצופן התנ"כי, ), also known as the Torah code, is a purported set of encoded words within a Hebrew text of the Torah that, according to proponents, has predicted significant historical events. The statistical lik ...
" * "Michael Shermer Explores
Graphology Graphology is the analysis of handwriting with attempt to determine someone's personality traits. No scientific evidence exists to support graphology, and it is generally considered a pseudoscience or scientifically questionable practice. How ...
/Handwriting Analysis", Parts 1 & 2 * "Michael Shermer
Remote Viewing Remote viewing (RV) is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen subject, purportedly sensing with the mind. Typically a remote viewer is expected to give information about an object, event, person or location that is hidden ...
Experiment", Parts 1 & 2 ;Other television and film appearances * August 1983 news segment on Shermer bicycling in
Race Across America The Race Across America, or RAAM, is an ultra-distance road cycling race held across the United States that started in 1982 as the Great American Bike Race. RAAM is one of the longest annual endurance events in the world. All entrants must prove ...
* ''
Unsolved Mysteries ''Unsolved Mysteries'' is an American mystery documentary television show, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Ka ...
'', James Van Praagh segment, 1994 * ''
The Phil Donahue Show ''The Phil Donahue Show'', also known as ''Donahue'', is an American television talk show hosted by Phil Donahue that ran for 26 years on national television. Its run was preceded by three years of local broadcast on WLWD in Dayton, Ohio, and i ...
'', 1994 * ''
Charlie Rose Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American former television journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show '' Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg LP. Rose also co- ...
'', April 1996 * " The Power of Belief",
ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show '' Good Morning America'', '' ...
, 1998 * ''
Politically Incorrect ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...
'', December 22, 2000 * ''
20/20 Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...
'', December 5, 2003 * ''
Dennis Miller Dennis Michael Miller (born November 3, 1953) is an American talk show host, political commentator, sports commentator, actor, and comedian. He was a cast member of '' Saturday Night Live'' from 1985 to 1991, and he subsequently hosted a str ...
'', May 19 and May 20, 2004 * " The Bible: Fact or Fiction?", '' Penn & Teller: Bullshit!'', 2004 * ''The Question of God: Sigmund Freud & C.S. Lewis'', 2004 * ''
The Eyes of Nye ''The Eyes of Nye'' is a science program that aired on public television in the United States in 2005 and featured Bill Nye. The show had an older target audience than its predecessor ''Bill Nye the Science Guy'', aimed more toward adults and t ...
'' on "
Pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claim ...
", 2005 * ''
The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe ''The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe'' (''SGU'') is an American weekly skeptical podcast hosted by Steven Novella, MD, along with a panel of contributors. The official podcast of the New England Skeptical Society, it was named to evoke ''The ...
'', October 4, 2006 * "Doomsday 2012", '' Decoding the Past'', 2007 * '' Larry King Live'', July 13, 2007 and January 24, 2008 * '' Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed'', 2008 * "Does God Have a Future?", ''
Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the prog ...
'', ABC, March 23, 2010 * "What Were You Thinking?", ''
Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' is a weekly American television news magazine/reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasio ...
'', April 25, 2010 * "Did You See That?", ''Dateline NBC'', July 16, 2010 * ''
The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...
'', August 21, 2007 * ''The Colbert Report'', July 11, 2011 * ''
Paranormal Challenge ''Paranormal Challenge'' is an American competitive paranormal reality television series that aired from June 17, 2011 to September 16, 2011 on the Travel Channel. A spin-off of ''Ghost Adventures'', the series was created and hosted by lead in ...
'',
Linda Vista Hospital Linda Vista Community Hospital is a former hospital located at 610-30 South St. Louis Street in Los Angeles, California, United States, in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. The hospital was originally constructed for employees of the Santa Fe Railr ...
, August 26, 2011 * ''Conspiracy Road Trip: UFOs'',
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...
, 15 October 2012 * ''
Stossel Stoessel, Stössel, or Stossel may refer to: *Albert Stoessel (1894–1943), American composer, violinist and conductor *Anatoly Stessel (1848–1915), Russian baron, military leader, and general *Johann Stössel (1524–1576), Lutheran reformer an ...
'', Fox Business Channel, December 13, 2012 * '' The Agenda with Steve Paikin'' Feb 28, 2013 "The Anti-Science Left" * '' StarTalk'',
National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney General ...
, November 15, 2015


Radio and Web appearances

* ''
Coast to Coast AM ''Coast to Coast AM'' is an American late-night radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics. Most frequently the topics relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was hosted by creator Art Bell from its inception in 1 ...
'', September 1, 2007 and May 21, 2011 * '' Mr. Deity and the Skeptic''. YouTube. September 15, 2009 * ''Mr. Deity and the Believing Brain''. YouTube. August 3, 2011 * ''
The Rubin Report ''The Rubin Report'' is a conservative political news talk show hosted by Dave Rubin, airing on BlazeTV and YouTube. The full audio of each episode is additionally available for download as a podcast. In the show, Rubin interviews authors, acti ...
'', January 22, 2016 * ''
The Joe Rogan Experience ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' is a podcast hosted by American comedian, presenter, and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. It launched on December 24, 2009, on YouTube by Rogan and comedian Brian Redban, who was its sole co-host and producer unti ...
'', March 7, 2016, September 14, 2016, May 16, 2017, January 24, 2018, January 10, 2019


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shermer, Michael 1954 births 20th-century American essayists 20th-century American historians 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century atheists 20th-century biographers 21st-century American essayists 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century atheists 21st-century biographers American activists American agnostics American atheism activists American atheist writers American atheists American biographers American cultural critics American ethicists American former Christians American former Protestants American historians American humanists American libertarians American male essayists American male non-fiction writers American science writers American skeptics American social commentators American sportswriters California State University, Fullerton alumni Claremont Graduate University faculty Critics of alternative medicine Critics of Christianity Critics of conspiracy theories Critics of creationism Critics of parapsychology Critics of religions Cycling writers Former Christian creationists Historians from California Historians of science Living people Male biographers Materialists Moral philosophers People from Altadena, California People from La Crescenta-Montrose, California Pepperdine University alumni Science activists Science communicators Scientific American people Secular humanists Social critics Sportswriters from California Theorists on Western civilization Ultra-distance cyclists Writers about activism and social change Writers about religion and science Writers from Glendale, California