''The Skeptic'' is a British non-profit

skepticism 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 pe ...

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

. It describes itself as "the UK’s longest running and foremost sceptical magazine, which examines

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on Secularity, secular, Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the Separation of church and state, separation of relig ...

, critical thinking and claims of the

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Nota ...

History, format and structure

The Skeptic was founded in 1987 by Wendy M. Grossman, and subsequently edited from 1988 to 1998 by

Toby Howard Toby L. J. Howard is an Honorary Reader in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Manchester in the UK, He was Director of undergraduate studies 2011–2019. He retired from the University in July 2020. Education Howard was edu ...

(

The University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

, UK) and Steve Donnelly (University of Huddersfield, UK). From 1998 to 2011 it was edited by

Chris French Christopher Charles French (born 1956) is a British psychologist specialising in the psychology of paranormal beliefs and experiences, cognition and emotion. He is the head of the University of London's anomalistic Psychology Research Unit and ...

, and from 2011 to 2020 by

Deborah Hyde Deborah Hyde (; born 1965) is a British sceptic, folklorist, cultural anthropologist, Ufologist, fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and editor-in-chief of '' The Skeptic''. She writes and lectures extensively about superstition, c ...

. Since 2020 magazine has been edited by Michael Marshall and Alice Howarth, and published by the

Merseyside Skeptics Society The Merseyside Skeptics Society (MSS) is a nonprofit organisation that promotes scientific scepticism in Merseyside and the United Kingdom. Founded in 2009, the society has campaigned against the use of homeopathy, challenged the claims of psy ...

. Regular columnists and authors contributing articles to the publication have included Mark Duwe, Chris French, Wendy M Grossman, Mike Heap, Paul Taylor and Mark Williams. Neil Davies routinely provides artwork for the cover, whilst centrefold pieces were contributed by Crispian Jago. Other artwork is routinely contributed by

Donald Rooum Donald Rooum (20 April 1928 – 31 August 2019) was an English anarchist cartoonist and writer. He had a long association with Freedom Press who have published seven volumes of his ''Wildcat'' cartoons. In 1963 he played a key role in exposi ...

, Tim Pearce, Andrew Endersby and Barbara Griffiths. The magazine is also supported by an Editorial Advisory Board which includes, among others:

James Alcock James E. Alcock (born 24 December 1942) is a Canadian educator. He has been a Professor of Psychology at York University (Canada) since 1973. Alcock is a noted critic of parapsychology and is a Fellow and Member of the Executive Council for the ...

Susan Blackmore Susan Jane Blackmore (born 29 July 1951) is a British writer, lecturer, sceptic, broadcaster, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Plymouth. Her fields of research include memetics, parapsychology, consciousness, and she is best known ...

Derren Brown Derren Brown (born 27 February 1971) is an English mentalist, illusionist, painter, and author. He began performing in 1992, making his television debut with ''Derren Brown: Mind Control'' in 2000, and has since produced several more shows fo ...

David Colquhoun David Colquhoun (born 19 July 1936) is a British pharmacologist at University College London (UCL). He has contributed to the general theory of receptor and synaptic mechanisms, and in particular the theory and practice of single ion channel f ...

, Brian Cox, and

Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford and was Professor for Public Understanding of Science in the University of Oxford from 1995 to 2008. An ath ...

Podcast

In 2008, an independent, rationalist talk show airing on London's Resonance FM called ''

Little Atoms ''Little Atoms'' is a website, podcast and magazine dedicated to ideas and culture. The radio show broadcast weekly from London on Resonance FM 104.4. It is hosted by Neil Denny. The website is edited by Padraig Reidy. The first edition of '' ...

'' became ''The Official Podcast of The Skeptic Magazine''. New episodes of the show are released on an almost weekly basis. The show has been produced by Neil Denny, Padraig Reidy, Anthony Burn and Richard Sanderson since September 2005.

Ockham Awards

The Pod Delusion Wins the Editors' Choice Ockham Award 2013

''The Skeptic'' magazine annually awards the ''Ockham Awards'', or simply the ''Ockhams'', at QED. This occurred for the first time in 2012, and the award ceremony has been considered a highlight of the conference ever since. The Ockhams were introduced by editor-in-chief

to "recognise the effort and time that have gone into the community’s favourite skeptical blogs, skeptical podcasts, skeptical campaigns and outstanding contributors to the skeptical cause." The winners are selected by a panel, from submissions by the skeptical community. The

ironic award This is a list of negative or anti-awards and mock prizes. Arts and entertainment * Bad Sex in Fiction Award, awarded by the British magazine ''Literary Review'' * Bald Archy Prize, an Australian art prize, parodying the Australian Archibald ...

'for the most audacious pseudo-science', "The Rusty Razor" (introduced in 2017), is determined entirely by public vote. "The Editors' Choice Award" is a special Ockham without a category, chosen by the current and past editors-in-chief of ''The Skeptic'',

, Wendy Grossman and

. The name refers to Ockham's razor, formulated by English philosopher

William of Ockham William of Ockham, OFM (; also Occam, from la, Gulielmus Occamus; 1287 – 10 April 1347) was an English Franciscan friar, scholastic philosopher, apologist, and Catholic theologian, who is believed to have been born in Ockham, a small vill ...

(c. 1285–1347). The

trophies A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, in ...

, designed by Neil Davies and Karl Derrick, carry the upper text "''Ockham's''" and the lower text "''The Skeptic. Shaving away unnecessary assumptions since 1285.''" Between the texts, there is an image of a double-edged

safety razor A safety razor is a shaving implement with a protective device positioned between the edge of the blade and the skin. The initial purpose of these protective devices was to reduce the level of skill needed for injury-free shaving, thereby reduc ...

blade, and both lower corners feature an image of William of Ockham's face.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skeptic, The 1987 establishments in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1987 Paranormal magazines Quarterly magazines published in the United Kingdom Secularism in the United Kingdom Science and technology magazines published in the United Kingdom Scientific skepticism mass media

History, format and structure

Podcast

Ockham Awards

See also

References

External links