Skeptic News

The "What's New" page for skeptics.

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Recent Reading

  • Susan Jacoby: Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism

    Susan Jacoby: Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism
    Excellent overview of the prominent role that freethinkers (atheists, agnostics, and deists) played in America's past, including the founding of our country, the abolition of slavery, and giving women the vote. (*****)

  • Sam Harris: The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason

    Sam Harris: The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
    One of the most frightening books I've ever read. Among numerous other topics, Harris argues that it is almost inevitable that atomic weapons will fall into the hands of religious radicals -- if not terrorist, then perhaps a nation with religious radicals in charge. (****)

  • Richard Dawkins: The God Delusion

    Richard Dawkins: The God Delusion
    Highly recommended. Despite what you might have heard, Richard Dawkins does not spew venom in this book. Flames do not shoot out when you open it, nor does bile drip from the pages. Far from being an hysterical, rabid diatribe against religion, it is a quite measured, logical explanation of the evidence against God and why religion should not be treated with such reverence. (*****)

  • Daniel C. Dennett: Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

    Daniel C. Dennett: Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
    I highly recommend this book for anyone who is about to embark on studying religion and atheism. Why do people enjoy music? Why do we like to socialize? Why do we sometimes become violent? Science has attempted to answer each of these questions. Dennett proposes that science attempt to answer another: Why are people religious? Even if one of the religions is true, that still means that billions of people believe religions that are not true. Why? What is it about our evolutionary past that makes us willing to believe? (*****)

  • Jared Diamond: Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

    Jared Diamond: Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
    Why wasn't Europe invaded by ships carrying gun-wielding Native Americans or Africans, rather than the other way around? This is an excellent explanation of why some societies became quite advanced, while others remained primitive. (*****)

  • Richard P. Feynman: "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character

    Richard P. Feynman: "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character
    Very entertaining and thought-provoking collection of anecdates from the life of perhaps the best-known physicist of the 20th century. (****)

  • Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, Jack S. Cohen: The Science of Discworld
    You'll have to visit Amazon UK to locate this one. This book explains science concepts by comparing them to the decidedly different physical laws of the Discworld series. (****)
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Categories

Announcements
Conspiracy Theories
Creationism and Evolution
Cryptozoology
Education
Film
Ghosts and Life After Death
Health and Alternative Medicine
Humor
Miscellaneous
Personal
Pseudopsychology
Pseudoscience
Psychics and Fortune Telling
Religion
Religions, Cults, and Miracles
Science and Technology
Skeptic MetaNews
Television
UFOs and Aliens

Recent Posts

  • "Letting Go of God" on Showtime
  • JREF and Atheist Media back on YouTube; Rational Response still suspended
  • YouTube suspends JREF, Rational Response, and Atheist Media
  • James Randi at UIUC
  • Some Recent Reading
  • Atheist attacked publicizing talk about "God: The Failed Hypothesis"
  • More Stenger News
  • "God: The Failed Hypothesis" at #21 on NYT list
  • Three Atheist Books on New York Times Best Seller List
  • Nightline covers the Blasphemy Challenge

Recent Comments

  • VPC-100 PinCode Calculator on JREF and Atheist Media back on YouTube; Rational Response still suspended
  • Lexia 3 PP2000 on JREF and Atheist Media back on YouTube; Rational Response still suspended
  • obd2 scanner on YouTube suspends JREF, Rational Response, and Atheist Media
  • obd2 scanner on JREF and Atheist Media back on YouTube; Rational Response still suspended
  • Ralph Lauren Outlet on JREF and Atheist Media back on YouTube; Rational Response still suspended
  • Ralph Lauren Outlet on YouTube suspends JREF, Rational Response, and Atheist Media
  • Ralph Lauren Outlet on James Randi at UIUC
  • ChrisWhite on James Randi at UIUC
  • 4rx on "Letting Go of God" on Showtime
  • Mulberry Bayswater Outlet on JREF and Atheist Media back on YouTube; Rational Response still suspended

Archives

  • December 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • June 2008
  • August 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006

Suggested Sites

  • Darwin Day Celebration
  • Snopes Urban Legend Reference Pages
  • National Center for Science Education
  • Skeptic's Dictionary
  • (mostly) Rationally Speaking
  • REALL
  • Skeptics Society
  • CSICOP

Other Blogs

  • EvolutionBlog
  • The Panda's Thumb
  • The Loom
  • Evolutionblog
  • The Austringer
  • De Rerum Natura

Who's Who

  • Joe McFaul
    Business Litigation (and litigation avoidance) on behalf of businesses and their insurance carriers
  • Eugenie Scott
    Director of NCSE
  • Paul Kurtz
    Founder of CSICOP
  • Michael Shermer
    Founder of Skeptics Society
  • James Randi
    Debunked Uri Geller; founded JREF; offers $1M to anyone who can prove any paranormal ability.

Good Reading

  • Carl Sagan: Demon-Haunted World

    Carl Sagan: Demon-Haunted World
    (*****)

  • Martin Gardner: Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science (Popular Science)

    Martin Gardner: Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science (Popular Science)
    Another classic for new skeptics, this one focusing more on pseudoscience than on the paranormal. (****)

  • James Randi: Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions

    James Randi: Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions
    This is a classic for those wanting an introduction to some of the basic topics tackled by skeptics. (*****)

Good Viewing

  • : From the Earth to the Moon

    From the Earth to the Moon

  • : The Blue Planet - Seas of Life Collector's Set (Parts 1-4)

    The Blue Planet - Seas of Life Collector's Set (Parts 1-4)

  • : Walking with Cavemen

    Walking with Cavemen

  • : Evolution

    Evolution