Dr. Michael Shermer is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, a regular contributor to Time.com, and Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. His new book is “Skeptic: Viewing the World with a Rational Eye.” He is also the author of “The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom”, “The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies”, “The Mind of the Market”, “Why Darwin Matters: Evolution and the Case Against Intelligent Design”, and “The Science of Good and Evil”. He has been a college professor since 1979, also teaching at Occidental College, Glendale College, and Claremont Graduate University, where he taught a transdisciplinary course for Ph.D. students on Evolution, Economics, and the Brain. As a public intellectual he regularly contributes Opinion Editorials, book reviews, and essays to the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Science, Nature, and other publications.
Dr. Shermer received his B.A. in psychology from Pepperdine University, M.A. in experimental psychology from California State University, Fullerton, and his Ph.D. in the history of science from Claremont Graduate University. He appeared on such shows as The Colbert Report, 20/20, Dateline, Charlie Rose, and Larry King Live. His two TED talks, seen by millions, were voted in the top 100 of the more than 1000 TED talks.
Michael Shermer – Skeptic
Audio Podcast:
Michael Shermer’s Book Recommendation:
The Better Angels of Our Nature
Five Good Questions:
- How has reasoning and scientific thinking changed the way we view morality and created a more just world?
- Why do people think that things are bad and getting worse when, in fact, they are good and getting better? That is, why all the doom and gloom pessimism when optimism and gratitude should be the response to all the progress we have realized in our time?
- There are many reasonable and smart people on both sides of the climate change issue. What are your thoughts these days?
- There are many products that seem to fall into the “can’t hurt, might help” category. Is there anything wrong with taking advantage of the placebo effect?
- Are there any investment takeaways from your research and insights?
Skeptic: Viewing the World with a Rational Eye by Michael Shermer
Michael Shermer’s Skeptic – Book Review
Collected essays from bestselling author Michael Shermer’s celebrated columns in Scientific American
For fifteen years, bestselling author Michael Shermer has written a column in Scientific American magazine that synthesizes scientific concepts and theory for a general audience. His trademark combination of deep scientific understanding and entertaining writing style has thrilled his huge and devoted audience for years. Now, in Skeptic, seventy-five of these columns are available together for the first time; a welcome addition for his fans and a stimulating introduction for new readers.
Praise for The Moral Arc:
“Ambitious… Mr. Shermer is a buoyant culture warrior-and an eloquent one, who believes that our better angels will continue to soar. The Moral Arc presents an impressive account of how far we have come. But it also reminds us that reason, for all its muscle, will need a lot of help to make our moral progress continue.”–The Wall Street Journal
“Michael Shermer [claims that] science…has helped to lay the moral groundwork for modern society, pointing the way to a more just and moral world…Bravo, I say.”-Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist, author of the best seller The Future of the Mind, and Physics of the Future
About the Author
MICHAEL SHERMER is the author of The Moral Arc, Why People Believe Weird Things, The Believing Brain, and many other books on the evolution of human beliefs and behavior. He is the founding publisher of Skepticmagazine, the editor of Skeptic.com, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. He lives in Southern California.
