New on the podcast: Iron Mountain and its influence on the perceptions of the military-industrial complex. Listen now.

In this intimate interview, Michael Shermer explores how conspiracy theories undermine objective truth or the generally accepted scientific, materialist paradigm. He covers everything from his most…

Remembering Don Symons (1942–2024).

Humans seem to be drawn in a certain direction toward truth and beauty. Is that an accident of nature?

Brook Urick reveals the hidden risks of sugar dating, from her experience as a sugar baby to becoming a company insider. She exposes how these platforms protect exploiters and mislead young women. Uri...

Part II of my series on why I am no longer woke

Summary A recent study published in BMJ Mental Health, All-cause and suicide mortalities among adolescents and young adults who contacted specialised gender identity services in Finland in 1996–2019, ...

Claims that ‘sex is a spectrum’ rely on fundamental misunderstandings about the nature of biological sex.

In this overview of the debate, research, and policies related to various trans matters, Lisa Selin Davis has written what is arguably the best and most balanced treatment of the culturally radioactiv...

My dying mother chose to end terrible suffering. I want others to have that choice, too.

‘Gender-affirming’ doctors are medicalizing distress in the name of social justice.

World-renowned cognitive psychologist Amir Raz explores the power of suggestion, showing how it can shape perception, memory, and even physical health. Using insights from neuropsychology, magic, and ...

The Search for Meaning in a Secular Age workshop at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA, April 18–20, 2025, led by Dr. Michael Shermer and Dr. Ralph Lewis

The lawsuit alleges Kaya Clementine Breen, 20, was misdiagnosed with gender dysphoria and rushed into “irreversibly damaging” transition-related treatment and surgery.

A UCLA student is suing multiple California health care providers and hospitals for medical negligence, alleging she was wrongly diagnosed with gender dysphoria and then “fast-tracked onto the conveyo...

Guest columnist Robert Bartholomew, one of the world’s leading scholars of mass hysterias and social panics, considers the panic over the recent drone sightings in the skies over New Jersey

Our new report at the Network Contagion Research Institute sheds some light.

Our new report at the Network Contagion Research Institute sheds some light.

To try everything Brilliant has to offer—free—for a full 30 days, visit https://brilliant.org/Skeptic/ . You’ll also get 20% off an annual premium subscription. The Michael Shermer Show # 493 A conversation with cognitive psychologist Amir Raz Suggestions can make cheap wine taste like Château Margaux, warp our perception of time, and alter our memories—and in an age where disinformation has impacted our personal lives and our politics, the power of suggestion is worth even more attention. Dr. Raz merges his experience as a magician and hypnotist with decades’ worth of his own neuropsychological research to map the twilight zone where magic and science coalesce, and show how easily suggestible and manipulable we all are. Amir Raz is a world-renowned expert on the science of suggestion with recent positions as Canada Research Chair, Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Psychology at McGill University. Formerly at Columbia University and Cornell Medical Center, he has written over 200 peer-reviewed articles. His new book is The Suggestible Brain: The Science and Magic of How We Make Up Our Minds. SUPPORT THE PODCAST If you enjoy the podcast, please show your support by making a $5 or $10 monthly donation. https://www.skeptic.com/donate/ SPONSOR This video was sponsored by Brilliant. #michaelshermer #skeptic Listen to The Michael Shermer Show or subscribe directly on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music. https://www.skeptic.com/michael-shermer-show/

April 18–20, 2025 Michael Shermer

YouTube video by Quillette

YouTube video by Quillette

Oklahoma's state superintendent Ryan Walters defended his position on mandating public schools begin incorporating the Bible into lessons on CNN Monday.

Editor-in-chief Laura Helmuth’s departure from ‘Scientific American’ last week is an object lesson in the dangers of mixing facts and ideology.