The Church of the Paranormal
Despite our reputation as a science-minded superpower, America has always had a predilection for the unseen.
Browsing Tag
Skepticism
28 posts
The Mystery of John Titor: Hoax or Time Traveler?
A person named "John Titor" started posting on the Internet one day, claiming to be from the future and predicting the end of the world. Then he suddenly disappeared, never to be heard from again.
Build Your Own Electric Ghost
An “electric ghost” from the cover of the April 1923 issue of Practical Electrics magazine Have you ever…
Linguistic Myths and Adventures in Etymology
The folk wisdom built up around common English expressions is often wrong, but it can be fun ferreting out the real origins.
Presidents’ Day: Just Another Presidential Fable
A number of folk stories and a few divisive rumors have surrounded the office of the U.S. presidency, and skeptical folks like us check a few of them out.
Numerology Doesn’t Know the Score
Various ways of assigning numbers to events, people, and actions is an ancient parlor game, but let’s not take it beyond that.
Full Moon Myths Leave Skeptics Howling
Full moons appeal to our imaginations and contribute to our mythologies, but ascribing too much power to them appears to be a continuing form of lunacy.
Why Isn’t Climate Change on More Lips?
Did you follow the news from the global climate conference in Durban and discuss it with your peers? If you said no, welcome to the club.
Dr. Placebo — Half Quack and Half Savant
The placebo effect’s ability to influence human healing and human behavior is well documented, but we must be careful to make sure this fakery does no harm.
Critical Thinker Explains Skepticism vs. Cynicism
Professional skeptic D.J. Grothe explores the difference between skepticism and cynicism and describes how fooling some of the people some of the time is a bad idea all of the time.