Skeptic (American magazine)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Skeptical Inquirer.
For other similarly-named magazines, see Skeptic (disambiguation).
Skeptic
ISSN
1063-9330

Skeptic, colloquially known as Skeptic magazine, is a quarterly

nonprofit organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs.[1]
First published in 1992, the magazine had a circulation of over 40,000 subscribers in 2000.

History, format and structure

The magazine was co-founded in late 1991 by Michael Shermer and Pat Linse as they formed the Skeptics Society.[2][3] The magazine was first published in early 1992. It is published through Millennium Press. As of July 2021, Shermer remained the publisher and

Lawrence M. Krauss and Christof Koch
. Skeptic has an international circulation with over 40,000 subscriptions and is on newsstands in the U.S. and Canada as well as Europe, Australia, and other countries.[6][7][8]

The cover story of the magazine's first issue paid tribute to

science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov
. [9] According to Shermer, Asimov died when the issue was going to print, so artist Linse produced a pencil portrait of the author.[citation needed] As Asimov wrote a number of stories featuring robots and coined the term "robotics", the cover of volume 12, #2 (2006), which is devoted to the topic of artificial intelligence, depicts a robot sitting on a park bench reading that first issue.[10]

Every issue of the magazine opens with a description of The Skeptics Society and its mission statement, which is to explore subjects such as

low-carb diets
. In addition to publishing the magazine, the Society also:

  • sponsors lecture series at the California Institute of Technology
  • produces and sells tapes of the lectures, as well as other books on pertinent subjects
  • holds field trips to investigate and research such subjects
  • conducts social events to promote good-will
  • provides resources for the public, skeptic organizations (such as SkeptiCamp[11]) and the media, with which they may approach controversial subjects from a skeptical viewpoint

In 2011, the magazine had three regular columnists:

Harriet A. Hall wrote "The Skep Doc" and Karen Stollznow wrote "Bad Language".[12]
The magazine's page count was between approximately 100 and 110 pages until the 2010s. It was reduced to approximately 80 pages with Vol. 16 No. 3 (2011).[citation needed] As of 2018, the magazine had two regular columnists: Harriet A. Hall and Carol Tavris.[13]

In 2021, the magazine's 100th edition, Vol. 26 No. 2 included a retrospective of over 40 years of Skeptic artwork and covers by Linse and Loxton.[14]

Topics

Each issue features an

dowsers,[15] alleged psychics like Sylvia Browne, and UFOs.[citation needed
]

The magazine also features a large correspondence section called "Forum". This includes not only letters from lay readers but also in-depth comments and rebuttals from professionals, contributing to extended academic debate across issues raised in past editions.[citation needed]

The bulk of the magazine treats a variety of topics.

religious icons and theories of the likelihood of artificial intelligence to tributes to influential skeptics including Isaac Asimov[9] and Ernst Mayr.[16] Some editions feature special sections devoted to a particular topic or theme that is examined through multiple articles by different authors, such as intelligent design.[citation needed
]

Junior Skeptic

Bound into most issues is a 10-page young-readers' section called Junior Skeptic. Heralded by a cover printed on glossy paper (the rest of the magazine is printed on non-glossy stock), Junior Skeptic focuses on one topic, or provides practical instruction written and illustrated in a style more appealing to children.

Daniel Loxton is the Editor of Junior Skeptic. He writes and illustrates most issues.

The first edition of Junior Skeptic appeared in volume 6, #2 of Skeptic (2000).

Official podcasts

In April 2006, an independent, skeptical talk program called Skepticality was relaunched as Skepticality: The Official Podcast of Skeptic Magazine. New episodes of the show are released on a biweekly basis. The show is produced by the original, continuing show hosts (Robynn McCarthy and Derek Colanduno) in collaboration with staff of Skeptic magazine.[17]

In 2009, a second official podcast was added.

legendary creatures, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster
and
Ben Radford. Blake Smith produces the show.[19]

Collections

Editorial board

The editorial board is composed of the following people:[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "What We Do". Skeptic. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  2. ^ "Meet Michael Shermer". Skeptic. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  3. ^ Shermer, Michael (2021-06-22). "All Our Yesterdays: A Remembrance of Pat Linse". Skeptic (Altadena, CA). 26 (3): 64–71.
  4. ^ "Masthead, Skeptic Magazine". Retrieved 1 December 2008.
  5. ^ Shermer, Michael. "Michael Shermer on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  6. ^ Smith, Scott S. (April 2000). "Schism in the Church of the Left Brain" (PDF). Fate. pp. 36–37. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  7. ^ "Contribution Guidelines". Skeptic. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  8. VUE Weekly
    . August 27, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  9. ^ a b "Vol. 1 No.1 (Premiere Issue) Tribute to Isaac Asimov". Skeptic. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  10. ^ "Vol. 12 No. 2 Artificial Intelligence" Archived 2015-10-24 at the Wayback Machine. Skeptic. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  11. ^ "Skepticamp". Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  12. ^ "Table of Contents". Skeptic. Vol. 16, no. 2. Skeptics Society. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  13. ^ "Skeptic: Current Issue: Volume 23 Number 1". skeptic.com. Skeptic Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. ^ Linse, Pat. "The Art of the Skeptic". Skeptic.com. The Skeptics Society. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  15. ^ "A Report from the Paranormal Trenches". Skeptic.com. Skeptic Magazine. 2011-08-31. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  16. Sulloway, Frank J. (February 2005). "Ernst Mayr, 1904–2005Remembrances & Tribute"
    . Skeptic.
  17. ^ Campling, Chris (August 9, 2008). "Podcast of the week: Skepticality offers the 'truth'". The Times. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  18. ^ "About MonsterTalk". Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  19. ^ "About the Hosts of MonsterTalk". Skeptic. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  20. ^ "Editorial Board". Skeptic Society. Retrieved 31 May 2016.

External links

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