Skeptic (U.S. magazine)
Skeptic, colloquially known as Skeptic magazine, is a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine published internationally by The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs. Founded by Michael Shermer, founder of the Skeptics Society, the magazine was first published in the spring of 1992 and is published through Millennium Press.
Shermer remains the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the magazine and the magazine’s Co-publisher and Art Director is Pat Linse. Other noteworthy members of its editorial board include, or have included, Oxford University evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist Jared Diamond, magician and escape artist turned educator James “The Amazing” Randi, actor, comedian, and Saturday Night Live alumna Julia Sweeney, professional mentalist Mark Edward, science writer Daniel Loxton, Lawrence M. Krauss and Christof Koch.
Skeptic has an international circulation with over 50,000 subscriptions and is on newsstands in the U.S. and Canada as well as Europe, Australia, and other countries.
History, format and structure
The cover story of the magazine's very first issue paid tribute to scientist and science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov.As Asimov wrote a number of stories featuring robots and coined the term "robotics", the cover of volume 12, #2, which is devoted to the topic of artificial intelligence, depicts a robot sitting on a park bench reading that first issue.
Every issue of the magazine opens with a description of The Skeptics Society and its mission statement, which is to explore subjects such as creationism, pyramid power, Bigfoot, pseudohistorical claims, the use or misuse of theory and statistics, conspiracy theories, urban myths, witch-hunts, mass hysterias, genius and intelligence, and cultural influences on science, as well as controversies involving protosciences at the leading edge of established science, and even fads like cryonics and 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 and the media, with which they may approach controversial subjects from a skeptical viewpoint
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., the magazine had two regular columnists: Harriet A. Hall and Carol Tavris.
Typical topics
Each issue features an editorial. In the past this was provided by James Randi, and was often a reaction to stories from mainstream news media such as the 2005 story by the ABC newsmagazine Primetime Live featuring a Brazilian faith healer, João Teixeira. Other times Randi wrote about topics he had investigated in the past, such as alleged dowsers, alleged psychics like Sylvia Browne, and UFOs.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.
The bulk of the magazine treats a variety of topics. Cover stories have ranged from examination of alleged UFOs in religious icons and theories of the likelihood of artificial intelligence to tributes to luminaries such as Isaac Asimov and Ernst Mayr. 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 - a frequently recurring topic in the magazine, given the ongoing creation vs. evolution controversy.
''Junior Skeptic''Bound into most issues is a 10-page young-readers' section called Junior Skeptic. Heralded by a cover printed on glossy paper, 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.
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