The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
The mission of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry is to promote scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims.
Now Online: Skeptical Inquirer Volume 36.1
January/February 2012
Selected articles by:
Latest Articles
Out of Mind? Out of Sight!
by Robert Blaskiewicz
Special Articles · The Conspiracy Guy
May 17, 2012
The source of the dread, foreboding, or control that conspiracy theorists sense is often outside the range of the normal experience of everyday life, which in no way diminishes the sense of a real threat. Therefore, they locate the locus of power just beyond the normal citizen's perceptual range. . . .
Psychic Mary Occhino Doesn’t Know Best
by Ryan Shaffer
Skeptical Briefs · Volume 21.3
Over the years, Occhino has claimed to assist in missing persons cases, talk to the dead, and peer into the futures of celebrity lives. This article delves into Occhino’s predictions and activities, revealing that while Occhino is short on claims, her claims are short on independent proof. . . .
On a Wing and a Prayer: The Search for Guardian Angels
by Joe Nickell
Skeptical Briefs · Investigative Files · Volume 21.3
Are these experiences really supernatural? Or are they only natural, the result of misperceptions and even misreporting? A look into the phenomenon of claimed guardian-angel encounters is illuminating.
Mythbusting Makeup: Skepticism and Cosmetic Claims
by Kylie Sturgess
Special Articles · Curiouser and Curiouser
May 9, 2012
There’s two things the general public are guaranteed to be concerned about: their health and the contents of their wallets. Yet somehow we are drawn to claims that you can make your thighs thin via a tube of goop and eagerly purchase promises of perfect complexions through using gunk best slapped on with a spatula.
Return of the Living Dead: The Final Chapter
by Paul DesOrmeaux
Skeptical Briefs · Volume 21.2
Although most of us haven’t had the exhilarating and life-affirming experience of nearly dying, a lucky few have returned from being “living challenged” to report their near-death experiences (NDE).
SkeptiCal 2012
by LaRae Meadows
Special Articles
May 4, 2012
SkeptiCal, a one day conference billed as Northern California's science and skepticism conference, was host to more than 260 skeptics at the DoubleTree Hotel in Berkeley, California on April 21, 2012.