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 37.1
January/February 2013
Selected articles by:
Latest Articles
Indignation Is Not Righteous
by Gary Longsine and Peter Boghossian
Skeptical Inquirer · Article · Volume 37.1
Appeals to righteous indignation or sanctity—which attempt to shield ideas from contemplation, discussion, investigation, or criticism—are common, impede rational discourse, and should be recognized as logical fallacies.
Monsters and Dragons and Dinosaurs, Oh My: Creationist Interpretations of Beowulf
by Eve Siebert
Skeptical Inquirer · Article · Volume 37.1
There is no field of inquiry that young-Earth creationists can’t distort. In the area of literary and linguistic studies, they misinterpret, misrepresent, and mistranslate Beowulf to fit their agenda.
Jim Underdown represents CSI at ConDor XX
by Jim Underdown
Special Articles
March 15, 2013
From March 8 – 12, 2013, I attended and spoke at ConDor XX, a sci/fi and fantasy conference at the Town and Country Hotel in San Diego.
The Secret Life of J. Allen Hynek
by John Franch
Skeptical Inquirer · Article · Volume 37.1
According to legend, the astronomer J. Allen Hynek was a skeptic before becoming an outspoken UFOlogist, but is the legend true? This article takes a look at Hynek’s unusual life and career.
Miracle Dirt of Chimayó
by Joe Nickell
Skeptical Inquirer · Investigative Files · Volume 37.1
El Santuariò de Chimayó in New Mexico is a place of pilgrimages. Scores visit the little adobe church daily, while thousands walk miles to worship there on Good Friday. Many come seeking a cure for their afflictions, scooping from a small pit in the church floor a reddish soil that they rub on afflicted areas of their bodies or even sprinkle on their food or brew in tea.
Wikapediatrician Susan Gerbic discusses her Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia project
by Susan Gerbic
Special Articles
March 8, 2013
The Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia (GSoW) project was started in May 2010 as an effort to unite editors to become more skilled at adding skeptical content to the fifth most popular Internet site in the world. I discovered that there are people in our community that have been looking for a way to become more involved but need more structure, support, and training.
