Massimo Pigliucci
Massimo Pigliucci is professor of philosophy at the City University of New York–Lehman College, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and author of Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk. His essays can be found at rationallyspeaking.org.
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When Philosophy Matters
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 30.4, July / August 2006
Thinking About Science
Philosophy is often accused of being out of touch with reality, the esoteric pursuit of a vanishing academic elite that...
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Is Physics Turning into Philosophy?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 30.3, May / June 2006
Thinking About Science
Physics is, by most people's—especially physicists'—accounts, the queen of the sciences.
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Is Evolutionary Psychology a Pseudoscience?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 30.2, March / April 2006
Thinking About Science
Evolutionary psychology is the most current incarnation of what started out as sociobiology, a branch of evolutionary theory...
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Planet X and the Issue of Definitions in Science
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 30.1, January / February 2006
Thinking About Science
Planet X, the long-hypothesized tenth member of the solar system, has finally been discovered by a group of astronomers...
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Just the Facts, Ma’am: Empirical vs. Rationalist Approaches to Understanding
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 29.6, November / December 2005
Thinking About Science
Skeptics tend to be empiricists. They want the facts. Indeed, it is this emphasis on empirically verifiable statements that...
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The Power and Perils of Metaphors in Science
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 29.5, September / October 2005
Thinking About Science
Humans apparently cannot avoid thinking, at least occasionally, by images and parallels to already known situations.
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Are the Historical Sciences Sciences?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 29.4, July / August 2005
Thinking About Science
Are historical sciences somehow inferior to experimental ones? This attitude, sometimes referred to as "physics envy..."
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The So-called Gaia Hypothesis
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 29.3, May / June 2005
Thinking About Science
Is Earth a living organism? Broadly speaking, this is the chief claim of a family of theories often referred to as "Gaia."
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Do Extraordinary Claims Really Require Extraordinary Evidence?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 29.2, March / April 2005
Thinking About Science
Carl Sagan had a rare gift for making clear rather abstruse ideas.
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Piltdown and How Science Really Works
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 29.1, January / February 2005
Thinking About Science
When one debates creationists, one is bound to run up against the infamous Piltdown forgery. This is the case of an alleged...
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And the Mechanism Is ...
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 28.6, November / December 2004
Thinking About Science
Why do people fall in love? This ageless question has seen attempts at resolution by minds of the caliber of Aristotle and...
Design Yes, Intelligent No: A Critique of Intelligent Design Theory and Neocreationism
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 25.5, September / October 2001
Feature
A new brand of creationism has appeared on the scene in the last few years.