Skepticism 101

WELCOME TO SKEPTICISM 101! The Skeptical Studies Curriculum Resource Center

THE SKEPTICAL STUDIES CURRICULUM RESOURCE CENTER is a comprehensive, free repository of resources for teaching students how to think skeptically. This Center contains an ever-growing selection of books, reading lists, course syllabi, in-class exercises, PowerPoint presentations, student projects, papers, and videos that you may download and use in your own classes. Lessons in these resources include:

• what science is, how it differs from pseudoscience, and why it matters
• the scientific method and how to use it to investigate and conduct skeptical analyses of extraordinary claims
• how to construct effective arguments and rhetorical strategies
• how to effectively use presentations and papers to present an argument
• reason, logic, and skeptical analysis
• the psychology of belief
• how ideas are presented within academia
• how peer review works
• and much more…

Skeptic » Skepticism 101 » Welcome to Skepticism 101! The Skeptical Studies Curriculum Resource Center:

John Edward: Hustling the Bereaved

Investigative Files
Joe Nickell
Volume 25.6, November / December 2001



Superstar “psychic medium” John Edward is a stand-up guy. Unlike the spiritualists of yore, who typically plied their trade in dark-room séances, Edward and his ilk often perform before live audiences and even under the glare of TV lights. Indeed, Edward (a pseudonym: he was born John MaGee Jr.) has his own popular show on the SciFi channel called Crossing Over, which has gone into national syndication (Barrett 2001; Mui 2001). I was asked by television newsmagazine Dateline NBC to study Edward’s act: was he really talking to the dead?

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Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Websites

"The Internet is a dangerous place. It's full of resources, both good and bad; full of citations linking one to another, sometimes helpfully, sometimes not. Today we're going to point the skeptical eye at ten of the worst web sites in terms of quality of science information that they promote. To make this list, they not only need to have bad information, they also need to be popular enough to warrant our attention."
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The Twelve Reasons I Don’t Believe in Supernatural Claims, Part I

What a great collection of arguments against believing in nonsense.

"The Twelve Reasons I Don’t Believe in Supernatural Claims, Part I"

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The Twelve Reasons I Don’t Believe in Supernatural Claims, Part 2

The Twelve Reasons I Don’t Believe in Supernatural Claims, Part II
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Busting 9 Vaccination Myths, With Science! « Science-Based Life

"Thanks to the great work of our skeptical sympathizers in Australia, we have another science-based refutation of anti-vaccinationist claims by Dr. Rachael Dunlop. You can find the full story here, but allow me to summarize some excerpts of each myth and response below. Keep in mind that these are only summaries, and much more information on this “immunization cheat sheet” can be found at the source."

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Thinking Scientifically « Science-Based Life

"Why Do We Need Science?

Humans are poor data gathering machines. We have numerous biases, cognitive flaws, and psychological errors that prevent our unguided minds from grasping reality in any accurate way."
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Reflections from the Other Side: Why Believers Think Prayer Works

"Christians believe that their pleas to God have a tangible effect on the real world. Why do they believe this if it isn't true (aside from the obvious answer of "their religion says so")? Even Christians themselves should be curious about the underlying reasons for belief in prayer—after all, people of other faiths think prayers to their gods are effective as well. In fact, there are quite a few reasons, all of which are quite fascinating."

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Near-Death Experiences: Science After All « Science-Based Life

"Here I will give the supposedly supernatural claims of near-death experiences (NDE’s) and provide the science behind them. Although only approximately 3% of Americans declare to have had a near-death experience, their seemingly paranormal components have perpetuated pseudoscience for years. Until now."

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'Drowned' Boy Reveals the Psychology of Miracles : Discovery News

"A young boy's recovery from drowning earlier this week is being credited to a miracle.

Dale Ostrander, 12, was swimming in the ocean at Long Beach, WA., when he got sucked under by a rogue wave. He was there as part of a church group, who cried and prayed while searchers looked for the boy. About fifteen minutes later two rescuers found Ostrander, pulled him to safety, and performed CPR. he was then flown to an Oregon hospital, where he was put into an induced coma and recovered on Monday. Ostrander's friends and family are crediting prayer (with a little help from doctors, of course). His recovery has been widely dubbed a miracle." Go To Article