A community for Scientific Skepticism:
Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism, sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence.
Do not confuse this with General Skepticism, Philosophical Skepticism, or Denialism.
Things we like:
Things we don't like:
Other communities of interest:
"A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence." -David Hume
From the Topic Suggestions (Lal Mclennan): What is the 80/20 theory portrayed in Netflix's Adolescence? The 80/20 rule was first posed as a Pareto principle that suggests that approximately 80 per cent of outcomes stem from just 20 per cent of causes. This concept takes its name from Vilfredo Pare
Cranberry Juice, Revisited
A new review suggests that cranberries may in fact be effective at preventing urinary tract infections.
Even its name is B.S. propaganda
Even its name is B.S. propaganda
David Geier Hired to Study Vaccines and Autism
If you are already tired of hearing about RFK Jr. being the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), buckle in. I get it - it can be exhausting. Don't we already know everything we need to about
Joe Mercola is an antivaxxer and longtime quack tycoon worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Now he's in the thrall of a psychic grifter. What happened?
or what people seem to think it is
“Wake up, Neo. The Matrix has you.” These words marked a cultural moment—one that captured our collective anxiety about reality itself. The Matrix wasn’t just a movie about robo…
from the you're-not-anti-establishment-if-you're-pro-authoritarian dept
1984 Paper Blaming AIDS on "mass hysteria" and "psychosocial fantasies"
Web Archive link because I don’t want to support anyone hosting that vile stuff.
Really makes me think about the illnesses with no known cause we often blame on “hysteria”.
It does seem to be a pattern that illnesses of unknown cause (with physical symptoms) are blamed on psychology… until a cause is found.
See how peptic ulcers were treated before the discovery of “H. Pylori” or just the general history of Lupus.
A methodological autopsy of flawed research that contradicts decades of rigorous evidence
A good dissection of bullshit "science" about vaccines - this dissection also highlights good general points to think about when applying critical thinking to any such out of left field "scientific" claims on the internet or those blathering dolts on TV news segments.
https://theunbiasedscipod.substack.com/p/anatomy-of-a-failure-why-this-latest
Dig into things before promoting them on social media.
Misinformation isn’t just a problem — it’s a political strategy.
Why Did the FDA Ban Red Dye #3
The FDA recently removed FD&C Red No. 3 from the list of approved food additives. This was not based on any new data or interpretation of the data, but rather was a response to a petition from fo
When Skeptics Disagree | Steve Novella
Jan 14, 2025
Skeptics should largely agree about what science says, but that's not always the case. Exploring when and why skeptics disagree may be illuminating.
In this talk, Steven Novella dives into a series of topics where skeptics disagree amongst each other.
Steven Novella is the host and producer of The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe, a popular and award-winning weekly science podcast. He is an internationally known author of three books on science and critical thinking and science communicator with multiple TV appearances and two popular blogs (NeuroLogica and Science-Based Medicine).
This talk took place on October 25, 2024
After several secular groups affirmed their support for LGBTQ rights, CFI has chosen to criticize them with more misinformation
I haven't kept up lately, so this whole thing was news to me. I used to support CFI, but not anymore unless there is a major change.
This is anti-skepticism and, as Hemant Mehta/The Friendly Atheist says, it is anti-science and it helps religious fundamentalists.
Other secular, humanist and freethought groups have released a statement in support of queer people and queer issues: https://www.atheists.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/FINAL-Joint-Statement-on-LGBTQ-Rights.pdf
New research shows how people can improve their reputations by spreading conspiracy theories, especially if they target a competing outgroup.
As Esports becomes big business, wellness industry companies like Madmonq want in on the act, claiming to provide optimal nutrition for the pro video gamer
"My friend keeps sending me unsolicited conspiracy theory material. Should I ask them to stop?"
Loosening the grip of a conspiracy theory is a complex task, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. Aim to change the relationship with your friend, not their mind
One question is: can you stop your friend believing these conspiracy theories? Regrettably, almost certainly not, at least not without a huge investment of time and patience. People are free to think whatever they want and some of us put that freedom to the weirdest uses. At least we can be thankful the conspiracies your friend has latched on to are about objects in the sky and not, say, which reptilian species is secretly controlling things.
A different question is: can you change the norms of the relationship so you don’t have to engage with this? Happily, that’s a different mission.
This seemed like good advice to post here because I know a lot of people are wanting to maintain friendships with such people (or family relationships for that matter) despite their nutty beliefs.
One man has the courage to ask the boring questions…
The latest flap over drone sightings in New Jersey and other states in the North East appears to be - essentially nothing. Or rather, it's a classic example of a mass panic. There are reports of "unusual" drone activity, which prompts people to look for drones, which results in people seeing drones
What if the drones are just drones?
Heritage Foundation plans to ‘identify and target’ Wikipedia editors
The conservative think tank told prospective donors that the project was part of its work to combat antisemitism.
