Skeptical Inquirer

Skeptical Inquirer
Title	Skeptical Inquirer
Category	Science magazine
Company	Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
Country	United States
Language	English
Firstdate	1976

Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry that focuses on scientific skepticism, critical inquiry, and investigative reporting into extraordinary claims. Founded in the mid-1970s, the magazine has addressed topics ranging from paranormal phenomena to pseudoscientific health claims, often intersecting with figures and events in popular culture, politics, and science. Over decades it has featured commentary, research summaries, book reviews, and investigative journalism drawing on contributions from scientists, journalists, and public intellectuals.

History

The magazine traces its origins to the consolidation of dissident voices in the 1970s, when activists associated with the Council for Scientific Society Presidents, the Committee for Scientific Examination, and the Center for Inquiry collaborated with figures connected to Martin Gardner, Paul Kurtz, James Randi, Isaac Asimov, and Carl Sagan. Early issues reflected debates sparked by public controversies such as the UFOlogy surge following the Roswell UFO incident and the resurgence of interest in parapsychology at institutions like Duke University. Throughout the 1980s the publication engaged with high-profile episodes involving Uri Geller, Seymour Hersh-covered scandals, and popular movements linked to New Age movement personalities like Deepak Chopra and Shirley MacLaine. In the 1990s and 2000s the magazine expanded coverage to include critiques of claims promoted on Oprah Winfrey Show, legal disputes involving James Randi Educational Foundation, and scientific debates connected to institutions such as NASA, NIH, and CDC. Post-2010 issues engaged with digital-era topics tied to platforms including Facebook, Google, Twitter, and controversies involving figures like Andrew Wakefield and organizations such as World Health Organization.

Editorial Mission and Content

The stated editorial mission emphasizes empirical analysis, reproducing methods from laboratories such as Bell Labs and journals like Nature and Science to test extraordinary claims. Regular sections have contrasted claims by practitioners connected to homeopathy advocates, acupuncture promoters, and proponents of cryptozoology such as followers of Bigfoot lore, with critical appraisals referencing authorities like American Medical Association, Royal Society, and Institute of Medicine. Coverage often intersects with legal and policy arenas involving entities like United States Congress, FDA, and European Medicines Agency decisions. The magazine publishes investigative features, skeptical analyses of media representations in outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and Fox News, and reviews of books by authors including Michael Shermer, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Steven Pinker, and Christopher Hitchens.

Key Contributors and Editors

Prominent editors and contributors have included scholars and public intellectuals linked to institutions like Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, and Princeton University. Regular contributors and columnists have included figures such as James Randi (magician), Paul Kurtz (philosopher), Michael Shermer (historian of science), Joe Nickell (investigative author), Susan Blackmore (psychologist), Carol Tavris (social psychologist), Janet Reitman (journalist), Christopher Hitchens (essayist), Richard Dawkins (biologist), Steven Novella (neurologist), Ben Radford (investigator), Ray Hyman (psychologist), and Seth Kalichman (psychologist). Editorial leadership and guest editors have included names affiliated with American Association for the Advancement of Science, Skeptic Society, and Center for Inquiry. The magazine has also published contributions from journalists associated with The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and Time.

Notable Investigations and Articles

Notable investigations examined extraordinary claims such as alleged psychic phenomena connected to Stanford Research Institute experiments, cold fusion controversies linked to Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons, and claims surrounding memory of water experiments referenced by proponents of homeopathy. Other high-profile articles critiqued the medical claims of Andrew Wakefield's vaccine research, analyzed the media coverage of Miracle mineral supplement controversies, and evaluated the evidentiary basis for intelligent design claims advanced by organizations like the Discovery Institute. Investigations into celebrity-promoted therapies examined endorsements by figures such as Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry, and Tom Cruise. The magazine ran analyses of purported anomalies tied to Crop circles, Loch Ness Monster, and Piltdown Man-era hoaxes, while reporting on legal cases involving libel and scientific fraud with links to H. L. Mencken-style critique and courtroom disputes in jurisdictions like United States District Court venues.

Reception and Influence

The publication has been cited by academics and journalists associated with Cornell University, University of Chicago, Yale University, Stanford University, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge for its role in public science communication. It influenced advocacy networks connected to Consumer Reports, Quackwatch, Wikipedia, and the James Randi Educational Foundation, and informed policy discussions in bodies such as United States Senate hearings and advisory committees at NSF workshops. The magazine’s critiques have been incorporated into curricula at universities including University of Michigan, University of Toronto, and University of Edinburgh and have been referenced in documentaries produced by outlets like BBC, PBS, and Discovery Channel.

Controversies and Criticisms

Critics associated with figures like Deepak Chopra, Rupert Sheldrake, Graham Hancock, Erich von Däniken, and organizations such as the Institute of Noetic Sciences have accused the magazine of ideological bias and dismissiveness toward anomalous research. Other controversies involved disputes with personalities such as Uri Geller and disagreements over standards for evidence raised by scholars at Duke University and Princeton University. Debates have emerged about tone and rhetoric when engaging critics from platforms like Infowars and Breitbart News, and legal challenges have been reported in relation to commentary on high-profile practitioners. Some academics argued in journals like Social Studies of Science and Public Understanding of Science that the magazine sometimes conflates methodological skepticism with polemical skepticism, prompting responses from editors and exchanges published in venues such as The Lancet and BMJ.

Category:Science magazines