Skeptic

On this Easter 2023, let us reflect on what is arguably the greatest miracle ever performed—the raising from the dead the body, life, and person known as Jesus of Nazareth. This miracle is believed by over 2.6 billion people—a third of humanity—to be true. Is it? Was Jesus really raised from the dead? Like the apostle Thomas, I have my doubts. Here is the audio edition of this Skeptic column…Skeptic is a reader-supported publication. All subscription monies go to the Skeptics Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of The Michael Shermer Show, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. His many books include Why People Believe Weird Things, The Science of Good and Evil, The Believing Brain, The Moral Arc, and Heavens on Earth. His new book is Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational. Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Perhaps—and here hope springs eternal—religious believers might consider the skeptical admonitions of Oliver Cromwell in his letter to the general assembly of the Church of Scotland on August 3, 1650:Is it therefore infallibly agreeable to the Word of God, all that you say? I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken.Skeptic is a reader-supported publication. All monies go to the Skeptics Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of The Michael Shermer Show, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. His many books include Why People Believe Weird Things, The Science of Good and Evil, The Believing Brain, The Moral Arc, and Heavens on Earth. His new book is Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational. Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Skeptic is a reader-supported publication. All monies go to the Skeptics Society. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit promoting science and reason. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of The Michael Shermer Show, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. His many books include Why People Believe Weird Things, The Science of Good and Evil, The Believing Brain, The Moral Arc, and Heavens on Earth. His new book is Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational. Skeptic is a reader-supported publication. All monies go to the Skeptics Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit promoting science and reason. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

In light of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the changing political landscape of Europe and the EU, the UN, and NATO, the rise of China, the ever present conflicts in the Middle East, and the always contentious issue of race and politics that both informs and colors our political debates in the U.S. and elsewhere, I thought I would publish here my essay from the revised edition of my book Denying History, originally published in 2000 and updated in 2009. Much of my analysis of topical hot-button issues in 2009 remains relevant today. It reveals to what extent history—what happened in the past—is deeply informed, for better or worse, by the present. (Photos within by the author.)Skeptic is a reader-supported publication. All monies go to the Skeptics Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of The Michael Shermer Show, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. His many books include Why People Believe Weird Things, The Science of Good and Evil, The Believing Brain, The Moral Arc, and Heavens on Earth. His new book is Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational. Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Skeptic is a reader-supported publication. All monies go to the Skeptics Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of The Michael Shermer Show, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. His many books include Why People Believe Weird Things, The Science of Good and Evil, The Believing Brain, The Moral Arc, and Heavens on Earth. His new book is Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational. This essay was based, in part, on Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design. Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Skeptic is a reader-supported publication. All monies go to the Skeptics Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of The Michael Shermer Show, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. His many books include Why People Believe Weird Things, The Science of Good and Evil, The Believing Brain, The Moral Arc, and Heavens on Earth. His new book is Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational. This essay was based, in part, on Why Darwin Matters: Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Note: The latest issue of Skeptic magazine, Vol. 27, No. 4, is devoted to Nationalism Matters (in keeping with our 2022 thematic issues of Trans Matters, Abortion Matters, and Race Matters; in 2023 we will address Economic and Money Matters, Energy Matters, Education Matters, and Health Matters). In this issue we solicited articles to make the case for nationalism, the case against nationalism, the rise of Christian and religious nationalism, political polarization, rigged election conspiracy theories, why nations are becoming more secular, and why America is so religious. My contribution, a shortened version reprinted here, is based on a portion of the last chapter of my book The Moral Arc, in which I speculate about the future of moral progress, in both the near and far future. Order the latest issue of Skeptic here.Skeptic is a reader-supported publication. Paid subscriptions go to the Skeptics Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education organization. Please consider becoming a subscriber.Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of The Michael Shermer Show, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. His many books include Why People Believe Weird Things, The Science of Good and Evil, The Believing Brain, The Moral Arc, and Heavens on Earth. His new book is Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational. Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Skeptic is a reader-supported publication. Paid subscriptions go to the Skeptics Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education organization. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Watch the 3 hour and 35 minute debate on Joe Rogan’s podcast between myself, Graham Hancock, and Randall Carlson here.Graham and I have since buried the hatchet and become friends.After that debate we devoted an issue of Skeptic magazine to the idea of an advanced lost civilization. Purchase this issue of Skeptic here.Skeptic is a reader-supported publication. Paid subscriptions go to the Skeptics Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education organization. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.###Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of The Michael Shermer Show, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. His many books include Why People Believe Weird Things, The Science of Good and Evil, The Believing Brain, The Moral Arc, and Heavens on Earth. His new book is Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational. Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Skeptic is a reader-supported publication. Subscriptions go to the Skeptics Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of The Michael Shermer Show, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. His many books include Why People Believe Weird Things, The Science of Good and Evil, The Believing Brain, The Moral Arc, and Heavens on Earth. His new book is Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational. Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of The Michael Shermer Show, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. His many books include Why People Believe Weird Things, The Science of Good and Evil, The Believing Brain, The Moral Arc, and Heavens on Earth. His new book is Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational. Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Order the latest issue of Skeptic on “Race Matters” hereWe have three cover stories on various aspects of race and I.Q., race and sports, and race as a social construct (click on links to order):###Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of The Michael Shermer Show, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. He is the author of Why People Believe Weird Things, The Believing Brain, Heavens on Earth, and Giving the Devil His Due. His new book is Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational, out on October 25, 2022. Preorder here. Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

The referenced video is probably this one with Ben Shapiro on his Sunday Special show…The Empyrean of God. Dante Alighieri’s 1320 poem The Divine Comedy is an imaginative vision of the afterlife inspired by medieval Christian theologians. The artist Gustave Doré illustrated God’s empyrean for an 1892 edition of the work.The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Painted in the twelfth century, this image depicts the thirty rungs of the ladder representing the thirty stages of the ascetic life; the demons grappling the monks represent the many temptations of this life that might prevent one from reaching the next life. Jesus, upper right, welcomes monks who made it, while angels upper left and monks bottom right encourage seekers to press on. At the bottom left, Satan devours a fallen monk. From the collection of Saint Catherine’s Monastery, Mount Sinai.Burial of Man with Beads in Sunghir, Russia. Dated between 30,000 and 34,000 years old, this man was interred with 2,936 beads, along with 20 pendants and 25 rings, all made of mammoth ivory sewn into his clothing, since disintegrated, leaving this remarkable scene. Courtesy of José-Manuel Benito Álvarez.When Elephants Grieve. The animal behaviorist Karen McComb photographed these elephants mourning the loss of family and group members. Photograph courtesy of Karen McComb.The Soul. William Blake’s portrayal of the soul departing the body upon death captures what most people believe to take place. An illustration from a series designed by Blake for an edition of the poem “The Grave” by Robert Blair, engraved by Louis Schiavonetti in 1813, titled The Soul Hovering over the Body, Reluctantly Parting with Life. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you for listening. Included below are the screen shots from the documentary film “What is a Woman” by Matt Walsh, plus the referenced photographs and figures from the studies cited. Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

This is the audio edition of my Quillette article available here:https://quillette.com/2022/06/15/the-cause-of-americas-gun-death-epidemic-its-guns/Please click on the link to see the graphics included in the digital edition that tracks the relationship between gun ownership and gun violence. As well, support Quillette and their important work of independent journalism.To support this Skeptic column go here: Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 17: Transgender woman Lia Thomas (L) of the University of Pennsylvania stands on the podium after winning the 500-yard freestyle as other medalists (L-R) Emma Weyant, Erica Sullivan and Brooke Forde pose for a photo at the NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Spider Martin\The Birmingham News. Photo provided courtesy of Tracy Martin, the Spider Martin Estate, and the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, the University of Texas – Austin. Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Skeptic at michaelshermer.substack.com/subscribe