Michael Shermer
Michael Brant Shermer (born September 8, 1954) is an American science writer, historian of science, executive director of The Skeptics Society, and founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, a publication focused on investigating pseudoscientific and supernatural claims. The author of over a dozen books, Shermer is known for engaging in debates on pseudoscience and religion in which he emphasizes scientific skepticism.
Michael Shermer | |
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Shermer in 2007 | |
| Born | September 8, 1954 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | Pepperdine University (BA) California State University, Fullerton (MA) Claremont Graduate University (PhD) |
| Occupation(s) | writer, historian of science, editor |
| Title | Editor-in-chief of Skeptic, adjunct professor at Chapman University |
| Website | Official website |
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Shermer was the co-producer and co-host of Exploring the Unknown, a 13-hour Fox Family television series broadcast in 1999. From April 2001 to January 2019, he contributed a monthly Skeptic column to Scientific American magazine.
Shermer was raised in a non-religious household, before converting to Christian fundamentalism as a teenager. He stopped believing in God during graduate school, influenced by a traumatic accident that left his then-girlfriend paralyzed. He identifies as an agnostic and an atheist, but prefers "skeptic". He also advocates for humanism.