Book Look: Skeptic, by Michael Shermer

Shermer spent time as the author of a regular feature on "scientific skepticism" in the magazine Scientific American, which he's spun into a career as "That Skeptic Guy." This is a collection of his Scientific American essays (each ~2 pgs long, designed for quick reading), which he's divided into the following themes:

* Science - Essays that explore the strengths and corruptions of scientific method

* Skepticism - Essays about the challenges of pseudoscience and the art of skepticism

* Pseudoscience/quackery - Essays about why people believe weird things

* Paranormal/supernatural - Essays debunking ESP, Atlantis, spiritualism, and more

* Aliens/UFOs - Essays debunking UFOs and claims of extraterrestrial intelligence

* Alternative medicines - Essays debunking a range of health fads and trends

* Psychology & the brain - Essays debunking pop psychology and exploring the science behind intuition, luck, bias, and more

* Human nature - Essays exploring misconceptions about human nature

* Evolution and creationism - Essays exploring evolution denialism

* Science, religion, miracles and God - Essays endeavoring to define the space in which religion and science can coexist

One important thing to know before picking this up is that these essays are getting long in tooth. The book was published in 2016, which means the essays are even older. Many of the things that were high profile back in the late 1900s/early 2000s (ESP, cryonics) hit as dated now, while many of today's most controversial topics - climate change, vaccine denial, election denial - are unaddressed. Nor are they very "deep," but not sure that's his fault - how deep can you get in 1000 words or less?

Another issue I had was growing skepticism that Shermer isn't always as skeptical as he likes to represent. Couldn't help but note a tendency to give things the *he* believes in - nutritional supplements, favorite colleagues/authors - a bit of a pass.

The good news is that you don't need a lot of scientific background to access these essays, many of which are as entertaining as they are information.

In the main, would characterize this as a worthwhile read, and a timeless reminder of the many ways in which culture, cognitive bias, rhetoric, and misrepresentation can circumvent critical thinking.