In this wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Michael Shermer, founder of Skeptic Magazine and the Skeptics Society, opens up about his personal journey from born-again Christian to one of the world’s most respected scientific skeptics. He shares how his faith unraveled during his graduate studies, the role James Randi and Uri Geller played in shaping modern skepticism, and why critical thinking has become more important than ever.
Shermer also discusses his latest book, Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters, where he explores how we can navigate truth in an age of misinformation, conspiracy thinking, and institutional distrust. We dive deep into his recent appointment to the UAP Science Advisory Council, chaired by Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb. He breaks down the council’s goals, the challenge of government disinformation, and what it would actually take to prove the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence.
Using tools like Occam’s Razor, Type I and Type II errors, and the Drake Equation, Shermer explains how he evaluates extraordinary claims, and why most people dramatically overestimate the odds of alien visitation.
Links:
Buy “Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still” https://a.co/d/0iEil41o
Michael Shermer’s Website: https://michaelshermer.com
Skeptic Magazine: https://www.skeptic.com
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In Vivo on X - https://x.com/InVivoPodOnX
In Vivo on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@InVivoPodcast
In Vivo on Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-vivo/id1775578563
In Vivo on Amazon Podcasts - https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/1ac4dbec-df46-4d1f-b0a1-742e9656ef44/in-vivo
