Michael Shermer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Shermer
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Shermer in 2007
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| Born | September 8, 1954 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Education | Pepperdine University (BA) California State University, Fullerton (MA) Claremont Graduate University (PhD) |
| Occupation | writer, historian of science, editor |
| Title | Editor-in-chief of Skeptic, adjunct professor at Chapman University |
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Michael Brant Shermer (born September 8, 1954) is an American writer and historian of science. He is the head of The Skeptics Society and started Skeptic magazine. This magazine looks into claims that are not based on science, like false science or supernatural ideas. Shermer has written many books and is known for discussing topics like pseudoscience and religion. He often highlights the importance of scientific skepticism, which means questioning things and looking for evidence.
From 2001 to 2019, he wrote a monthly column called Skeptic for Scientific American magazine. He also helped create and host a TV show called Exploring the Unknown in 1999.
Shermer grew up in a family that wasn't very religious. As a teenager, he became a Christian. Later, during his studies, he stopped believing in God. This change was influenced by a difficult event involving his girlfriend. Today, he calls himself an agnostic and an atheist, but he prefers the term "skeptic". He also supports humanism, which focuses on human values and reason.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Shermer was born in Los Angeles, California, on September 8, 1954. He grew up in Southern California. His parents divorced when he was four years old. He has several step-siblings and half-sisters.
Becoming a Christian
Even though he went to Sunday school, religion wasn't a big topic in his family. In 1971, during his last year of high school, he became interested in Christianity because of a friend. He went to a church in Glendale, California, and felt inspired by the preacher. For seven years, Shermer shared his Christian beliefs with others.
He also joined a Christian study group where they discussed the Bible. He enjoyed the social side of religion and the debates about different ideas.
College Studies
After graduating from Crescenta Valley High School in 1972, Shermer went to Pepperdine University. He first wanted to study Christian theology. He took Bible classes and read books by C.S. Lewis. He followed the university's rules, which included bans on dancing. When he found out that studying theology at a higher level required learning old languages like Hebrew and Greek, he changed his major to psychology. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology in 1976.
Shermer then studied experimental psychology at California State University, Fullerton. Discussions with his teachers and studies in science and social science made him question his religious beliefs. He saw that some religious people didn't always practice what they preached. He also realized that people's beliefs often depend on where and when they were born. These thoughts led him to give up his religious views. A difficult accident that left his college girlfriend paralyzed also made him lose his faith. He felt that if anyone deserved to be healed, it was her, and nothing happened.
He received his master's degree in psychology in 1978.
Career Paths
Cycling and Sports
After getting his master's degree, Shermer worked for a bicycle magazine. He started bicycle racing and rode professionally for ten years. He focused on long-distance races. He is a founding member of the Ultra Cycling Hall of Fame.
Shermer also helped improve cycling products. He advised Bell Helmets on designing safer helmets that looked like traditional ones but offered more protection. He also worked with Wayman Spence to create cycling gloves and saddles that helped prevent pain for cyclists.
He helped start the Race Across America (RAAM), a 3,000-mile nonstop bicycle race. He competed in it five times and later helped direct the race. A medical condition called "Shermer's Neck" is named after him. It's when long-distance cyclists get severe neck muscle weakness.
Shermer's time as a cyclist helped him become a skeptic. He realized that many practices he tried to improve his training, like acupuncture or pyramid power, didn't work.
He has also written about doping in cycling, explaining how widespread it was. This was later shown to be true in the Lance Armstrong scandal.
Teaching and Academia
While cycling, Shermer taught psychology at Glendale Community College. He wanted to teach at a four-year university, so he decided to get his PhD. He changed his focus from psychology to the history of science. He earned his PhD from Claremont Graduate University in 1991. His main research was about Alfred Russel Wallace and the evolution of humans.
After that, he taught the history of science at Occidental College. Later, he became a senior research fellow at Claremont Graduate University. In 2011, he became a professor at Chapman University, where he taught a critical thinking course called Skepticism 101.
The Skeptics Society
In 1991, Shermer and Pat Linse started The Skeptics Society in Los Angeles. This group is a non-profit organization that promotes scientific skepticism. They work to show why pseudoscience and irrational beliefs are not true. What started as a hobby grew into a full-time job. The Skeptics Society publishes Skeptic magazine and organizes lectures. By 2017, it had over 50,000 members.
Published Works
Shermer first wrote about cycling. Then he wrote books about math and science education for children.
He wrote a monthly column for Scientific American magazine for many years. He also wrote for Time magazine.
He has written many books that try to explain why people believe strange things, like UFOs, Bigfoot, or paranormal claims. In his book Why People Believe Weird Things (1997), he talks about "patternicity." This is his term for when people see patterns or connections where there aren't any, or when they want to believe something so much they ignore evidence.
In How We Believe (2000), Shermer looked at the reasons behind people's belief in God.
His book In Darwin's Shadow (2002) was based on his PhD research about Alfred Russel Wallace.
In May 2002, Shermer and Alex Grobman published Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened and Why Do They Say It? This book looked at and argued against the Holocaust denial movement. It suggests that allowing free speech is the best way to deal with false historical claims.
His 2006 book Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design strongly supports evolution and criticizes intelligent design. He argues that science does not have to go against religion, and that Christians can accept evolution.
In The Believing Brain (2011), Shermer explains how our brains create beliefs and make us think they are true.
His 2015 book is called The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom.
In 2018, he published Heavens on Earth, which looks at ideas about the afterlife through a scientific lens, searching for evidence.
Media and Public Speaking
Shermer has appeared on many TV shows. In 1994, he was on Donahue to challenge claims of Holocaust denial. In 1995, he appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to question a psychic's claims.
In 1999, he co-produced and co-hosted the TV series Exploring the Unknown for Fox Family. This show was an extension of the work done at the Skeptics Society.
He has given talks at several TED conferences, including "Why people believe strange things" (2006) and "The pattern behind self-deception" (2010).
Shermer has debated Deepak Chopra several times, including on the ABC News program Nightline in 2010.
In 2012, he was a speaker at the first Reason Rally in Washington, D.C., an event for atheists. He also took part in a debate called "Science Refutes God."
He is also a frequent guest on Skepticality, the official podcast of Skeptic magazine.
Personal Life
Shermer was married to Kim Ziel, and they had one daughter. They later divorced. On June 25, 2014, he married Jennifer Graf.
Political Views
Shermer describes himself as a libertarian. This means he generally believes in more individual freedom and less government involvement.
In 2000, he voted for a libertarian candidate, but later regretted it. He voted for John Kerry in 2004. He admires Thomas Jefferson for supporting liberty and using scientific thinking in politics.
In 2006, Shermer changed his mind about global warming. He had been skeptical before, but after seeing more and more evidence, he wrote in Scientific American that denying global warming was no longer reasonable.
Gun Control Views
Shermer supports some actions to reduce gun violence. He used to oppose most gun control measures because he believed in individual freedom. He has owned guns for most of his life for protection. While he no longer owns guns, he still supports the right for people to own guns to protect their families.
Awards and Honors
- Fellow, 2001, Linnean Society of London
- California State University, Fullerton Distinguished Alumni Award, 2002
- NCAS Philip J. Klass Award, October 2006
- Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Whittier College, 2008
- Independent Investigations Group, 10th Anniversary Gala award, 2010
Images for kids
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Shermer in 2007
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Michael Shermer's signature
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Shermer giving a talk at FreedomFest in Las Vegas, Nevada, in July 2016
See also
In Spanish: Michael Shermer para niños
