List of scientific skeptics
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This is a list of notable people that promote or practice
scientific skepticism Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism (also spelled scepticism), sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence. In practice, the term most commonly refe ...
. In general, they favor
science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
and are opposed to
pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or falsifiability, unfa ...
and
quackery Quackery, often synonymous with health fraud, is the promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices. A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, ...
. They are generally skeptical of
parapsychology Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near ...
, the paranormal, and
alternative medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...
. * James Alcock, psychologist. Author of several skeptical books and articles. *
Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
, biochemist, author. Wrote or edited over 500 popular science, other nonfiction, and science fiction books, including the ''Foundation'' series. Founding member of CSICOP (now CSI).Skeptical Inquirer Magazine Names the Ten Outstanding Skeptics of the Century
/ref> *
Robert A. Baker Robert Allen Baker Jr. (June 27, 1921 – August 8, 2005) was an American psychologist, professor of psychology emeritus of the University of Kentucky, skeptic, author, and investigator of ghosts, UFO abductions, lake monsters and other paranorma ...
, psychologist, author. Wrote books on ghosts, alien abductions and
false memory syndrome In psychology, false memory syndrome (FMS) is a condition in which a person's identity and relationships are affected by false memories of psychological trauma, recollections that are factually incorrect yet strongly believed. Peter J. Freyd or ...
. * Banachek, mentalist. participant in Project Alpha. Real name Steve Shaw. * Stephen Barrett, psychiatrist. Cofounder of the National Council Against Health Fraud, critic of
alternative medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...
. Founder of the Quackwatch website. *
Barry Beyerstein Barry L Beyerstein (May 19, 1947 – June 25, 2007) was a scientific skeptic and professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. Beyerstein's research explored brain mechanisms of perception and consciousness, th ...
, psychologist. Founding member of CSICOP (now CSI). * Susan Blackmore, parapsychologist. Author, lecturer, and broadcaster. *
Maarten Boudry Maarten Boudry (born 15 August 1984) is a Dutch-speaking Belgian philosopher and skeptic. He has been a researcher and teaching member of the Department of Philosophy and Moral Sciences at Ghent University since 2006. To date, he has published o ...
, philosopher and author. * Derren Brown, mentalist, critic of alleged psychics and spiritual mediums. * Robert Todd Carroll, philosopher. Author of ''The Skeptic's Dictionary'' book and website. * Milbourne Christopher, magician. Founding member of CSICOP (now CSI). *
David Colquhoun David Colquhoun (born 19 July 1936) is a British pharmacologist at University College London (UCL). He has contributed to the general theory of receptor and synaptic mechanisms, and in particular the theory and practice of single ion channel f ...
, pharmacologist and author of the website ''Improbable Science''. * Brian Cox, physicist *
Narendra Dabholkar Narendra Achyut Dabholkar (1 November 1945 – 20 August 2013) was an Indian physician, social activist, rationalist and author from Maharashtra, India. In 1989 he founded and became president of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti ( ...
, author and the founder-president of
Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS; or Committee for Eradication of Blind Faith, CEBF) is an organisation dedicated to fighting superstition in India, particularly in the state of Maharashtra. It was founded by Narendra Dabholkar in ...
. *
Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford and was Professor for Public Understanding of Science in the University of Oxford from 1995 to 2008. An ath ...
, evolutionary biologist and author known for promoting the
gene-centric view of evolution With gene defined as "not just one single physical bit of DNA utall replicas of a particular bit of DNA distributed throughout the world", the gene-centered view of evolution, gene's eye view, gene selection theory, or selfish gene theory ...
(in his book '' The Selfish Gene''), coining of the term ''
meme A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...
'', and
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
activism. *
Perry DeAngelis Perry J. DeAngelis (August 22, 1963 – August 19, 2007) was an American podcaster. He is best known for co-hosting the ''Skeptics' Guide to the Universe'' podcast, which he helped found. DeAngelis is known for his and Steve Novella's investiga ...
, co-founder and former executive director of the New England Skeptical Society, co-founder and former co-host of the '' Skeptics' Guide to the Universe'' podcast. *
Daniel Dennett Daniel Clement Dennett III (born March 28, 1942) is an American philosopher, writer, and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relat ...
, philosopher. Author of '' Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life'' and '' Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon''. * Jared Diamond, scientist, author and member of the editorial board of ''Skeptic''. *
Ann Druyan Ann Druyan ( ; born June 13, 1949) is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning American documentary producer and director specializing in the communication of science. She co-wrote the 1980 PBS documentary series ''Cosmos'', hosted by Carl Sagan, w ...
, popular science author and current head of the Planetary Society. Widow of the astronomer
Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is research on ext ...
. * Brian Dunning, writer and producer with focus on science and skepticism, host of
Skeptoid Brian Andrew Dunning (born 1965) is an American writer and producer who focuses on science and skepticism. He has hosted a weekly podcast, ''Skeptoid'', since 2006, and he is an author of a series of books on the subject of scientific skepticism, ...
podcast, as well as a ''Skeptoid'' spin-off video series, ''inFact'', and producer of educational films on the subject of critical thinking. * Mark Edward, formerly worked as an undercover psychic, currently exposes psychics and is the author of a tell-all book on that subject, member of editorial board of The Skeptics Society, invented the term Guerrilla Skepticism. * Richard Feynman, theoretical physicist known for his work in quantum mechanics. *
Kendrick Frazier Kendrick Crosby Frazier (March 19, 1942 – November 7, 2022) was an American science writer and longtime editor of ''Skeptical Inquirer'' magazine. He was also a former editor of '' Science News'', author or editor of ten books, and a Fellow of ...
, Editor of the ''Skeptical Inquirer''. * Martin Gardner, author,
recreational mathematician Recreational mathematics is mathematics carried out for recreation (entertainment) rather than as a strictly research and application-based professional activity or as a part of a student's formal education. Although it is not necessarily limited ...
. Writer of the long-running ' Mathematical Games' column in ''
Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it i ...
,'' and a longstanding columnist for the ''Skeptical Inquirer''. Founding member of CSICOP (now CSI). *
Pamela L. Gay Pamela L. Gay (born December 12, 1973) is an American astronomer, educator, podcaster, and writer, best known for her work in astronomical podcasting and citizen science astronomy projects. She is a senior education and communication specialist ...
, astronomer, co-host of '' Astronomy Cast'', assistant research professor in the STEM center at
SIUE Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is a public university in Edwardsville, Illinois. SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.Butler 1976, p. 18 It is the younger of the two major inst ...
and project director for CosmoQuest. * Susan Gerbic, the founder of Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia which has the mission of improving the skeptical content of Wikipedia. * Ben Goldacre, physician, journalist. Author of the " Bad Science" column in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' (UK newspaper). *
David Gorski David Henry Gorski is an American surgical oncologist, professor of surgery at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and a surgical oncologist at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, specializing in breast cancer surgery. He is an out ...
, surgical oncologist. A.k.a. Orac of ''Respectful Insolence''. Critic of
complementary and alternative medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...
. *
Stephen Jay Gould Stephen Jay Gould (; September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was one of the most influential and widely read authors of popular science of his generation. Gould sp ...
, paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, historian of science, Harvard University. *
Natalie Grams Natalie Grams-Nobmann (born 12 April 1978) is a German physician and author. Formerly a practicing Homeopathy, homeopath, she became known throughout Germany as a whistleblower for her 2015 debut book ''Homeopathy ReconsideredWhat Really Helps P ...
, German physician, writer, scientific skeptic, former homeopath, author of ''Homeopathy Reconsidered — What Really Helps Patients'' (in German). *
Harriet A. Hall Harriet A. Hall (born July 2, 1945) is a U.S. retired family physician, former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon and skeptic who writes about alternative medicine and quackery for ''Skeptic'' and ''Skeptical Inquirer''. She writes under the name T ...
, physician, former US Air Force
flight surgeon A flight surgeon is a military medical officer practicing in the clinical field of aviation medicine. Although the term "flight surgery" is considered improper by purists, it may occasionally be encountered. Flight surgeons are physicians ( MD ...
. Critic of
alternative medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...
and
quackery Quackery, often synonymous with health fraud, is the promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices. A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, ...
. *
Sven Ove Hansson Sven Ove Hansson (born 1951) is a Swedish philosopher. He is a professor of philosophy and chair of the Department of Philosophy and History of Technology at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden. He is an author and scientif ...
, philosopher. Founding Chairperson of the
Swedish Skeptics Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
(Vetenskap och Folkbildning) and Editor of the organisation's journal ''Folkvett''. * Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author. *
Sharon A. Hill Sharon A. Hill is an American science writer and speaker known for her research into the interaction between science and the public, focusing on education and media topics. Hill's research has dealt mainly with paranormal, pseudoscience, and st ...
, founder of '' Doubtful News'', a news site that links synopses and commentary to original news sources, and provides information to critically assess claims made in the media. She is also producer and host of the '' 15 Credibility Street'' podcast. * Christopher Hitchens, journalist and author. *
Douglas Hofstadter Douglas Richard Hofstadter (born February 15, 1945) is an American scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research includes concepts such as the sense of self in relation to the external world, consciousness, an ...
, physicist,
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
researcher. Author of
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
-winning book '' Gödel, Escher, Bach: The Eternal Golden Braid '' and ''
Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it i ...
'' column " Metamagical Themas". *
Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...
, magician. Critic of
Modern Spiritualism Spiritualism is the metaphysics, metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and Mind-body dualism, dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spir ...
who exposed fraudulent psychics and mediums and publicized their methods. *
George Hrab George Joseph Hrab is a drummer, guitarist, composer and podcaster known for performing rock, funk and jazz and for exploring atheist, skeptic and science themes in his work. He has released six albums as a solo artist. Hrab was born in Bell ...
American skeptical musician, podcaster, speaker and emcee at The Amaz!ng Meeting * Ray Hyman, psychologist, critic of
parapsychology Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near ...
. Longstanding contributor to the ''Skeptical Inquirer''. Founding member of CSICOP (now CSI). * Jamie Hyneman, co-creator of the TV show ''
MythBusters ''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television program, developed by Peter Rees and produced by Australia's Beyond Television Productions. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast internatio ...
''. *
Leo Igwe Leo Igwe (born 26 July 1970) is a Nigerian human rights advocate and humanist. Igwe is a former Western and Southern African representative of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, and has specialized in campaigning against and documenti ...
, Nigerian human rights advocate. * Edward Jenner, English physician and scientist who pioneered smallpox vaccine. *
Penn Jillette Penn Fraser Jillette (born March 5, 1955) is an American magician, actor, musician, inventor, television presenter, and author, best known for his work with fellow magician Teller as half of the team Penn & Teller. The duo has been featured ...
magician, half of Penn & Teller duo. Co-creator and co-host of the television series '' Bullshit!'' *
Teller Teller or telling may refer to: People * Teller (surname) * Teller (magician), one half of the duo Penn & Teller Places * Teller, Alaska, United States ** Teller Airport * Teller County, Colorado, United States Other uses * 5006 Teller, a minor ...
, magician, other half of Penn & Teller duo. Co-creator and co-host of the television series '' Bullshit!'' *
Barry Karr Barry Karr is an American skeptic and paranormal researcher, currently the executive director of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He has been consulted by the media on the paranormal. Karr has been involved in many investigations including f ...
, Executive Director for the
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the US non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to "prom ...
*
Philip J. Klass Philip Julian Klass (November 8, 1919 – August 9, 2005) was an American journalist, and UFO researcher, known for his skepticism regarding UFOs. In the ufological and skeptical communities, Klass inspires polarized appraisals. He has be ...
, aerospace journalist. Known for his investigations of UFOs. Longstanding contributor to the ''Skeptical Inquirer''. Founding member of CSICOP (now CSI). * Paul Kurtz, philosopher, author. Founder of CSICOP (now CSI), Publisher of the '' Skeptical Inquirer''. *
Leighann Lord Leighann Lord is an American comedian, writer, and actress. She performs stand-up comedy, has appeared on ''Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn'', and is a former co-host (with Neil deGrasse Tyson) of the Star Talk Radio podcast. As of April 2020, Lord ...
, American comedian, writer, and actress. * Scott Lilienfeld, professor of psychology, author, Consulting Editor for '' Skeptical Inquirer'' and
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the US non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to "prom ...
Fellow * Pat Linse, illustrator. Cofounder of the Skeptics Society, Copublisher and Art Director of ''Skeptic'' magazine. Creator of ''
Junior Skeptic ''Skeptic'', colloquially known as ''Skeptic magazine'', is a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine published internationally by The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and ...
'' magazine. * Daniel Loxton, illustrator, writer. Editor of ''
Junior Skeptic ''Skeptic'', colloquially known as ''Skeptic magazine'', is a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine published internationally by The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and ...
'' magazine (bound into ''Skeptic'' magazine). *
Alan Melikdjanian Alan Melikdjanian (; Russian: Алан Меликджанян; born April 13, 1980), known by the alias Captain Disillusion, is a Soviet-born American independent filmmaker and YouTuber. Melikdjanian has been active in the founding of video-s ...
, filmmaker, creator of the YouTube series Captain Disillusion which explains the use of visual effects in falsified videos. * Tim Minchin, comedian, musician, actor. Has many songs illustrating his skepticism, most notably, "Storm". * Rob Nanninga, writer and editor of ''
Skepter ''Skepter'' is a popular science magazine of the Dutch skeptical foundation Stichting Skepsis. It describes paranormal or controversial theories and methods from a skeptical perspective. History In its first issue, the contemporary president o ...
''. * Joe Nickell, investigator of the paranormal, author. Columnist for the ''Skeptical Inquirer''. * Steven Novella, neurologist. Founder of the New England Skeptical Society and host of '' The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe'' podcast. *
James Oberg James Edward Oberg (born November 7, 1944) is an American space journalist and historian, regarded as an expert on the Russian and Chinese space programs. He had a 22-year career as a space engineer in NASA specializing in orbital rendezvous. Ob ...
, aerospace journalist. Critic of UFOs and claims of a
moon landing hoax Moon landing conspiracy theories claim that some or all elements of the Apollo program and the associated Moon landings were hoaxes staged by NASA, possibly with the aid of other organizations. The most notable claim is that the six crewed ...
. *
Robert L. Park Robert Lee Park (January 16, 1931 – April 29, 2020) was an American emeritus professor of physics at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a former director of public information at the Washington office of the American Physical Society. ...
, physicist, and author of ''
Voodoo Science ''Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud'' is a book published in 2000 by physics professor Robert L. Park, critical of research that falls short of adhering to the scientific method. Other people have used the term "voodoo science", ...
''. * Massimo Pigliucci, professor of philosophy at
City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...
and co-host of the skeptical podcast, ''Rationally Speaking''. * Steven Pinker, Canadian experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, linguist, popular science author, Harvard College Professor and advocate of
evolutionary psychology Evolutionary psychology is a theoretical approach in psychology that examines cognition and behavior from a modern evolutionary perspective. It seeks to identify human psychological adaptations with regards to the ancestral problems they evolv ...
and the computational theory of mind. *
Philip Plait Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
, astronomer, author. Founder of the Bad Astronomy website. *
Massimo Polidoro Massimo Polidoro (born 10 March 1969) is an Italian psychologist, writer, journalist, television personality, and co-founder and executive director of the Italian Committee for the Investigation of Claims of the Pseudosciences (CICAP). Early lif ...
, writer, journalist. Student of
James Randi James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; August 7, 1928 – October 20, 2020) was a Canadian-American stage magician, author and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. Rodrigues 2010p. ...
, Co-Founder and Executive Director of CICAP, Research Fellow of CSICOP (now CSI). *
Basava Premanand Basava Premanand (17 February 1930 – 4 October 2009) was an Indian skeptic and rationalist from Kerala, India. He organised many tours around rural India for the promotion of scientific thinking, exposing alleged miracles and scams carried o ...
publisher of the
Indian Skeptic Indian CSICOP is a well-known rationalist group based at Podanur, Tamil Nadu, India. Founded by Basava Premanand (1930–2009). Indian CSICOP is in the forefront of the rationalist campaigns in India which attempt to expose perceived miracles ...
magazine and chairman of the Indian CSICOP. * Benjamin Radford, Managing Editor of the ''Skeptical Inquirer'', co-host of ''Squaring the Strange'' podcast. *
James Randi James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; August 7, 1928 – October 20, 2020) was a Canadian-American stage magician, author and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. Rodrigues 2010p. ...
, magician. Founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation. Notable for offering a million dollar cash reward for verifiable demonstration under laboratory conditions of any paranormal ability or event. Conceived and directed Project Alpha. Founding member of CSICOP (now CSI). *
Pascual Romero Pascual H. Romero (born January 6, 1980) is an American musician, podcaster, television and film producer from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Previously based out of Los Angeles, California, he is the former vocalist of the death metal band Pathology ...
, co-host of the ''Squaring the Strange'' podcast, providing evidence-based analysis and commentary on a variety of paranormal topics. *
Emily Rosa Emily Rosa (born February 6, 1987) is the youngest person to have a research paper published in a peer reviewed medical journal. At age nine Rosa conceived and executed a scientific study of therapeutic touch which was published in the ''Journal ...
, Guinness World Record youngest medical researcher; at age 11, published her study in the
Journal of the American Medical Association ''The Journal of the American Medical Association'' (''JAMA'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of bio ...
on therapeutic touch, showing practitioners couldn't feel the "human energy field" when not looking. *
Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is research on ext ...
, astronomer, popular science author, and media personality. Advocate for SETI, founder of the Planetary Society, host of the TV series '' Cosmos'' and author of '' The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark''. Founding member of CSICOP (now CSI). * Cara Santa Maria, a science communicator, journalist, producer, television host, and podcaster. She currently is a co-host on '' The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe'' podcast, and hosts her own podcast ''Talk Nerdy.'' * Richard Saunders, prior president of Australian Skeptics, host of the ''Skeptic Zone'' podcast * Adam Savage, co-creator of the TV series ''
MythBusters ''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television program, developed by Peter Rees and produced by Australia's Beyond Television Productions. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast internatio ...
''. * Eugenie Scott, anthropologist. Executive Director of the
National Center for Science Education The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) is a not-for-profit membership organization in the United States whose stated mission is to educate the press and the public on the scientific and educational aspects of controversies surrounding t ...
(NCSE), critic of
creationism Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary'' says that creationism is 't ...
and
intelligent design Intelligent design (ID) is a pseudoscientific argument for the existence of God, presented by its proponents as "an evidence-based scientific theory about life's origins". Numbers 2006, p. 373; " Dcaptured headlines for its bold attempt to ...
. * Robert Sheaffer, author. UFO investigator, columnist for the ''Skeptical Inquirer''. * Michael Shermer, historian, popular science author, founder of the Skeptics Society. Copublisher and Editor of ''
Skeptic Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the pe ...
'' magazine. Also current writer for the ''
Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it i ...
'' column "Skeptic". * Simon Singh, popular British science author. *
Julia Sweeney Julia Anne Sweeney (born October 10, 1959) is an American actress, comedian, and author, who gained fame as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1994. She played Mrs. Keeper in the film ''Stuart Little'' and voiced Brittany in ' ...
, actress, comedian, author and performer of ''Letting Go of God''. *
Jamy Ian Swiss Jamy Ian Swiss (born November 30, 1952, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American  magician, author, speaker, historian of magic, essayist, book reviewer, and scientific skeptic. He is known for sleight-of-hand with playing cards. Magic Swiss is ...
, magician, co-founder of the National Capital Area Skeptics; co-founder of the New York City Skeptics; contributor to Skeptic magazine; co-producer and on-stage host of Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism. on board of San Diego Association for Rational Inquiry (aka San Diego Skeptics). * Marcello Truzzi, sociologist. First editor of the ''Skeptical Inquirer''. Critic of organized skepticism. Founding member of CSICOP (now CSI). *
Rebecca Watson Rebecca Watson is an American blogger and podcast host. She is the founder of the blog ''Skepchick'' and former co-host of ''The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe'' podcast. She also previously co-hosted the ''Little Atoms'' podcast. Career Wat ...
, founder of Skepchick blog. * Richard Wiseman, psychologist. *
Paul Zenon Paul Zenon (born Paul Collins) is an English stage and TV magician, comedian, presenter and writer. He is the author of three books on magic, proposition bets and practical jokes, and an expert on the history of magic and magicians, variety, ...
, magician and comedian.


See also

*
Humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...
* List of notable debunkers * Lists about skepticism *
List of books about skepticism This list of books about skepticism is a skeptic's library of works centered on scientific skepticism, religious skepticism, critical thinking, scientific literacy, and refutation of claims of the paranormal. It also includes titles about athei ...
*
List of skeptical conferences This is a list of notable conferences that promote or practice scientific skepticism. See also * Humanism * Lists of skepticism topics * List of books about skepticism * List of skeptical magazines * List of skeptical organizations * List of ...
*
List of skeptical magazines This is a list of notable magazines that promote or practice scientific skepticism. See also * Humanism * Lists about skepticism * List of books about skepticism * List of skeptical conferences * List of skeptical organizations * List of skep ...
*
List of skeptical organizations This is a list of notable organizations that promote or practice scientific skepticism. See also * Humanism * Lists about skepticism * List of books about skepticism * List of secularist organizations * List of skeptical conferences * List of ...
*
List of skeptical podcasts This is a list of notable podcasts that promote or practice scientific skepticism. Active Inactive These podcasts are either officially on hiatus, have ceased production, or have not produced an episode in over a year. See also * List of b ...
*
Rationalism In philosophy, rationalism is the epistemological view that "regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge" or "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification".Lacey, A.R. (1996), ''A Dictionary of Philosophy' ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Skeptics
Skeptics Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the pe ...
Skeptics Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the pe ...