Editing Debunker (section)

==Notable debunkers==

===Ancient===
* [[Cicero]] debunked divination in his philosophical treatise ''[[De Divinatione]]'' in 44 BCE.
* [[Sextus Empiricus]] debunked the claims of astrologers and [[dogma]]tic philosophers (c. 160 CE)
* [[Lucian]] wrote a book named ''Alexander the False Prophet'' against mystic and oracle [[Alexander of Abonoteichus]] (c. 105 – c. 170 CE) who led the [[Glycon]] cult then widely popular in the Roman Empire. He described Alexander's alleged miracles as tricks, including the appearance of the god Glycon being an elaborate puppet.<ref>[[Joseph Hilarius Eckhel]], ''Doctrma Nummorum veterum'', ii. pp. 383, 384</ref> Lucian also describes him as using thuggery against critics to silence them, including himself.<ref>"Alexander the False Prophet," translated with annotation by A. M. Harmon, Loeb Classical Library, 1936. [http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/lucian/lucian_alexander.htm]</ref>

===Modern===
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
* [[Stephen Barrett]] founded [[Quackwatch]] and writes on medical [[quackery]].<ref>"Area parents seek answer for Autism", ''[[Times Leader]]'', April 1, 2002, "That is coincidence, said Dr. Stephen Barrett of Allentown, a veteran debunker and operator of Quackwatch.com."</ref>
*[[Adam Conover]] hosted the television series ''[[Adam Ruins Everything]]'' which debunks several misconceptions.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://shortyawards.com/10th/adam-ruins-facebook-on-facebook | title=Adam Ruins Facebook…. On Facebook - the Shorty Awards }}</ref>
* [[Dorothy Dietrich]] is a professional magician and Houdini expert and historian. Has been put in charge of Houdini's grave site, and is the founder of The Houdini Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://blueridgegazette.blogspot.com/2006/05/houdini-museum.html |title = Houdini Museum|access-date = January 22, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| title = TNSJournal
| first = Michael
| last = Williams
| access-date = October 29, 2014
| url = http://tnsjournal.com/culture/annual-houdini-seance-held-halloween/
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151022100650/http://tnsjournal.com/culture/annual-houdini-seance-held-halloween/
| archive-date = October 22, 2015
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>
* [[Brian Dunning (skeptic)|Brian Dunning]] produces the podcast ''[[Skeptoid]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Weiss|first1=Eric|title=10 To Start: Skeptoid|url=http://skepticsonthe.net/10-to-start-skeptoid/|website=Skepticsonthe.net|access-date=8 January 2017|date=2011-08-05|archive-date=January 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108094850/http://skepticsonthe.net/10-to-start-skeptoid/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Skeptoid in Chinese!|url=http://doubtfulnews.com/2012/12/skeptoid-in-chinese/|website=Doubtfulnews.com|access-date=8 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027111745/http://doubtfulnews.com/2012/12/skeptoid-in-chinese/|archive-date=27 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Stanton Friedman]] has debunked both supposed UFO cases and debunking attempts on other UFO cases.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dickinson|first1=Terence|title=The Zeta Reticuli Incident|url=http://www.nicap.org/articles/hillzeta.htm|website=NICAP.org|access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref>
* [[Martin Gardner]] was a mathematics and science writer who extensively debunked [[parapsychology]] in his magazine articles and books.<ref name= SI10>{{cite web|title='Skeptical Inquirer' Magazine Names the Ten Outstanding Skeptics of the Century|url=http://www.csicop.org/articles/19991214-century/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080325140204/http://www.csicop.org/articles/19991214-century/|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 March 2008|access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref>
* [[Susan Gerbic]] is the founder and leader of [[Susan Gerbic#Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia|Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia]] which has the mission of improving the skeptical content of Wikipedia.<ref>{{cite web|title=Skeptical Connections: Susan Gerbic|url=http://skepticalconnections.wordpress.com/susan-gerbic/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502093123/http://skepticalconnections.wordpress.com/susan-gerbic/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 May 2014|access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Wikapediatrician Susan Gerbic discusses her Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia project|url=http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/wikapediatrician_susan_gerbic_discusses_her_guerrilla_skepticism_on_wikiped|website=CSICOP.org|publisher=The Center for Inquiry|access-date=8 January 2017|date=2013-03-08}}</ref> She has focused her skeptical activism at debunking celebrity [[psychic|"psychics"]] such as [[Sylvia Brown]], [[Chip Coffey]], [[Tyler Henry]] and [[Thomas John Flanagan|Thomas John]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Coyne|first1=Jerry|title=E! about to debut new show starring a psychic 'grief vampire'&thinsp;|url=https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2016/01/21/e-about-to-debut-new-show-starring-a-psychic-grief-vampire/|website=Wordpress.com|access-date=8 January 2017|date=2016-01-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Grief Vampires Don't Come Out Only at Night|url=http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/grief_vampires_dont_come_out_only_at_night|website=CSICOP.org|publisher=The Center for Inquiry|access-date=8 January 2017|date=2016-01-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/magazine/psychics-skeptics-facebook.html|title=Inside the Secret Sting Operations to Expose Celebrity Psychics|last=Hitt|first=Jack|date=February 26, 2019|website=New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226133658/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/magazine/psychics-skeptics-facebook.html|archive-date=February 26, 2019|url-status=live|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref>
* [[Britt Marie Hermes]] is a prominent debunker of [[naturopathy]] having once practised as a naturopath.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kirkey|first1=Sharon|title=Should naturopaths be restricted from treating children after tragic death of Alberta toddler?|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/should-naturopaths-be-restricted-from-treating-children-in-wake-of-death-of-alberta-toddler|website=National Post|access-date=3 December 2017|date=2016-04-04}}</ref>
* [[Harry Houdini]] debunked [[Spiritualism (movement)|spiritualists]].<ref name= SI10/><ref name="houdini">[http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20071103/AE/71101026 Houdini and the spiritualists], ''[[List of newspapers in Colorado|Summit Daily News]]'', November 3, 2007, "Houdini himself wouldn’t have believed in his second coming anyway, because he didn’t believe in spirit manifestations. In fact, he spent much of his life and career debunking spiritualists and mediums – an admirable mission that history and forensic specialists now tell us probably led to his untimely death at the age of 52."</ref>
* [[Ray Hyman]] is a psychologist who is known for debunking some [[parapsychology|parapsychological]] studies.<ref name= SI10/>
* [[Philip J. Klass|Philip Klass]] was a pioneer in the field of [[Scientific skepticism|skeptical investigation]] of [[unidentified flying object|UFOs]].<ref name= SI10/><ref name="klass">[https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19940612/1915280/pseudoscience-skepticism-to-make-a-close-encounter "Pseudoscience, Skepticism To Make A Close Encounter"], ''[[Seattle Times]]'', June 12, 1994</ref>
* [[Phil Mason]] is a scientist and [[YouTuber]] with the online pseudonym "Thunderf00t" (also "VoiceofThunder"), who debunks various snake-oil merchants and fundraiser campaigns for certain products, using basic scientific understanding, e.g. the laws of [[thermodynamics]], to show that the advertised things simply make no sense and cannot deliver what is promised. He is known for criticising religion, pseudoscience, creationism, [[Hyperloop]], [[Solar Roadways]], etc.
* [[Alan Melikdjanian|Alan Melikdjanian (Captain Disillusion)]] is a debunker of viral videos and hoaxes on the Internet, usually deconstructing them and explaining the post production techniques and software used to create the illusions.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Blevins|first1=Joe|title=Beakman and Captain Disillusion debunk those "free energy" machines|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/beakman-and-captain-disillusion-debunk-those-free--237842|website=A.V. Club|date=June 7, 2016 |publisher=Onion Inc.|access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref>
* [[Donald Menzel]] was Philip Klass's predecessor in debunking UFOs.{{citation needed| date = January 2017}}
* [[Joe Nickell]] writes regularly for the ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]''.<ref name= SI10/>
* [[Penn & Teller]] are an entertainment team who often demystify magic tricks and illusions.<ref name="pennteller">[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE3DB1639F937A35757C0A967958260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/T/Teller Review/Theater; "Penn and Teller Offer Several Variations On a Magic Theme"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', April 4, 1991, "As debunkers, they seek to remove the mystique from magic, to demonstrate the digitation behind the presti."</ref> They have also debunked many other aspects of popular belief on their show, ''[[Penn & Teller: Bullshit!]]''.
* [[Phil Plait]] is an astronomer and science writer whose speciality is fighting pseudoscience related to space and astronomy. He established [[Badastronomy.com]] to counter public misconceptions about astronomy and space science, providing critical analysis of pseudoscientific theories related to these subjects.<ref>{{cite news|title=Moon Hoax Spurs Crusade Against Bad Astronomy|work=The New York Times |date=January 11, 2001 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/11/science/moon-hoax-spurs-crusade-against-bad-astronomy.html|access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=James Randi Educational Foundation Names New President|url=http://archive.randi.org/site/index.php/jref-news/797-james-randi-educational-foundation-names-new-president.html/|website=Archive.randi.org|access-date=3 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=NECSS Conference: Phil Plait – The Final Epsilon|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn4G1jt5LCY|website=Youtube.com| date=November 27, 2013 |access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref>
* [[Basava Premanand]] founded [[Indian CSICOP]] and the [[Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations]],<ref>{{cite book|author=Johannes Quack|title=Disenchanting India: Organized Rationalism and Criticism of Religion in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TNbxUwhS5RUC&pg=PA101|access-date=27 June 2013|year= 2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0199812608|pages=98–99, 101}}</ref> has exposed various Indian "[[Godman (India)|god-men]]" ([[fakir]]s, [[sadhu]]s, [[swami]]s, [[guru]]s, [[faith healing|faith healers]])<ref name="BBC Premanand">{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/3813469.stm | title=Sai Baba: God-man or con man? |work=BBC | date= 2004-06-17 | first=Tanya | last=Datta | access-date = 2017-12-03}}</ref><ref name=TOI>{{cite web|title=His harshest critics died with a wish unfulfilled|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-25/india/29470884_1_sathya-sai-baba-whitefield-ashram-miracles|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928203813/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-25/india/29470884_1_sathya-sai-baba-whitefield-ashram-miracles|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 September 2013|access-date=3 November 2017|author=Sushil Rao|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=25 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=An Indian Skeptic's explanation of miracles|url=http://mukto-mona.net/Articles/yuktibaadi.htm|publisher=Mukto Mona|access-date=3 November 2017}}</ref> and was known for being the most fierce critic of [[Sathya Sai Baba]] and his [[fraud]]s.<ref name="BBC Premanand" />
* [[James Randi]] has exposed [[faith healing|faith healers]], [[psychic|"psychics"]] and others claiming to have [[paranormal|paranormal powers]].<ref name= SI10/><ref name="randi">[https://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/1986/09/01/83423/index.htm The wizard gets a windfall – even the Amazing Randi needs advice on how to keep his $272,000 prize from vanishing], [[CNN Money]], September 1, 1986, "Randi began his campaign against fakes in earnest in 1964, during a stint as the host of a radio talk show in Manhattan. He had become disturbed by the number of listeners phoning in with such flummery as tales of self-styled clairvoyants' uncannily correct forecasts. Gradually, his work as a debunker began to rival his show-business career, gathering momentum in the early 1970s, when Uri Geller caught Randi's attention."</ref>
* [[Benjamin Radford]] is an American writer, investigator, and [[Skeptical movement|skeptic]] who has authored, coauthored or contributed to over twenty books and written over a thousand articles and columns debunking topics such as urban legends, unexplained mysteries and the paranormal.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Radford |first1=Benjamin|author-link=Ben Radford |title=Mysterious New Mexico |date=2014 |publisher=University of New Mexico Press |location=Albuquerque |isbn=978-0826354501}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | newspaper=[[Skeptical Inquirer]] | publisher=[[Committee for Skeptical Inquiry]] | volume=31 | issue=5 | date=Sep–Oct 2007 | url=http://www.csicop.org/si/show/santa_fe_courthouse_ghost_mystery_solved/ | last=Radford | first=Benjamin | author-link=Benjamin Radford | title=Santa Fe 'Courthouse Ghost' Mystery Solved | access-date=April 10, 2013}}</ref>
* [[Carl Sagan]] was a noted astronomer who debunked purported [[close encounter]]s such as the [[Betty and Barney Hill abduction]], and [[pseudoscience]] such as [[Immanuel Velikovsky]]'s ''[[Worlds in Collision]]''.<ref name= SI10/><ref name="sagan">"Obituaries; Betty Hill, 85; Claim of Abduction by Aliens Led to Fame", ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', Oct 24, 2004, "Carl Sagan, the Pulitzer Prize-winning astronomer, was among the Hills' debunkers, yet he considered their story noteworthy."</ref>
*  [[Richard Saunders (skeptic)|Richard Saunders]] is prior president of [[Australian Skeptics]], host of the ''Skeptic Zone'' podcast, a science activist, and is a [[Committee for Skeptical Inquiry]] Fellow.<ref>{{cite web |title=Power Balance Tests |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynbx5JfEwcA&fbclid=IwAR0OkfijOv5A4_VGDNCcyp4piIM92uQ9WrGdoHh6ztiSJ_Y7WAVq07HFijk |website=YouTube | date=January 31, 2010 |publisher=TodayTonight |access-date=17 June 2020}}</ref>
* [[Michael Shermer]] is executive director and founder of the non-profit organization [[The Skeptics Society]], and [[editor-in-chief]] of the group's magazine, ''[[Skeptic (U.S. magazine)|Skeptic]]''.<ref name= SI10/>