Editing Michael Shermer

{{short description|American science writer (born 1954)}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Michael Shermer
| image              = Michael Shermer wiki portrait4.jpg
| caption            = Shermer in 2007
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1954|9|8}}
| birth_place        = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| death_date         = 
| death_place        = 
| education          = [[Pepperdine University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[California State University, Fullerton]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]])<br>{{no wrap|[[Claremont Graduate University]]}} ([[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
| occupation         = writer, [[history of science|historian of science]],  [[editor in chief|editor]]
| title              = Editor-in-chief of [[Skeptic (U.S. magazine)|''Skeptic'']], adjunct professor at [[Chapman University]]
| website            = {{URL|michaelshermer.com|Official website}}
| signature          = Shermer.jpg
}}
'''Michael Brant Shermer''' (born September 8, 1954) is an American science writer, historian of science, executive director of [[The Skeptics Society]], and founding publisher<ref name=PublishersWeekly>{{Cite web|last=Martelle|first=Scott|date=May 2, 2011|title=America's Skeptic Laureate: A Profile of Michael Shermer|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/47035-america-s-skeptic-laureate-a-profile-of-michael-shermer.html|access-date=2021-11-07|website=PublishersWeekly|language=en}}</ref> of ''[[Skeptic (U.S. magazine)|Skeptic]]'' magazine, a publication focused on investigating [[pseudoscience|pseudoscientific]] and [[supernatural]] claims.<ref name=VueWeekly>{{cite news|url=http://www.vueweekly.com/making_a_living_of_bullshit_detecting|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529111312/http://www.vueweekly.com/making_a_living_of_bullshit_detecting/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=May 29, 2015|title=Making a living of bullshit detecting|newspaper=VUE Weekly|date=August 27, 2008|author=Mouallem, Omar}}</ref> The author of over a dozen books, Shermer is known for engaging in debates on [[pseudoscience]] and religion in which he emphasizes [[scientific skepticism]].

Shermer was the co-producer and co-host of ''Exploring the Unknown'',<ref name=WisconsinRadio/><ref>{{Cite news|date=December 11, 2012|title=Does Science Refute God?|language=en|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/12/11/166662494/does-science-refute-god|access-date=2021-11-06}}</ref> a 13-hour [[Freeform (TV channel)|Fox Family]] television series broadcast in 1999. From April 2001 to January 2019,<ref name=ShermerAMA#2>{{cite podcast |host=Michael Shermer |title=Dr. Michael Shermer – Ask Me Anything # 2 |url=https://www.skeptic.com/science-salon/ama002/ |website=Skeptic.com |publisher=The Skeptics Society |access-date=January 17, 2019|time=5:35}}</ref> he contributed a monthly ''Skeptic'' column to ''[[Scientific American]]'' magazine.

Shermer was raised in a non-religious household,<ref name="Curry2012">{{cite journal |last1=Curry |first1=Eugene A. |title=The Disbelieving Michael Shermer: A Review Essay of Michael Shermer's The Believing Brain |journal=The Journal of the International Society of Christian Apologetics |date=April 2012 |volume=5 |issue=1 |url=https://theologicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/jisca/05-1_089.pdf |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="Elder2006"/> before converting to [[Christian fundamentalism]] as a teenager.<ref name="STR2009">{{cite web |last1=Koukl |first1=Greg |last2=Shermer |first2=Michael |title=Greg Koukl and Michael Shermer at the End of the Decade of the New Atheists |url=https://www.str.org/w/greg-koukl-and-michael-shermer-at-the-end-of-the-decade-of-the-new-atheists |website=www.str.org |publisher=Stand to Reason |access-date=29 November 2022 |date=31 December 2009}}</ref> He stopped believing in God during graduate school,<ref name="Elder2006">{{cite news |last1=Elder |first1=Robert K. |title=Skeptic Shermer's disbelief is science-based |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2006-04-06-0604050373-story.html |access-date=29 November 2022 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=6 April 2006}}</ref><ref name="Martelle2011">{{cite news |last1=Martelle |first1=Scott |title=America's Skeptic Laureate: A Profile of Michael Shermer |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/47035-america-s-skeptic-laureate-a-profile-of-michael-shermer.html |access-date=29 November 2022 |work=Publishers Weekly |date=2 May 2011}}</ref> influenced by a traumatic accident that left his then-girlfriend paralyzed.<ref name=WallStreetJournal/> He identifies as an [[agnostic]] and an [[atheist]],<ref>Shermer, Michael (2002). ''[[Why People Believe Weird Things]]''. Henry Holt. p. 136</ref><ref>[[Stossel, John]]. ''[[Stossel (TV series)|Stossel]]''. December 16, 2010 [[Fox Business Channel]].</ref><ref name=WhyAtheist>Shermer, Michael (June 2005). [https://www.michaelshermer.com/2005/06/why-i-am-an-atheist/ "Why I Am An Atheist"]. michaelshermer.com</ref> but prefers "[[skeptic]]".<ref name="Manuel2020">{{cite news |last1=Manuel |first1=Brad |title=Book Review: The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer |url=https://www.rsgperformance.com/post/book-review-the-believing-brain-by-michael-shermer |access-date=29 November 2022 |work=RSG Performance |date=12 May 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=WhyAtheist/> He also advocates for [[humanism]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americanhumanist.org/Humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_III/Notable_Signers |title=Humanist Manifesto III Public Signers |access-date=2012-04-09|publisher=[[American Humanist Association]] |year=2008|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005105825/http://www.americanhumanist.org/Humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_III/Notable_Signers |archive-date=2012-10-05 }}</ref><ref>Shermer, Michael (January 2011). [http://www.michaelshermer.com/2011/01/the-science-of-right-and-wrong/ "The Science of Right and Wrong"]. michaelshermer.com</ref> Shermer became an Internet-ordained clergyman in the [[Universal Life Church]] and has performed weddings.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=http://www.skeptic.com|title=EQUAL TIME ALL THE TIME FOR EVERYONE|work=e-Skeptic magazine|access-date=2002-10-15|language=en|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20021015000000/http://www.skeptic.com|archive-date=October 15, 2002|url-status=dead}} [https://bcharchive.org/3/thearchives/showthread59ba-2.html?t=40642 Alt URL]</ref>

==Early life and education==
Michael Brant Shermer was born on September 8, 1954, in Los Angeles, California.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Shermer|first=Michael|date=September 2004|url=http://www.michaelshermer.com/2004/09/mustangs-monists-and-meaning|title= Mustangs, Monists & Meaning|journal=Scientific American|volume=291|issue=3|pages=38|publisher=The Work of Michael Shermer|doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0904-38|pmid=15376748|bibcode=2004SciAm.291c..38S|access-date=2016-12-19|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Meyer|first=Ronald Bruce|url=http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=7176|title=September 8: Michael Shermer (1954)|publisher=Freethought Almanac|date=2013-09-08|access-date=2015-05-02}}</ref> He is partly of Greek and German ancestry.<ref>Shermer, Michael (April 2, 2019). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vgx7E16_qk&feature=em-uploademail "Nicholas A. Christakis – Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society (Science Salon # 60)"]. ''Skeptic''/[[YouTube]]. 10:40 mark. Retrieved April 2, 2019.</ref> Shermer was raised in [[Southern California]], primarily in the [[La Cañada Flintridge, California|La Cañada Flintridge]] area.<ref name=BestSchools>{{cite web |title=Michael Shermer Interview |url=https://thebestschools.org/features/michael-shermer-interview/ |website=thebestschools.org |date=April 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425044451/https://thebestschools.org/features/michael-shermer-interview/ |archive-date=April 25, 2017}}</ref><ref name="BelievingBrainCh4">Shermer, Michael. ''The Believing Brain''. 2011. Times Books. Chapter 4</ref><ref name="2002page127">Shermer, 2002, p. 127</ref> His parents divorced when he was four and later remarried.<ref name="BelievingBrainCh4" /> He has a step-sister, two step-brothers, and two half-sisters.<ref name="BestSchools" /><ref name="BBrainChap6">Shermer, ''The Believing Brain'', Chapter 6</ref>

Shermer attended Sunday school but said he was otherwise raised in a non religious household. He began his senior year of high school in 1971, when the evangelical movement in the United States was growing in popularity. At the behest of a friend, Shermer embraced [[Christianity]]. He attended the [[Presbyterian]] Church in [[Glendale, California]] and observed a sermon delivered by a "dynamic and histrionic preacher" who encouraged him to come forward to be saved. For seven years, Shermer evangelized door-to-door.<ref name=BestSchools/><ref name=BBrainChap6/> He also attended an informal Christian fellowship at "The Barn" in [[La Crescenta, California]], where he described enjoying the social aspects of religion, especially the theological debates.<ref name="BestSchools" />

In 1972, he graduated from [[Crescenta Valley High School]]<ref name="2002page127" /> and enrolled at [[Pepperdine University]], intending to pursue Christian theology.<ref name="BestSchools" /> Shermer changed majors to psychology once he learned that a doctorate in theology required proficiency in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Aramaic.<ref name="BestSchools" /><ref name="2002page127" /><ref name="meettheskeptics">{{cite web|url=http://meettheskeptics.libsyn.com/mts-meet-michael-shermer|title=Michael Shermer|publisher=Meet The Skeptics|date=November 2011|access-date=February 7, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222100517/http://meettheskeptics.libsyn.com/mts-meet-michael-shermer|archive-date=February 22, 2014}}</ref> He completed his [[bachelor's degree|BA]] in psychology at Pepperdine in 1976.<ref name="ShermerAbout">{{cite news | url=https://www.skeptic.com/about_us/meet_michael_shermer.html | title=Skeptic Magazine: Meet Michael Shermer |publisher=[[The Skeptics Society]]|year=2006|access-date = 2007-01-04}}</ref>

Shermer went on to study [[experimental psychology]] at [[California State University, Fullerton]]. Discussions with his professors,<ref name="WhyPeoplePg128">Shermer, ''Why People Believe Weird Things'', 2002, p. 128</ref> along with studies in the [[natural science|natural]] and [[social science]]s, led him to question his religious beliefs.<ref name="BBrainChap6"/><ref name="WhyPeoplePg128"/> Fueled by what he perceived to be the intolerance generated by the absolute morality taught in his religious studies; the hypocrisy in what many believers preached and what they practiced; and a growing awareness of other religious beliefs that were determined by the temporal, geographic, and cultural circumstances in which their adherents were born, he abandoned his religious views halfway through graduate school.<ref name="BBrainChap6"/><ref name="WhyPeoplePg128"/>

Shermer attributed the paralysis of his college girlfriend as a key point when he lost faith. After she was in an automobile accident that broke her back and rendered her paralyzed from the waist down, Shermer relayed, "If anyone deserved to be healed it was her, and nothing happened, so I just thought there was probably no God at all."<ref name=WallStreetJournal>{{Cite news|last=Wolfe|first=Alexandra|date=2017-09-01|title=Michael Shermer's Skeptical Eye|language=en-US|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/michael-shermers-skeptical-eye-1504279779|access-date=2021-11-06|issn=0099-9660}}</ref>

He earned an MA degree in psychology from [[California State University]], Fullerton in 1978.<ref name="ShermerAbout"/>

==Career==
=== Cycling ===
After earning his MA in experimental psychology in 1978, Shermer worked as a writer for a bicycle magazine in [[Irvine, California]]. He took up bicycle racing after his first assignment, a [[Cycles Peugeot]] press conference,<ref name="BestSchools" /><ref>Fleming, Ed (March 2, 2014). [https://ultracycling.com/sections/awards/hof/marino "UltraCycling Hall of Fame Founding Member: John Marino"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053237/https://ultracycling.com/sections/awards/hof/marino/ |date=2016-03-04 }}, ultracycling.com. Retrieved July 5, 2017.</ref> He completed a [[century ride]] (100 miles) and started to ride hundreds of miles a week.<ref name="BestSchools" />

Shermer began competitive cycling in 1979 and rode professionally for ten years, primarily in long distance ultramarathon [[Road bicycle racing|road racing]]. He is a founding member of the Ultra Cycling Hall of Fame.<ref name="ultrahof">{{cite web|author=Lumia, Carrie|url=http://www.ultracycling.com/sections/awards/hof/shermer/|title=Michael Shermer – Ultra Cycling Hall of Fame|publisher=UltraMarathon Cycling Association|date=March 2, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222062625/http://www.ultracycling.com/sections/awards/hof/shermer/|archive-date=February 22, 2014}}</ref>

Shermer worked with cycling technologists in developing better products for the sport. During his association with [[Bell Sports|Bell Helmets]], a bicycle-race sponsor, he advised them on design issues regarding [[expanded-polystyrene]] for use in [[bicycle helmet|cycling helmets]], which would absorb greater impact than the old leather "[[hairnet]]" helmets used by bicyclists for decades. Shermer advised them that if their helmets looked too much like [[motorcycle helmets]], in which polystyrene was already being used, and not like the old hairnet helmets, no serious cyclists or amateur would use them. This suggestion led to their model, the ''V1 Pro'', which looked like a black leather hairnet, but functioned on the inside like a motorcycle helmet. In 1982, he worked with Wayman Spence, whose small supply company, Spenco Medical, adapted the gel technology Spence developed for bedridden patients with pressure sores into [[cycling gloves]] and [[Bicycle saddle|saddles]] to alleviate the [[carpal tunnel syndrome]] and saddle sores suffered by cyclists.<ref name="Market">Shermer, Michael (2007). ''The Mind of The Market: Compassionate Apes, Competitive Humans, and Other Tales from Evolutionary Economics''. Holt Paperbacks. pp. 59–61 {{ISBN|978-0-8050-7832-9}}</ref>

While a long distance racer, he helped to found the 3,000-mile nonstop transcontinental bicycle [[Race Across America]] (known as "RAAM", along with Lon Haldeman and John Marino), in which he competed five times (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, and 1989), was an assistant race director for six years, and the executive race director for seven years.<ref name=BestSchools/><ref name="cv">[http://www.michaelshermer.com/about-michael/curriculum-vitae/ "Michael Shermer: Curriculum Vitae"]. michaelshermer.com. Retrieved June 18, 2012.</ref> An acute medical condition is named for him: "[[Shermer's Neck]]" is pain in and extreme weakness of the [[neck muscles]] found among long-distance bicyclists. Shermer suffered the condition about 2,000 miles into the 1983 Race Across America.<ref>{{cite web|last=Libby|title=A Pain in the Neck: Shermer's Neck|url=http://www.ultracycling.com/old/training/neck_pain.html|publisher=UltraMarathon Cycling Association|access-date=28 May 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130412024227/http://www.ultracycling.com/old/training/neck_pain.html|archive-date=12 April 2013}}</ref> Shermer's embrace of [[scientific skepticism]] crystallized during his time as a cyclist, explaining, "I became a skeptic on Saturday, August 6, 1983, on the long climbing road to [[Loveland Pass, Colorado]]", after months of training under the guidance of a "nutritionist" with an [[school accreditation|unaccredited]] PhD. After years of practicing [[acupuncture]], [[chiropractic]], [[massage therapy]], [[negative ion]]s, [[rolfing]], [[pyramid power]], and [[fundamentalist Christianity]] to improve his life and training, Shermer stopped rationalizing the failure of these practices.<ref>Shermer (2002), pp. 13–15.</ref>

Shermer participated in the Furnace Creek 508 in October 2011, a qualifying race for RAAM, finishing second in the four man team category.<ref name="meettheskeptics"/><ref name=furnacecreek>{{cite web|url=http://dbase.adventurecorps.com/individualTd.php?e=3631|title=2011 Furnace Creek 508 – Great American Toad – team data|publisher=AdventureCORPS, Inc.|access-date=7 February 2014}}</ref>

Shermer has written on the subject of pervasive [[doping in sport|doping]] in competitive cycling and a [[game theory|game theoretic]] view of the dynamics driving the problem in several sports. He covered [[Erythropoietin#Blood doping|r-EPO doping]] and described it as widespread and well known within the sport, which was later shown to be instrumental in the [[Lance Armstrong doping case|doping scandal surrounding Lance Armstrong]] in 2010.<ref name="skepticality200">{{cite web|url=https://www.skepticality.com/200-episodes/|title=Skepticality: Episode 200. Michael Shermer|publisher=[[Skepticality]]|date=29 January 2013|access-date=3 February 2014}}, 1h20 onward</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://trueslant.com/michaelshermer/2010/07/07/nash-equilibrium-the-omerta-rule-and-doping-in-cycling/|title=Nash Equilibrium, the Omerta Rule, and Doping in Cycling|publisher=[[True/Slant]]|date=7 July 2010|access-date=7 February 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222052118/http://trueslant.com/michaelshermer/2010/07/07/nash-equilibrium-the-omerta-rule-and-doping-in-cycling/|archive-date=22 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Shermer, Michael|url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-doping-dilemma/|title=The Doping Dilemma|newspaper=[[Scientific American]]|year=2008|volume=298|issue=4|pages=82–89|doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0408-82|pmid=18380145|bibcode=2008SciAm.298d..82S|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

===Teaching===
While cycling, Shermer taught Psychology 101 during the evenings at [[Glendale Community College (California)|Glendale Community College]], a two-year college. Wanting to teach at a four-year university, he decided to earn his PhD. He lost interest in psychology and switched to studying the [[history of science]],<ref name=BestSchools/> earning his PhD at [[Claremont Graduate University]] in 1991. His dissertation was titled ''Heretic-Scientist: [[Alfred Russel Wallace]] and the Evolution of Man: A Study on the Nature of Historical Change''.<ref name="Shermer 1991">{{Cite thesis
| type              = Thesis/dissertation, Manuscript
| title             = Heretic-scientist: Alfred Russel Wallace and the evolution of man : a study on the nature of historical change.
| last              = Shermer
| first             = Michael Brant
| year              = 1991
| publisher         = Claremont Graduate School
| oclc              = 26379537
}}</ref>

Shermer then became an adjunct professor of the history of science at [[Occidental College]], California. In 2007, Shermer became a senior research fellow at Claremont Graduate University. In 2011, he worked as an adjunct professor at [[Chapman University]],<ref>Ellington, Kim; Bennett, Bo (May 7, 2014). [http://thehumanist.com/multimedia/podcast/the-humanist-hour-97-science-and-skepticism-with-michael-shermer "The Humanist Hour #97: Science and Skepticism with Michael Shermer"], TheHumanist.com. Retrieved July 5, 2017.</ref><ref>[http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=1841925 "Michael Shermer" profile] at [[RateMyProfessors.com]]. Retrieved May 3, 2015.</ref> and was later made a Presidential Fellow.<ref>[http://www.chapman.edu/our-faculty/presidential-fellows.aspx "Presidential Fellows"], [[Chapman University]] website. Retrieved July 10, 2015.</ref> At Chapman, he taught a yearly critical thinking course called Skepticism 101.<ref name=BestSchools/>

===Skeptics Society===
In 1991, Shermer and Pat Linse co-founded<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ibold|first=Hans|date=November 13, 2000|title=L.A.'s Own Ghostbuster|url=https://labusinessjournal.com/news/2000/nov/13/paranormal-las-own-ghostbuster/|journal=Los Angeles Business Journal|volume=22|issue=46|quote=Pat Linse, co-founder of the Skeptic Society in Pasadena.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Loxton|first=Daniel|date=November 2009|title=The Paradoxical Future of Skepticism|url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2009/11/the-paradoxical-future-of-skepticism/|journal=Skeptical Inquirer|publisher=Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal|volume=33|issue=6}}</ref> the [[Skeptics Society]] in Los Angeles with the assistance of Kim Ziel Shermer.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Melton|first=J. Gordon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FQFlCwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|title=The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena|publisher=Visible Ink Press|year=2008|isbn=978-1-57859-230-2|location=Detroit|pages=308|language=en}}</ref> The Skeptics Society is a non-profit organization that promotes scientific skepticism and seeks to debunk pseudoscience and irrational beliefs. It started off as a garage hobby but eventually grew into a full-time occupation. The Skeptics Society publishes the magazine [[Skeptic (U.S. magazine)|''Skeptic'']], organizes the [[Caltech Lecture Series]], and as of 2017, it had over 50,000 members.<ref name=WallStreetJournal/>

Shermer is listed as one of the scientific advisors for the [[American Council on Science and Health]] (ACSH).<ref name="ACSHScientificAdvisors">{{cite web|title=Our Team|date=30 July 2016 |url=http://acsh.org/about-acsh/scientific-advisors|access-date=April 2, 2019|publisher=American Council on Science and Health}}</ref>

===Published works===
Shermer's early writing covered cycling, followed by math and science education for children which included several collaborations with [[Arthur T. Benjamin|Arthur Benjamin]].<ref name="meettheskeptics" />

From April 2001 to January 2019, he wrote the monthly ''Skeptic'' column for ''[[Scientific American]]''.<ref name="ShermerAMA#2" /> He has also contributed to ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine.<ref>Shermer, Michael (November 25, 2014). [https://time.com/3590767/thanksgiving-lookback-time/ "The Reason Every One of Us Should Be Thankful"]. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''.</ref>

He is the author of a series of books that attempt to explain the ubiquity of irrational or poorly substantiated beliefs, including [[UFO]]s, [[Bigfoot]], and paranormal claims.<ref name=PublishersWeekly/><ref name=Commonweal>{{Cite journal|last=Bottum|first=Joseph|date=December 2, 2011|title=Science Fictions|url=http://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A274522145/ITOF?u=spl_main&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=82fef4f9|journal=Commonweal|volume=138|issue=21|pages=34+|via=Gale General OneFile}}</ref> Writing in ''[[Why People Believe Weird Things]]: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time'' (1997), Shermer refers to "patternicity", his term for [[pareidolia]] and [[apophenia]] or the willing suspension of disbelief.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Nicorvo|first=Jay Baron|date=2017-12-13|title=Why We Write: The Unwilling Suspension of Disbelief|url=https://www.pw.org/content/why_we_write_the_unwilling_suspension_of_disbelief|access-date=2021-11-09|website=Poets & Writers|language=en}}</ref> He writes in the Introduction:<blockquote>So we are left with the legacy of two types of thinking errors: ''Type 1 Error: believing a falsehood'' and ''Type 2 Error: rejecting a truth''. ... Believers in UFOs, [[alien abductions]], [[Extrasensory perception|ESP]], and [[psychic phenomena]] have committed a Type 1 Error in thinking: they are believing a falsehood. ... It's not that these folks are ignorant or uninformed; they are intelligent but misinformed. Their thinking has gone wrong.</blockquote>In ''How We Believe: The Search for God in an Age of Science'' (2000), Shermer explored the psychology behind the belief in God.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}

In February 2002, he characterized the position that "God had no part in the process [of the evolution of mankind]" as the "standard scientific theory".<ref name="SA2002-02">{{cite journal|last=Shermer|first=Michael|title=The Gradual Illumination of the Mind|url=http://www.michaelshermer.com/2002/02/the-gradual-illumination-of-the-mind/|journal=Scientific American|year=2002|volume=286|issue=2|pages=35|doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0202-35|pmid=11828698|bibcode=2002SciAm.286b..35S|access-date=17 May 2014|url-access=subscription}}</ref> This statement was criticized in January 2006 by the scientist [[Eugenie Scott]], who commented that science makes no claim about God one way or the other.<ref>[[Scott, Eugenie]]. (2006). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8RUPdH8eLk "Intelligent Design and the Creationism/Evolution Controversy"] (00:42:42~00:43:53). [[University of Michigan]]. YouTube. July 12, 2013.</ref>

Shermer's book ''In Darwin's Shadow: The Life and Science of Alfred Russel Wallace: A Biographical Study on the Psychology of History'' (2002) was based on his dissertation.<ref>van Wyhe, John (March 14, 2003). [http://human-nature.com/nibbs/03/shermer.html "''In Darwin's Shadow: The Life and Science of Alfred Russel Wallace: A Biographical Study on the Psychology of History'' by Michael Shermer"] ''Human Nature Review'', Volume 3: 166–168</ref><ref>Manning, Aubrey (2003). [http://ncse.com/rncse/23/2/review-darwins-shadow "Review: In Darwin's Shadow"]. ''[[Reports of the NCSE]]''. Volume 23. [[National Center for Science Education]]. Retrieved May 3, 2015.</ref><ref>Mallet, James (October 10, 2002). [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/taxome/jim/pap/Mallet%2002%20Shermer.Rev.pdf "Move over Darwin: A look at the co-disocoverer of natural selection. Neo-Wallaceism anyone?"]. ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'' (Vol 419), pg. 561. [[University College London]] website. Retrieved July 5, 2017.</ref>

In his book ''The Borderlands of Science'', (2001) Shermer rated several noted scientists for gullibility toward "pseudo" or "borderland" ideas, using a rating version, developed by psychologist [[Frank Sulloway]], of the [[Big Five personality traits|Big Five model of personality]]. Shermer rated Wallace extremely high (99th percentile) on [[Agreeableness|agreeableness/accommodation]] and argued that this was the key trait in distinguishing Wallace from scientists who give less credence to fringe ideas.<ref>Greenspan, Stephen (December 30, 2008). [https://books.google.com/books?id=7WT86rzx-R8C&q=Shermer%2Cdissertation&pg=PA160 ''Annals of Gullibility: Why We Get Duped and How to Avoid It'']. Praeger. p. 160. Archived at [[Google Books]]. Retrieved May 3, 2015.</ref>{{clarify|date=May 2016}}

In May 2002, Shermer and [[Alex Grobman]] published their book ''[[Denying History|Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened and Why Do They Say It?]]'', which examined and countered the [[Holocaust denial]] movement. This book recounts meeting various denialists and concludes that free speech is the best way to deal with [[pseudohistory]].

''[[Science Friction: Where the Known Meets the Unknown]]'' was released in 2005.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}

His 2006 book ''[[Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design]]'' marshals point-by-point arguments supporting [[evolution]], sharply criticizing [[intelligent design]]. This book also argues that science cannot invalidate religion, and that [[Christians]] and [[Conservatism|conservatives]] can and should accept evolution.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}

In ''The Mind of The Market: Compassionate Apes, Competitive Humans, and Other Tales from Evolutionary Economics'' (2007), Shermer reported on the findings of multiple behavioral and biochemical studies that address evolutionary explanations for modern behavior. It garnered several critical reviews from academics, with skeptic [[Robert T. Carroll]] saying: "He has been blinded by his libertarianism and seduced by the allure of evolutionary psychology to explain everything, including ethics and economics."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Carroll|first1=Robert|title=Shermer's March to Nirvana|url=http://skepdic.com/refuge/shermer.html|website=The Skeptic's Dictionary|access-date=2016-07-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Drutman|first1=Lee|title=The economics of man's nature|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jan-25-et-book25-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|date=25 January 2008 |access-date=July 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Cowen|first1=Tyler|title=For Sale: Big Ideas About Humanity|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/23/AR2008012303386.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=July 14, 2016}}</ref>

In May 2011, Shermer published ''The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies: How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths''.<ref>[https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8050-9125-0 "The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies: How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths"]. ''[[Publishers Weekly]]''. Retrieved April 23, 2018.</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Chivers, David|date=August 17, 2011|url=https://thehumanist.com/reviews/book-review-the-believing-brain-by-michael-shermer|title=Book Review: The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer|magazine=[[The Humanist (magazine)|The Humanist]]|publisher=[[American Humanist Association]]|access-date=April 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024000135/https://thehumanist.com/reviews/book-review-the-believing-brain-by-michael-shermer|archive-date=October 24, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://reason.com/archives/2011/08/02/a-trick-of-the-mind|title=A Trick of the Mind: Looking for patterns in life and then infusing them with meaning, from alien intervention to federal conspiracy.|author=Bailey, Ronald|date=August 2, 2011|magazine=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]|publisher=[[Reason Foundation]]|access-date=April 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106024938/http://reason.com/archives/2011/08/02/a-trick-of-the-mind|archive-date=January 6, 2016}}</ref> In a review for ''[[Commonweal (magazine)|Commonweal]]'', writer [[Joseph Bottum (author)|Joseph Bottum]] described Shermer as more of a popularizer of science and stated, "science emerges from ''The Believing Brain'' as a full-blown ideology, lifted out of its proper realm and applied to all the puzzles of the world."<ref name=Commonweal/>

In January 2015, Shermer published ''[[The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 1, 2014|title=Nonfiction Book Review: The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom by Michael Shermer. Holt, (576p) ISBN 978-0-8050-9691-0|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8050-9691-0|access-date=2021-11-08|website=PublishersWeekly|language=en}}</ref>

Writing for ''[[Society (journal)|Society]]'' in 2017, [[Eugene Goodheart]] noted that Shermer identified skepticism with [[scientism]] and observed that in his book ''Skeptic: Viewing the World with a Skeptical Eye'' (2016) Shermer was a "vivid and lucid" writer who imported his "political convictions into his advocacy of evolutionary theory, compromising his objectivity as a defender of science."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Goodheart|first=Eugene|date=2017-11-01|title=Michael Shermer, Skeptic: Viewing the World with a Skeptical Eye|url=https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&issn=01472011&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA545292221&sid=googleScholar&linkaccess=abs|journal=Society|language=English|volume=54|issue=6|pages=585–587|doi=10.1007/s12115-017-0195-9|s2cid=149297731|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

[[Harriet A. Hall|Harriet Hall]] said of Shermer's 2018 publication, ''Heavens on Earth'', that "the topics of ''Heavens on Earth'' are usually relegated to the spheres of philosophy and religion, but Shermer approaches them through science, looking for evidence – or lack thereof."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hall |first1=Harriet |author-link1=Harriet A. Hall |title=Tackling the Big Questions |journal=[[Skeptical Inquirer]] |year=2018 |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=59–60}}</ref>

In 2020, Shermer launched ''Giving the Devil His Due,'' a series of 30 reflections on essays that he had published the previous 15 years.<ref name=TheGuardian>{{Cite web|last=Dabhoiwala|first=Fara|date=2020-04-23|title=Giving the Devil His Due by Michael Shermer a defence of free speech|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/apr/23/giving-the-devil-his-due-by-michael-shermer-a-defence-of-free-speech|access-date=2021-12-17|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref>

===Media appearances and lectures===
[[File:Michael Shermer by Gage Skidmore.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|Shermer giving a talk at FreedomFest in Las Vegas, Nevada, in July 2016]]
Shermer appeared as a guest on ''[[Phil Donahue|Donahue]]'' in 1994 to respond to [[Bradley Smith (Holocaust denier)|Bradley Smith]]'s and [[David Cole (journalist)|David Cole]]'s [[Holocaust denial]] claims,{{episode needed|date=December 2022}} and in 1995 on ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]]'' to challenge [[Rosemary Altea]]'s psychic claims.{{episode needed|date=December 2021}}

In 1994 and 1995, Shermer made several appearances on [[NBC]]'s daytime paranormal-themed show ''The Other Side''. He proposed a skepticism-oriented reality show to the producers but it did not move forward. Several years later [[Fox Family Channel]], picked up the series.<ref name=Borderlands>Shermer, Michael (2001). ''The Borderlands of Science''. [[Oxford University Press]], pp. 10–13.</ref> In 1999, Shermer co-produced and co-hosted the [[Television networks preceding ABC Family#Fox Family|Fox Family]] TV series ''Exploring the Unknown''.<ref name=WisconsinRadio>{{Cite web|date=2017-10-26|title=Michael Shermer|url=https://www.ttbook.org/people/michael-shermer|access-date=November 5, 2021|website=To The Best Of Our Knowledge|publisher=Wisconsin Public Radio}}</ref> Budgeted at approximately $200,000 per episode, the series was viewed by Shermer as a direct extension of the work done at the Skeptics Society and ''Skeptic'' magazine, with a neutral title chosen to broaden viewership.<ref name=Borderlands/>

Shermer made a guest appearance in a 2004 episode of [[Penn & Teller]]'s ''[[Penn & Teller: Bullshit!|Bullshit!]]'', in which he argued that events in the [[Bible]] constitute "mythic storytelling", rather than events described literally. His stance was supported by the show's hosts, who have expressed their own atheism. The episode in question, ''The Bible: Fact or Fiction?'', sought to debunk the notion that the Bible is an [[empiricism|empirically]] reliable historical record. Opposing Shermer was [[Paul L. Maier]], professor of ancient history at [[Western Michigan University]].<ref name="ShermerBible">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070318221056/http://www.sho.com/site/ptbs/prevepisodes.do?episodeid=s2%2Fbible "The Bible: Fact or Fiction?"], ''[[Penn & Teller: Bullshit!]]'' Season 2. Retrieved July 5, 2017.</ref>

Shermer presented at the three [[Beyond Belief (symposium)|Beyond Belief]] events from 2006 to 2008. He has presented at several [[TED (conference)|TED conferences]] with "Why people believe strange things" in 2006,<ref>[http://www.ted.com/speakers/michael_shermer Michael Shermer: Professional Skeptic], [[TED Conference]] website, November 2006.</ref> "The pattern behind self-deception" in 2010,<ref>Shermer, Michael (February 2010). [https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_shermer_the_pattern_behind_self_deception?language=en "The pattern behind self-deception"]. TED.</ref> and "Reasonable Doubt" in 2015.<ref>{{YouTube|-qP0xUNYzXc|Reasonable Doubt}}</ref><ref>Torgovnick May, Kate (March 10, 2014). [https://blog.ted.com/the-ted2014-all-stars/ "Introducing the TED All-Stars: 50+ speakers who’ll return to the stage at TED2014"]. TED Blog.</ref>

Shermer has debated [[Deepak Chopra]] several times,<ref>[http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/05-09-28/ "The Great Debate:Deepak Chopra v. Michael Shermer"]. ''Skeptic''. September 28, 2005</ref><ref>Shermer, Michael (April 5, 2011). [http://www.skepticblog.org/2011/04/05/my-evening-with-deepak-chopra/ "The Woo of Creation:My evening with Deepak Chopra"]. Skepticblog.</ref> including on the [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] program ''[[Nightline]]'' in March 2010.<ref>Harris, Dan (March 23, 2010) [https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/FaceOff/nightline-face-off-god-future/story?id=10170505 "'Nightline' 'Face-Off': Does God Have a Future?"]. [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]].</ref>

In 2012, Shermer was one of three guest speakers<ref>Morrison, Patt (March 23, 2012). [https://www.scpr.org/programs/patt-morrison/2012/03/23/25743/rally-for-reason-atheist-to-gather-on-national-mal/ "The 'Reason Rally:' Atheists gather en masse in D.C. this weekend"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429225451/https://www.scpr.org/programs/patt-morrison/2012/03/23/25743/rally-for-reason-atheist-to-gather-on-national-mal/ |date=2018-04-29 }}. [[KPCC (radio station)|89.3 KPCC]].</ref> at the first [[Reason Rally]] in Washington, D.C., an event attended by thousands of atheists,<ref>{{Cite web|last=MacPherson|first=Robert|date=March 24, 2012|title=Thousands of US atheists turn out for 'Reason Rally'|url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/thousands-us-atheists-turn-reason-rally-221111374.html|access-date=2021-12-15|website=sg.news.yahoo.com|publisher=[[Agence France-Presse]]|language=en-SG}}</ref> where he gave a talk titled "The Moral Arc of Reason."<ref>Shermer, Michael (March 24, 2012). [https://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/the-moral-arc-of-reason/ "The Moral Arc of Reason"]. Skeptic</ref> That same year, Shermer participated in an [[Intelligence Squared]] debate titled "Science Refutes God" paired with [[Lawrence Krauss]], and opposing [[Dinesh D'Souza]] and [[Ian Hutchinson (scientist)|Ian Hutchinson.]]<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2012/12/11/166662494/does-science-refute-god "Does Science Refute God?"]. [[NPR]]. December 11, 2012</ref>

He is also an occasional guest on ''[[Skepticality]]'', the official [[podcast]] of ''Skeptic''.<ref name="skepticality2002">{{cite web|date=29 January 2013|title=Skepticality: Episode 200. Michael Shermer|url=https://www.skepticality.com/200-episodes/|access-date=3 February 2014|publisher=[[Skepticality]]}}, 1h20 onward</ref><ref>Shermer appeared on Skepticality on 29 January 2013, May 24, 2011 and July 13, 2005</ref>

Shermer appeared in the 2014 documentary ''[[Merchants of Doubt (film)|Merchants of Doubt]].''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Turran|first=Kenneth|date=2014-11-14|title=Review: 'Merchants of Doubt' shows how public opinion is manipulated|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-merchants-of-doubt-20141114-column.html|access-date=2021-12-17|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref>

== Allegations of sexual assault and harassment ==
In 2013, biology professor and blogger [[PZ Myers]] published an anonymous account of a woman who confided to him that Shermer had raped her at a conference.  Subsequently, he was accused of sexual harassment by two other women.<ref name="undark">{{Cite web|last=Schulson|first=Michael|date=2018-07-11|title=A Skeptic, a Student Newspaper, and a #MeToo Dilemma|url=https://undark.org/2018/07/11/michael-shermer-skeptic-me-too/|access-date=2021-12-17|website=Undark Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref>  Shermer has denied these allegations.<ref name="undark" /><ref>Winston, Kimberly (September 6, 2018). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/09/06/americas-leading-atheist-accused-of-sexual-misconduct-speaks-out/ "Leading atheist, accused of sexual misconduct, speaks out"]. ''[[The Washington Post]]''</ref>  In 2019, [[Illinois Wesleyan University]] canceled Shermer's visit for the President's Convocation at that institution after it learned of the sexual assault allegations.<ref>Stock, Eric (August 29, 2019). [https://www.wglt.org/post/iwu-cancels-shermer-address-amid-sexual-assault-allegations-0#stream/0 "IWU Cancels Shermer Address Amid Sexual Assault Allegations"]. WGLT.</ref>

==Personal life==
Shermer married Kim Ziel. They had one daughter together<ref name="ultrahof"/> and later divorced. On June 25, 2014, he married Jennifer Graf, a native of [[Cologne]], Germany.<ref name="SA marriage">{{cite news|url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/anomalous-events-that-can-shake-one-s-skepticism-to-the-core/|title=Anomalous Events That Can Shake One's Skepticism to the Core|author=Shermer, Michael|date=September 16, 2014|work=Scientific American|access-date=November 13, 2014}}</ref>

==Political positions==
{{Independent sources|section|date=December 2021}}
Shermer is a self-described [[Libertarianism|libertarian]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-shermer/the-case-for-libertariani_b_258500.html|title=The Case for Libertarianism|work=[[HuffPost]]|date=September 13, 2009|access-date=October 6, 2015|author=Shermer, Michael}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |last=Han |first=Sheon |date=June 30, 2022 |title=The Benefits and Challenges of Cutting Back on Meat |url=https://time.com/6192720/reducetarian-diet-benefits-challenges/ |access-date=2022-07-03 |magazine=Time |language=en}}</ref> In a 2015 interview, Shermer stated that he preferred to talk about individual issues after previous experience with people refusing to listen to him after learning he held libertarian views.<ref name="skepticality2015" />

In 2000, Shermer voted for libertarian [[Harry Browne]], on the assumption that the winner of the [[Al Gore]] – [[George W. Bush]] contest would be irrelevant. He later regretted this decision, believing that [[Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration|Bush's foreign policy]] made the world more dangerous. He voted for [[John Kerry]] in 2004. Shermer named [[Thomas Jefferson]] as his favorite president, for his championing of liberty and his application of scientific thinking to the political, economic, and social spheres.<ref name="reason">{{cite news|title=Who's Getting Your Vote?|author=Shermer, Michael|newspaper=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]|date=November 2004|url=https://reason.com/archives/2004/11/01/whos-getting-your-vote/11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-dinner-honoring-nobel-prize-winners-the-western-hemisphere | title=Remarks at a Dinner Honoring Nobel Prize Winners of the Western Hemisphere. &#124; the American Presidency Project }}</ref>

In June 2006, Shermer, who formerly expressed skepticism regarding the mainstream scientific views on [[global warming]], wrote in ''Scientific American'' magazine that, in the light of the accumulation of evidence, the position of denying global warming is no longer tenable.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&colID=13&articleID=000B557A-71ED-146C-ADB783414B7F0000 | title=The Flipping Point | newspaper=Scientific American | date=June 2006 | first=Michael | last=Shermer | access-date=2006-12-11 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014175756/http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&colID=13&articleID=000B557A-71ED-146C-ADB783414B7F0000 | archive-date=2007-10-14 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Gun control===
Shermer supports some measures to reduce gun-related violence.<ref name="skepticality2015">{{cite web|last1=Shermer|first1=Michael|title=Arcing Toward Morality – Interview with Dr. Michael Shermer|url=https://www.skepticality.com/arcing-toward-morality/|website=Skepticality|access-date=May 27, 2016|date=February 17, 2015}}</ref> He once opposed most [[gun control]] measures, primarily because of his beliefs in the principles of increasing individual freedom and decreasing government intervention, and also because he has owned guns for most of his life. As an adult, he owned a [[.357 Magnum]] [[pistol]] for a quarter of a century for protection, although he eventually took it out of the house, and then got rid of it entirely. Though he no longer owns guns, he continues to support the right to own guns to protect one's family.<ref name="Skeptic18.1">Shermer, Michael (2013). [https://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/the-sandy-hook-effect/ "The Sandy Hook Effect"]. ''Skeptic''. Vol. 18 No. 1. p. 39</ref> However, by 2013, the data on gun homicides, suicides, and accidental shootings convinced him that some modest gun control measures might be necessary.<ref>Shermer, Michael (October 2013). [https://michaelshermer.com/2013/10/when-science-doesnt-support-beliefs/ "When Science Doesn’t Support Beliefs"], ''Scientific American'', October 2013.</ref>

==Awards and honors==
* Fellow, 2001, [[Linnean Society of London]]<ref>[http://www.linnean.org/Resources/LinneanSociety/Documents/Publications/The-Linnaen/Lin%20Vol%2017_%20no%202_%20April%202001.pdf "Anniversary Meeting 2001"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513191532/http://www.linnean.org/Resources/LinneanSociety/Documents/Publications/The-Linnaen/Lin%20Vol%2017_%20no%202_%20April%202001.pdf |date=2013-05-13 }}. ''The Linnean'' (January 2004). Vol 2, No 1, p. 1 [[Linnean Society of London]].</ref>
* [[California State University, Fullerton]] Distinguished Alumni Award, 2002<ref>[http://news.fullerton.edu/2015wi/Michael-Shermer-to-Address-Library-Patrons.asp "Skeptic Magazine Founder to Address Library Patrons"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711091209/http://news.fullerton.edu/2015wi/Michael-Shermer-to-Address-Library-Patrons.asp |date=2015-07-11 }}. ''[[CSUF News]]'', [[California State University, Fullerton]]. February 17, 2015.</ref>
* NCAS Philip J. Klass Award, October 2006<ref>[http://files.ncas.org/flyers/KlassAward_program4.pdf "NCAS Philip J. Klass AwardOctober 2006"]. National Capital Area Skeptics. October 2006.</ref>
* Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, [[Whittier College]], 2008<ref name="WhittierCollege">[http://www.whittier.edu/news/105th-whittier-college-commencement-ceremony-0 "105th Whittier College Commencement Ceremony"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710233946/http://www.whittier.edu/news/105th-whittier-college-commencement-ceremony-0|date=2015-07-10}}. May 23, 2008.</ref>
* [[Independent Investigations Group]], 10th Anniversary Gala award, 2010<ref>[http://www.iigwest.com/iigawards/index.html "The IIG Celebrates its 10th Anniversary"]. [[Independent Investigations Group]]. Retrieved September 5, 2010</ref>

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin|40em}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=http://archive.org/details/sportcyclingguid00sher|title=Sport cycling: a guide to training, racing, and endurance|date=1985|publisher=Chicago : Contemporary Books|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-8092-5244-2}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=http://archive.org/details/cyclingendurance00sher|title=Cycling: endurance and speed|date=1987|publisher=Chicago : Contemporary Books|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-8092-4775-2}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=http://archive.org/details/teachyourchildsc0000sher|title=Teach your child science : making science fun for the both of you|date=1989|publisher=Los Angeles: Lowell House; Chicago: Contemporary Books|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-929923-08-6}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Benjamin|first1=Arthur|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dr455x-uoQUC|title=Mathemagics: How to Look Like a Genius Without Really Trying|last2=Shermer|first2=Michael|publisher=Lowell House|year=1994|isbn=978-1-56565-118-0|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Benjamin|first1=Arthur|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZlmcPwAACAAJ&q=editions:ISBN1565654811|title=Teach Your Child Math: Making Math Fun for the Both of You|last2=Shermer|first2=Michael B.|date=1996|publisher=Lowell House|isbn=978-1-56565-481-5|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LYIkAkBE7tsC&pg=PP1|title=Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time|publisher=Henry Holt and Company|year=1997|isbn=978-1-4299-9676-1|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6E8KAAAACAAJ&q=Michael%20Shermer%20How%20We%20Believe:%20The%20Search%20for%20God%20in%20an%20Age%20of%20Science.|title=How We Believe: The Search for God in an Age of Science|date=2000|publisher=Perfection Learning Corporation|isbn=978-0-613-35413-4|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Shermer|first1=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0CyqQgAACAAJ|title=Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened and why Do They Say It?|last2=Grobman|first2=Alex|last3=Hertzberg|first3=Arthur|date=2000|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-21612-9|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ino8DwAAQBAJ&dq=Michael%20Shermer%20the%20borderlands&pg=PP1|title=The Borderlands of Science: Where Sense Meets Nonsense|date=2002|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-515798-7|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eu9Uu3PbdcgC&pg=PP1|title=In Darwin's Shadow: The Life and Science of Alfred Russel Wallace: A Biographical Study on the Psychology of History|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2002|isbn=978-0-19-992385-4|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=|first=|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gr4snwg7iaEC&dq=The+Skeptic+Encyclopedia+of+Pseudoscience&pg=PR3|title=The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2002|isbn=978-1-57607-653-8|editor-last=Shermer|editor-first=Michael|language=en|editor-last2=Linse|editor-first2=Pat}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Shermer|first1=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8HadBpD351IC|title=The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule|last2=McFarland|first2=Dennis|publisher=Macmillan|year=2004|isbn=978-0-8050-7520-5|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iHXSxkzFgD4C&q=Science%20Friction|title=Science Friction: Where the Known Meets the Unknown|date=2005|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=978-0-8050-7708-7|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Benjamin|first1=Arthur|url=http://archive.org/details/secretsofmentalm00benj_1|title=Secrets of Mental Math|last2=Shermer|first2=Michael|publisher=Three Rivers Press|others=Internet Archive|year=2006|isbn=978-0-307-33840-2}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cye1dMqRzEQC&q=Why+Darwin+Matters|title=Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design|publisher=Macmillan|year=2006|isbn=978-0-8050-8121-3|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=https://archive.org/details/mindofmarketcomp00sher|title=The Mind of the Market: Compassionate Apes, Competitive Humans, and Other Tales from Evolutionary Economics|publisher=Macmillan|year=2007|isbn=978-1-4299-2443-6|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=http://archive.org/details/believingbrainfr0000sher|title=The believing brain : from ghosts and gods to politics and conspiracies – how we construct beliefs and reinforce them as truths|date=2011|publisher=New York : Times Books|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-8050-9125-0}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HTm3BQAAQBAJ&q=The%20Moral%20Arc|title=The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom|publisher=Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-0-8050-9691-0|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MEEhCwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|title=Skeptic: Viewing the World with a Rational Eye|publisher=Macmillan|year=2016|isbn=978-1-62779-138-0|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HSk_DwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|title=Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopia|publisher=Henry Holt and Company|year=2018|isbn=978-1-62779-857-0|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shermer|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3nzUDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|title=Giving the Devil His Due: Reflections of a Scientific Humanist|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2020|isbn=978-1-108-48978-2|language=en}}
* Shermer, Michael (2022)''. Conspiracy – Why the Rational Believe the Irrational''. Johns Hopkins University Press. {{ISBN|978-1421444451}}.
{{refend}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
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{{Library resources box|by=yes
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* {{Official website|https://www.michaelshermer.com}}
* {{C-SPAN|55438}}
* {{IMDb name|1208074|Michael Shermer}}
* {{Muckrack}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvksKPxpk1E|author=Baumann, Ben|title=#91 Conspiracy Theories with Dr. Michael Shermer|via=[[YouTube]]|publisher=Roots of Reality|language=en-US|url-status=bot: unknown|date=October 25, 2022|archive-date=June 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621125615/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvksKPxpk1E|access-date=June 21, 2023}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shermer, Michael}}
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