Michael Shermer (@michaelshermer) is the founder of Skeptic magazine and several books on the nature of belief. He’s the Director of The Skeptics Society, a non-profit dedicated to the promotion of science, reason, and critical thinking. He joins us to discuss why people believe weird things. [This is a rebroadcast that originally aired in 2016.]
What We Discuss with Michael Shermer:
How do beliefs form and persist even when we know they’re wrong?
Why do skeptics (and restaurant owners) scowl at the mention of Uri Geller?
Why are smart people even more susceptible to faulty beliefs?
How do our genes influence our political and religious beliefs?
What’s the difference between a skeptic and a cynic?