From the January 2004 Scientific American Magazine | 1 comments

Bunkum! ( Preview )

Broad-mindedness is a virtue when investigating extraordinary claims, but often they turn out to be pure bunk

By Michael Shermer

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Those of us who practice skepticism for a living often find ourselves tiptoeing politely around the PC police, who think that all beliefs and opinions are equal. Thus, when asked, "Are you a debunker?" my initial instinct is to dissemble and mutter something about being an investigator, as if that will soften the blow.

But what need, really, is there to assuage? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, to debunk is to "remove the nonsense from; to expose false claims or pretensions." Bunk is slang for "humbug," and bunkum is "empty claptrap oratory." Here is some bunk that merits no brook.

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