Does the Philosophy of "the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number" Have Any Merit?
Utilitarianism and its discontents
Stories by Michael Shermer
The Number of Americans with No Religious Affiliation Is Rising
The rise of the atheists
Is Truth an Outdated Concept?
Are we living in a post-truth world?
Our Actions Don't Matter in a Cosmic Sense--but That Doesn't Mean They Don't Matter
Science reveals our deepest purpose
Can We Agree to Outlaw War--Again?
Why “outcasting” works better than violence
Does Success Come Mostly from Talent, Hard Work--or Luck?
Does it come from talent, hard work—or luck?
Belief in Aliens May Be a Religious Impulse
Is belief in aliens a religious impulse?
The Unfortunate Fallout of Campus Postmodernism
The roots of the current campus madness
It Was Necessary to Use Nukes against Japan--but North Korea Is More Complicated
Kim Jong-un's increasing threats bring to mind the world's only nuclear attack, which happened 72 years ago this week
Are We All Racists Deep Inside?
Private thoughts and public acts
Why the "You" in an Afterlife Wouldn't Really Be You
Memories, points of view and the self
No, There Wasn't an Advanced Civilization 12,000 Years Ago
Did an advanced civilization disappear more than 12,000 years ago?
We've Known for 400 Years That Torture Doesn't Work
Why torture doesn't work
What Would It Take to Prove the Resurrection?
How to think about claims, even the Resurrection
Artificial Intelligence Is Not a Threat--Yet
Artificial intelligence as existential threat
Why Humans Prefer to Be the Center of the Universe
Science contemplates the incomprehensible
How to Convince Someone When Facts Fail
Why worldview threats undermine evidence
Beware Bogus Theories of Sexual Orientation
A new battle over sexual orientation
These Truths Are Not Self-Evident—but They've Been Firmly Established Over and Over by Scientific Research
A compendium of irrefutable facts for these fact-starved times
