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Skeptoid Episode Guide - Logic & Persuasion

 

I Know What Scares You (Skeptoid #960) - Seven creepy stories from seven listeners, and seven guesses by me.
October 29, 2024
 
A Modern Skeptic Podcast Host (Skeptoid #950) - If I were to summarize how and why I do what I do, I might put it this way.
August 20, 2024
 
Docu Dangers: Why Science Documentaries Usually Suck (Skeptoid #941) - How we decide what makes a good topic for a skeptical documentary film.
June 18, 2024
 
How to Spot Misinformation (Skeptoid #910) - Much content online is designed for high engagement, not for accuracy.
November 14, 2023
 
How to Change a Conspiracy Theorist's Mind (Skeptoid #891) - A roundup of the ways that work — and that don't work — to help a conspiracy theorist free himself from the rabbit hole.
July 4, 2023
 
Lies, Damned Lies, and Polls (Skeptoid #883) - Watch out next time you take a poll... is someone trying to learn about you, or manipulate you?
May 9, 2023
 
What the Oil Companies Really Knew, Part 2 (Skeptoid #877) - Is it true that the oil companies knew how much harm they were doing as far back as the 1970s?
March 28, 2023
 
What the Oil Companies Really Knew, Part 1 (Skeptoid #876) - Is it true that the oil companies knew how much harm they were doing as far back as the 1970s?
March 21, 2023
 
Climate Change Checkup: 2023 Edition (Skeptoid #872) - The state of the climate so far... how we're doing, and what do we need to work on the most.
February 21, 2023
 
The Most Harmful Anti-Experts: 2023 Edition (Skeptoid #868) - Once again we round up the people working hardest to spread misinformation.
January 24, 2023
 
Marketing with Logical Fallacies (Skeptoid #861) - A look at some of the logically fallacious statements used to sell many of today's most popular products.
December 6, 2022
 
How to Spot Fake News (Skeptoid #859) - A roundup of easy techniques anyone can employ to better discern accurate news reports from false ones.
November 22, 2022
 
The Episodes That Changed My Mind, Part 2 (Skeptoid #847) - Some more of the episodes where I went in with one idea, and came out with another.
August 30, 2022
 
The Episodes That Changed My Mind, Part 1 (Skeptoid #846) - Some of the episodes where I went in expecting one thing, but found something different.
August 23, 2022
 
Your Ghostliest Tales, Explained (Skeptoid #817) - In which we hear, analyze, and attempt to explain the ghostly personal stories you've sent in.
February 1, 2022
 
9/11 Truthers, 20 Years Later (Skeptoid #796) - 20 years after the worst terrorist attack on American soil, the conspiracy theories are still thriving -- just as we should expect.
September 7, 2021
 
Your Turn Again (Skeptoid #792) - In which I take a shot at trying to explain some of the weirdest stories sent in by listeners.
August 10, 2021
 
Top 10 Pro-Science Fictional Characters (Skeptoid #773) - A roundup of all the best pro-science characters from your favorite books, movies, and TV shows.
March 30, 2021
 
Elvis Sightings and You (Skeptoid #763) - People keep thinking Elvis is still alive -- and here's why that matters to you.
January 19, 2021
 
Rethinking Plastic Straw Bans (Skeptoid #717) - Bans on plastic drinking straws are a solution in search of a problem.
March 3, 2020
 
History's Smallest Underground War (Skeptoid #696) - The public's zeal for sensationalism over facts can sometimes have deadly consequences.
October 8, 2019
 
FLICC: 5 Techniques of Science Denial (Skeptoid #691) - One popular rubric for identifying the common techniques used by science deniers.
September 3, 2019
 
Your Weirdest Thing, Vol. 2 (Skeptoid #686) - I give my thoughts trying to solve some of your weirdest experiences.
July 30, 2019
 
Your Weirdest Thing, Vol. 1 (Skeptoid #685) - I take a shot at critical analysis of your weirdest experiences.
July 23, 2019
 
Glyphosate and Behavioral Economics (Skeptoid #676) - How misinformation spread over one of the safest herbicides becoming known as one of the most harmful.
May 21, 2019
 
Vaccine Denial: Failure Mode Analysis (Skeptoid #662) - The surprising history of how medical science's greatest success has become vilified by so many people.
February 12, 2019
 
Stonehenge and the Scope of Uncertainty (Skeptoid #655) - There are things we don't know about Stonehenge, but does that mean we know nothing at all?
December 25, 2018
 
I Believe (Skeptoid #650) - Your beliefs are fallible and can fool you. Be willing to change your mind based on new information.
November 20, 2018
 
Are You Living in a Simulation? (Skeptoid #622) - An exploration of the thought experiment that seeks to determine whether we're living in a computer simulation.
May 8, 2018
 
10 Great Science Hoaxes (Skeptoid #617) - A look at those few times when hoaxers came closest to fooling those who knew better.
April 3, 2018
 
A Musical Retrospective (Skeptoid #600) - Everything you didn't know about ten years of Skeptoid musical episodes, including the reason.
December 5, 2017
 
How to Assess a Documentary (Skeptoid #596) - Some tips to assess whether a documentary is good science or just propaganda.
November 7, 2017
 
Skepticism vs Cynicism (Skeptoid #590) - The line between skepticism and cynicism is a bit too blurry for many people. Today we bring it into focus.
September 26, 2017
 
Celebrity Pseudoscience: 2017 Edition (Skeptoid #588) - A look at which celebrities are currently working hardest to erode the public intellect.
September 12, 2017
 
What Makes a Good Podcast Episode? (Skeptoid #587) - Stories about urban legends are at their best when there are real people at their center.
September 5, 2017
 
Are You Following a Crank? (Skeptoid #581) - Let's have a look at the traits that define a crank, to make sure your new hero isn't one.
July 25, 2017
 
How to Surprise a Skeptical Podcaster, Part 2 (Skeptoid #575) - Here are the podcast episodes with conclusions that surprised me the most (part 2).
June 13, 2017
 
How to Surprise a Skeptical Podcaster, Part 1 (Skeptoid #574) - Here are the podcast episodes with conclusions that surprised me the most (part 1).
June 6, 2017
 
There Is No Finland: Birth of a Conspiracy Theory (Skeptoid #573) - A study of how a conspiracy theory as absurd as "There is no Finland" can even exist.
May 30, 2017
 
Principles of Curiosity (Skeptoid #569) - Three simple steps anyone can follow to learn to tell what's true and what's not.
May 2, 2017
 
The Simple Proof of Man-Made Global Warming (Skeptoid #549) - The two most basic Smoking Guns proving that carbon from fossil fuels is warming the Earth.
December 13, 2016
 
White Hat Journal Hoaxes (Skeptoid #543) - Sometimes the best way to scrutinize an open access journal is to hoax them.
November 1, 2016
 
Don't Try It Before You Knock It (Skeptoid #533) - Try it before you knock it… unless you want to know if it really works.
August 23, 2016
 
No, You Shouldn't Question Everything (Skeptoid #530) - Pop wisdom continually reminds us to Question Everything -- an idea which is rarely either practical or useful.
August 2, 2016
 
The New Flat Earthers (Skeptoid #521) - The reinvented Flat Earth fad is less about geophysics and more about conspiracy mongering.
May 31, 2016
 
Your Thoughts on Making Skepticism Commercial (Skeptoid #514) - A proposal for how we can make skeptical programming more attractive to a larger audience.
April 12, 2016
 
Bad Skepticism: Why You Should Challenge Popular Assumptions (Skeptoid #506) - From swamp gas and waterspouts to alternative medicine, the harm of not challenging popular assumptions.
February 16, 2016
 
Bad Science on PBS (Skeptoid #503) - The reasons why PBS is so quick to promote pseudoscience informercials during pledge drives.
January 26, 2016
 
A Little Curiosity (Skeptoid #500) - If you haven't yet found your curiosity in the first 500 episodes of Skeptoid, find it here.
January 5, 2016
 
Holocaust Denial (Skeptoid #485) - Why some people think the Holocaust never happened, and what to do about it.
September 22, 2015
 
Franklin's Cannibals (Skeptoid #482) - The fate of Sir John Franklin's Lost Expedition gives a valuable lesson in types of evidence.
September 1, 2015
 
The Nazi of Nanking (Skeptoid #480) - This most unlikely of guardian angels saved hundreds of thousands of Chinese lives.
August 18, 2015
 
Chemicals (Skeptoid #479) - Chemicals are deadly, delicious, essential and basically, everything.
August 11, 2015
 
The Chess-Playing Mechanical Turk (Skeptoid #476) - An overview of the amazing chess playing robot of the 1700s.
July 21, 2015
 
Agenda 21 (Skeptoid #465) - A look at the conspiratorial hysteria and sensationalism surrounding the United Nations' Agenda 21.
May 5, 2015
 
A Skeptical Look at the News (Skeptoid #439) - How we look at the news is as important as where we get it.
November 4, 2014
 
It's Just Science (Skeptoid #400) - Some pseudoscience promoters attack the messenger rather than the evidence.
February 4, 2014
 
The JFK Assassination (Skeptoid #389) - After so many decades, the number of incompatible conspiracy theories about the death of JFK continues to grow.
November 19, 2013
 
Asking the Socratic Questions (Skeptoid #384) - A line of reasoning named for Socrates helps us help believers in the strange re-examine their beliefs.
October 15, 2013
 
The Science of Muzak (Skeptoid #370) - Background music really can influence our buying decisions in a shopping environment.
July 9, 2013
 
Legislating Pseudoscience (Skeptoid #368) - Lawmakers are often pressured by ideologues to pass laws based on bad science.
June 25, 2013
 
Top 10 Best Pro-Science Celebrities (Skeptoid #349) - A list of ten Hollywood celebrities who have leveraged their fame into the promotion of science.
February 12, 2013
 
How to Tell a Good Website from a Crap Website (Skeptoid #336) - How to tell whether a science article on the web is reliable or not.
November 13, 2012
 
Al-Ghazali and Arab-Islamic Science (Skeptoid #316) - Some say that Persian theologian al-Ghazali was solely responsible for the end of the Golden Age of science.
June 26, 2012
 
The Science and Politics of Global Warming (Skeptoid #309) - How global warming became the poster boy for failed science communication.
May 8, 2012
 
The Secret of the Gypsy Queen (Skeptoid #300) - A little girl saves her kingdom when she is the only one who does not fall for the pop pseudoscience of the day.
March 6, 2012
 
A Magical Journey through the Land of Reasoning Errors (Skeptoid #297) - Four common types of analytical errors in reasoning that we all need to beware of.
February 14, 2012
 
Approaching a Subject Skeptically (Skeptoid #290) - My process for examining a new topic, to learn whether it's fact or fiction.
December 27, 2011
 
The Science of Voting (Skeptoid #281) - Most election methods are fundamentally broken, but can be fixed with any of a number of tweaks.
October 25, 2011
 
Zeno's Paradoxes (Skeptoid #267) - Greek philosopher Zeno apparently proved that movement was impossible with a few simple paradoxes.
July 19, 2011
 
Conspiracy Theorists Aren't Crazy (Skeptoid #264) - We usually dismiss conspiracy theorists as crazy people; but that doesn't tell the whole story.
June 28, 2011
 
Some New Logical Fallacies (Skeptoid #217) - Skeptoid looks at some newer logical fallacies, often used in place of sound arguments.
August 3, 2010
 
Emergency Handbook: What to Do When a Friend Loves Woo (Skeptoid #187) - How you can help a friend or loved one with a potentially harmful pseudoscientific belief
January 5, 2010
 
Should Science Debate Pseudoscience? (Skeptoid #167) - When scientists publicly debate promoters of pseudoscience, they often do more harm than good.
August 18, 2009
 
How to Make Skepticism Commercial (Skeptoid #163) - Critical thinking offers the opposite of what seems to be popular, yet we can still make it commercial.
July 21, 2009
 
Sarah Palin Is Not Stupid (Skeptoid #160) - Good arguments often go unused because poor arguments like ad hominems are so much easier.
June 30, 2009
 
NLP: Neuro-linguistic Programming (Skeptoid #155) - Some regard Neuro-linguistic Programming as a psychotherapy breakthrough, some as a New Age self-help trend.
May 26, 2009
 
Who Is Closed Minded, the Skeptic or the Believer? (Skeptoid #134) - Skeptics and believers both tend to accuse each other of closed-mindedness in their thinking.
December 30, 2008
 
How to Be a Skeptic and Still Have Friends (Skeptoid #116) - Being known as a skeptic is not necessarily good for your social life. Here's how to overcome the difficulties.
August 26, 2008
 
Despicable Vulture Scumbags (Skeptoid #89) - My thoughts on a company that sells useless pseudoscientific hardware to an ALS victim.
February 26, 2008
 
A Magical Journey through the Land of Logical Fallacies, Part 2 (Skeptoid #74) - The second part of our exploration of logical fallacies.
November 13, 2007
 
A Magical Journey through the Land of Logical Fallacies, Part 1 (Skeptoid #73) - An examination of many of the most common logical fallacies.
November 6, 2007
 
Subliminal Seduction (Skeptoid #63) - Wilson Key's magnum opus textbook about subliminal advertising was almost pure fiction.
August 28, 2007
 
Science Magazines Violating Their Own Missions (Skeptoid #52) - Science magazines continue to undermine themselves by publishing ads for pseudoscientific products.
June 30, 2007
 
The Importance of Teaching Critical Thinking (Skeptoid #45) - Teaching critical thinking to students needs to be much more than simply asking the Socratic questions.
May 16, 2007
 
How to Spot Pseudoscience (Skeptoid #37) - This 15-point checklist will help you tell science from pseudoscience.
April 6, 2007
 
Scientists Are Not Created Equal (Skeptoid #25) - The word "scientist" can mean just about anything you want it to mean.
February 5, 2007
 
The "New" Bill of Rights (Skeptoid #18) - An amended Bill of Rights to better reflect modern American values.
January 1, 2007
 
A Primer on Scientific Testing (Skeptoid #13) - Understand the basics of scientific testing.
December 11, 2006
 
An Evolution Primer for Young Earth Creationists (Skeptoid #10) - Evolution 101 for Young Earth Creationists who want to know better.
November 30, 2006
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

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