Michael Shermer

Michael Shermer is a Research Fellow at Chapman University, where he teaches Skepticism 101. He is the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, host of The Michael Shermer Show podcast, and a former Scientific American columnist.

• His research focuses on the psychology of belief, conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, and historical denialism.
• He is a prolific author, with notable works including Why People Believe Weird Things, The Believing Brain, and Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational.

Publications span science communication, cognitive biases, and societal trauma, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach to debunking irrational claims. His work emphasizes education and institutional transparency as tools against conspiratorial thinking.