186 Quotes by Michael Shermer

We want to be open-minded enough to accept radial new ideas when they occasionally come along, but we don't want to be so open-minded that our brains fall out.

'Are science and religion compatible?' It's like [asking]: 'Are science and plumbing compatible?' They're just two different things.

Creationists have also changed their name ... to intelligent design theorists who study 'irreducible complexity' and the 'abrupt appearance' of life-yet more jargon for 'God did it.' ... Notice that they have no interest in replacing evolution with native American creation myths or including the Code of Hammarabi alongside the posting of the Ten Commandments in public schools.

Science is a set of methods designed to describe and interpret observed or inferred phenomenon, past or present, and aimed at building a testable body of knowledge open to rejection or confirmation.

Remember always that we are pattern-seeking primates who are especially adept at finding patterns with emotional meaning.

The reason is that in a group, individual errors on either side of the true figure cancel each other out.

Dualists hold that body and soul are separate entities and that the soul will continue beyond the existence of the physical body.

Human history is highly nonlinear and unpredictable.

One, I am skeptical of the effectiveness of nutritional supplements.