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The Bizarre Quniverse of Qanon Conspiracies Stephanie Kemmerer Hypnotism Revisited | Tragedy of Our Commons | Ambrose Bierce | Pet Acupuncture | Best Explanations Vol. 45 No. 2 | March/April 2021 The Bizarre Quniverse of QAnon Conspiracies Stephanie Kemmerer Science: Truth’s Gold Standard Richard Dawkins Behe, Bias, and Bears (Oh My!) Nathan Lents Philosophical Magisterium? Charles H. Jones & Massimo Pigliucci A Psychic Detective Tragedy Benjamin Radford Committee for Skeptical Inquiry | www.skepticalinquirer.org Robyn E. Blumner,* President and CEO Joe Nickell, Senior Research Fellow Benjamin Radford, Research Fellow Barry Karr,* Executive Director Massimo Polidoro, Research Fellow Richard Wiseman, Research Fellow Fellows James E. Alcock*, psychologist, York Univ., Toronto Krista Federspiel, medical journalist, author, Jere Lipps, Museum of Paleontology, Univ. of CA, Benjamin Radford, investigator; research fellow, Marcia Angell MD, former editor-in-chief, folklorist Berkeley Committee for Skeptical Inquiry New England Journal of Medicine Kevin Folta, molecular biologist. Professor and Elizabeth Loftus, professor of psychology, Univ. Amardeo Sarma*, chairman, GWUP, Germany Kimball Atwood IV MD, physician, author, Newton, chairman of the Horticultural Sciences Department of CA, Irvine Richard Saunders, Life Member of Australian MA at the University of Florida William M. London, professor of public health, Skeptics; educator; investigator; podcaster; Banachek, professional magician/mentalist magic Barbara Forrest, professor of philosophy, California State University, Los Angeles Sydney, Australia consultant/producer SE Louisiana Univ. Daniel Loxton, writer, artist, editor, Skeptic Joe Schwarcz, director, McGill Office for Science Stephen Barrett MD, psychiatrist, author, consumer Andrew Fraknoi, astronomer, U. of San Francisco magazine and Society advocate, Pittsboro, NC Kendrick Frazier*, science writer, editor, SKEPTICAL Michael E. Mann, distinguished Professor of Eugenie C. Scott*, physical anthropologist, former Robert Bartholomew, sociologist and investigative INQUIRER Atmospheric Sciences and director of the Earth executive director (retired), National Center for journalist, Botany College in Auckland, Christopher C. French, professor, department of Systems Sciences Center at the Pennsylvania State Science Education New Zealand. psychology, and head of the Anomalistic Psychology University Seth Shostak, senior astronomer, SETI Institute, Jann Johnson Bellamy, attorney, writer for Science- Research Unit, Goldsmiths College, Univ. of London David Marks, psychologist, City Univ., London Mountain View, CA Based Medicine blog, Tallahassee, FL Julia Galef, writer, podcaster, public speaker Mario Mendez-Acosta, journalist and science Simon Singh, science writer; broadcaster; UK Kenny Biddle, investigator, writer, podcaster, public Luigi Garlaschelli, chemist, Università di Pavia writer, Mexico City Dick Smith, film producer, publisher, Terrey Hills, speaker (Italy), research fellow of CICAP, the Italian skeptics Kenneth R. Miller, professor of biology, Brown Univ. N.S.W., Australia Irving Biederman, psychologist, Univ. of Southern group David Morrison, space scientist, NASA Ames Keith E. Stanovich, cognitive psychologist; CA Maryanne Garry, professor, School of Psychology, Research Center professor of human development and applied Sandra Blakeslee, science writer; author; New York Victoria Univ. of Wellington, New Zealand Richard A. Muller, professor of physics, Univ. of psychology, Univ. of Toronto Times science correspondent Susan Gerbic, founder and leader of the Guerrilla CA, Berkeley Karen Stollznow, linguist; skeptical investigator; Susan Blackmore, visiting lecturer, Univ. of the West Skepticism on Wikipedia (GSoW) project Joe Nickell, senior research fellow, CSI writer; podcaster of England, Bristol Thomas Gilovich, psychologist, Cornell Univ. Jan Willem Nienhuys, mathematician, Waalre, The Jill Cornell Tarter, astronomer, SETI Institute, Mark Boslough, physicist, Sandia National David H. Gorski, cancer surgeon and researcher at Netherlands Mountain View, CA Laboratories (retired), Albuquerque, New Mexico Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and chief Lee Nisbet, philosopher, Medaille College Carol Tavris, psychologist and author, Los Angeles, Henri Broch, physicist, Univ. of Nice, France of breast surgery section, Wayne State University Matthew C. Nisbet, professor of communication, CA Jan Harold Brunvand, folklorist, professor emeritus School of Medicine public policy, and public affairs, Northeastern David E. Thomas, physicist and mathematician, of English, Univ. of Utah Wendy M. Grossman, writer; founder and first University, Boston Socorro, NM Sean B. Carroll, molecular geneticist, vice editor, The Skeptic magazine (UK) Steven Novella MD, assistant professor of Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and director, president for science education, Howard Hughes Susan Haack, Cooper Senior Scholar in Arts and neurology, Yale Univ. School of Medicine Hayden Planetarium, New York City Medical Institute, Madison, WI Sciences, professor of philosophy and professor of Bill Nye, science educator and television host, James Underdown, writer, investigator, founder Thomas R. Casten, energy expert; founder and Law, Univ. of Miami Nye Labs of Center for Inquiry Investigations Group (CFIIG), chair, Recycled Energy Development, Westmont, IL Harriet Hall MD, family physician, investigator, James E. Oberg, science writer Los Angeles Timothy Caulfield, professor of health law and Puyallup, WA Paul Offit, physician, author, researcher, professor, Joseph Uscinski, political scientist, University policy, University of Alberta, Canada David J. Helfand, professor of astronomy, Columbia Univ. of Pennsylvania of Miami K.C. Cole, science writer, author, professor, Univ. Univ. Naomi Oreskes, geologist, science historian, Bertha Vazquez, science teacher, director of the of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Terence M. Hines, prof. of psychology, Pace Univ., professor, Harvard University Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science (TIES) Journalism Pleasantville, NY Loren Pankratz, psychologist, Oregon Health Indre Viskontas, cognitive neuroscientist, tv and John Cook, Center for Climate Change Douglas R. Hofstadter, professor of human Sciences Univ. podcast host, and opera singer, San Francisco, CA Communication, George Mason University, Virginia understanding and cognitive science, Indiana Univ. Jay M. Pasachoff, Field Memorial Professor of Marilyn vos Savant, Parade magazine contributing Frederick Crews, literary and cultural critic, Gerald Holton, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics Astronomy and director of the Hopkins Observatory, editor professor emeritus of English, Univ. of CA, Berkeley and professor of history of science, Harvard Univ. Williams College Stuart Vyse*, psychologist, professor, author Richard Dawkins, zoologist, Oxford Univ. Deborah Hyde, folklorist, cultural anthropologist, Natalia Pasternak, microbiologist, writer, president, Steven Weinberg, professor of physics and Geoffrey Dean, technical editor, Perth, Australia and former editor in chief of the UK-based Instituto Questão de Ciência, São Paulo, Brazil astronomy, Univ. of Texas at Austin; Nobel laureate Cornelis de Jager, professor of astrophysics, Univ. magazine The Skeptic John Paulos, mathematician, Temple Univ. Mick West, writer, podcaster, investigator, debunker, of Utrecht, the Netherlands Ray Hyman*, psychologist, Univ. of Oregon Clifford A. Pickover, scientist, author, editor, IBM Folsom, CA Daniel C. Dennett, Univ. professor and Austin B. Stuart D. Jordan, NASA astrophysicist emeritus, T.J. Watson Research Center E.O. Wilson, Univ. professor emeritus, organismic Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, director of science advisor to Center for Inquiry Office of Public Massimo Pigliucci, professor of philosophy, City and evolutionary biology, Harvard Univ. Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts Univ. Policy, Washington, D.C. Univ. of New York–Lehman College Richard Wiseman, psychologist, Univ. of Ann Druyan, writer and producer; CEO, Cosmos Barry Karr, executive director, Committee for Steven Pinker, cognitive scientist, Harvard Univ. Hertfordshire, England Studios, Ithaca, NY Skeptical Inquiry, Amherst, New York Massimo Polidoro, science writer, author, executive Benjamin Wolozin, professor, department of Sanal Edamaruku, president, Indian Rationalist Edwin C. Krupp, astronomer, director, Griffith director of CICAP, Italy pharmacology, Boston Univ. School of Medicine Association and Rationalist International Observatory, Los Angeles, CA James L Powell, geochemist, author, executive Edzard Ernst, professor, Complementary Medicine, Lawrence Kusche, science writer director, National Physical Science Consortium Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter Stephan Lewandowsky, psychologist, researcher, Anthony R. Pratkanis, professor of psychology, and Plymouth, Exeter, UK Univ. of Bristol, United Kingdom Univ. of California, Santa Cruz Kenneth Feder, professor of anthropology, Lin Zixin, former editor, Science and Technology Donald R. Prothero, paleontologist, geologist, author, *Member, CSI Executive Council Central Connecticut State Univ. Daily (China) National History Museum of Los Angeles County (Affiliations given for identification only.) The SKEPTICAL INQUIRER (ISSN 0194-6730) is published bimonthly by Manuscripts, letters, books for review, and editorial inquiries should Subscriptions and changes of address should be addressed to: the Center for Inquiry in association with the Committee for Skeptical be sent to
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