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Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition

Center for Inquiry

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition brings the insightful articles from Skeptical Inquirer magazine directly to your ears. Covering topics in science, skepticism, and critical thinking, each episode features narrated versions of our most thought-provoking content. Perfect for those on the go, SI Audio Edition allows you to stay informed and inspired wherever you are. Support our work and subscribe to the print magazine at skepticalinquirer.org Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is produced at the

society & culture

All Episodes

02:29

In Memory of Lee Nisbet, CSICOP's First Executive...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/05/08

Stephen Hupp honors Lee Nisbet for his central role in founding and shaping the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (now Committee for Skeptical Inquiry), including organizing its early conferences and guiding its development. Nisbet was as an essential figure whose leadership, scholarship, and institutional groundwork helped establish and sustain the modern skeptical movement. Read this article and find accompanying references at:

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16:59

Freud's Greatest Critic: The Legacy of Frederick Crews

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/05/06

Frederick Crews devoted his career to challenging the scientific and intellectual legitimacy of Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis, ultimately arguing it lacked empirical evidence and functioned as a closed, pseudoscientific system. Through influential works like The Pooh Perplex and The Unknown Freud, he sparked major debates in academia, helping reframe Freud's legacy as culturally influential but scientifically unfounded. Read this article and find accompanying references at:

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21:10

My Memories of The Amazing Randi: Part Two

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/05/04

Banachek reflects on his experiences with James Randi, highlighting his brilliance as a publicity generator, investigator, and educator who exposed frauds such as faith healer Peter Popoff and consistently challenged paranormal claims through demonstrations and the Million Dollar Challenge. The tribute emphasizes Randi's enduring legacy as a champion of critical thinking and skepticism, whose influence continues through organizations like the James Randi Educational Foundation and the broader

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16:45

The United States of Pseudoscience

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/05/01

Nick Tiller argues that the United States is not uniquely prone to pseudoscience overall but is instead unusually divided into polarized subgroups, each with its own beliefs, trust levels, and susceptibility to misinformation. These divisions—combined with capitalism and the rapid spread of ideas in the attention economy—create ideal conditions for pseudoscience to thrive and spread globally, even as organized skepticism continues to push back against it. Read this article and find accompanying

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19:09

The Nature of Pseudoscience, How to Fight It, and Why...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/04/29

Massimo Pigliucci argues that skepticism is an ongoing, often difficult effort grounded in inquiry, ethical responsibility, and the recognition that pseudoscience will never fully disappear. Rather than aiming to "win," skeptics should focus on thoughtful dialogue, critical thinking, and incremental progress—lighting small "candles" of reason through persuasion, humility, and evidence-based engagement. Read this article and find accompanying references at:

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03:24

Unsinkable Rubber Duckies and Four-Headed Dragons

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/04/28

Fifty years after James Randi helped popularize modern skepticism, pseudoscientific beliefs remain persistent "unsinkable rubber duckies," with ideas like astrology and UFOs continuing to resurface despite decades of debunking. While organized skepticism has successfully diminished some claims, the ongoing fight shows both meaningful progress and the enduring challenge of confronting misinformation. Read this article and find accompanying references at:

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10:26

Artemis II Fails to Find Moon Cities

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/04/22

The Artemis II mission's detailed images of the Moon found no evidence of the alien structures and "skyfish" phenomena long claimed by UFO enthusiasts like Jose Escamilla, reinforcing scientific explanations over extraordinary claims. Benjamin Radford uses this case to illustrate how pareidolia and misinterpreted visual data can fuel conspiracy theories, underscoring the importance of skepticism and media literacy in evaluating sensational claims. Read this article and find accompanying references

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14:30

Nancy Guthrie Disappearance Highlights Psychic Failure

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/04/15

The disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has generated widespread attention, but the failure of psychics to provide actionable help—despite their claims—highlights a critical gap between asserted abilities and real-world results. Benjamin Radford argues that this silence exposes both the lack of evidence for psychic powers and an ethical inconsistency, suggesting that verifiable, testable predictions are the only meaningful way to evaluate such claims. Read this article and find accompanying references

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10:23

Is It Time We Stop Publishing Acupuncture Research...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/04/08

Acupuncture research from China shows an implausibly high rate of positive results, driven by systemic bias, poor methodology, and powerful cultural and political incentives that shield the practice from critical scrutiny. Rather than banning such studies outright, the article argues for stricter research standards and greater skepticism to prevent distorted evidence from shaping global health policy. Read this article and find accompanying references at:

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03:36

Magicians Penn & Teller File Brief in Junk Science...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/04/01

Stuart Vyse reports that Penn & Teller have filed an amicus brief urging the United States Supreme Court to review the conviction of death row inmate Charles Don Flores, arguing it relied on unreliable "junk science" in the form of investigative hypnosis. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/magicians-penn-teller-file-brief-in-junk-science-death-row-case/ About the Author: Stuart Vyse is a psychologist and author of Believing in Magic: The

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09:00

The Rise and Fall of Parapsychology by Alejandro Borgo

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/03/25

Alejandro Borgo traces the history of parapsychology, from its origins with the Fox sisters and the spiritualist movement to the formalization of research by Joseph Banks Rhine, who attempted to study telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinesis using experimental protocols and statistical analysis. Despite decades of experimentation worldwide, including rigorous attempts at replication, no repeatable evidence for psi phenomena has been found, leaving parapsychology in decline and its

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19:17

Responding to a Burst of Reiki from Turkey by Anthony...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/03/18

In this article, Anthony G. Wheeler examines a surge of Reiki studies published in Turkey, arguing that they promote a scientifically implausible form of "energy medicine" without addressing its lack of evidential basis or considering alternative explanations such as placebo effects and patient attention. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/responding-to-a-burst-of-reiki-from-turkey/ About the Author: Thomas J. Wheeler was a biochemistry

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13:19

Gray Barker's Legacy: Men in Black, the Philadelphia...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/03/16

In this review of The Saucerian: UFOs, Men in Black, and the Unbelievable Life of Gray Barker, Terence Hines explores Barker's complex role in shaping UFO mythology from the 1950s through the 1980s. Barker is credited with popularizing the Men in Black, the Philadelphia Experiment, and Mothman, blending fact, fiction, and mischief in a career that influenced UFO culture more than scientific understanding. Hines highlights McKee's meticulous research, showing how Barker's writings, publishing, and

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09:48

The Uninspired Conjuring: Last Rites by Kenny Biddle

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/03/13

In this review of The Conjuring: Last Rites, Kenny Biddle examines the film's claim to be "inspired" by the Smurl family haunting and finds that it bears virtually no resemblance to the documented case. Drawing on interviews, contemporary reporting, and the book The Haunted, he details how Ed and Lorraine Warren promoted sensational claims while offering no physical evidence and blocking scientific scrutiny. Biddle argues that the film abandons the historical record in favor of fictional mythology,

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14:19

The Paraben Panic: From Public Outcry to Public Harm...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/03/11

Andrea Love argues that the "paraben panic" began with a deeply flawed 2004 study and was amplified by media sensationalism, chemophobia, and low science literacy—despite decades of robust evidence showing that parabens are safe, weakly biologically active preservatives used at minuscule levels. Read this article and find accompanying references at: skepticalinquirer.org/2026/02/the-paraben-panic-from-public-outcry-to-public-harm/ About the Author: Dr. Andrea Love is an immunologist and

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09:28

Ten Trips, Five Findings, and One Unrelenting Rat by...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/03/09

Reflecting on fifty years of Skeptical Inquirer, Craig A. Foster finds that skepticism's core mission has remained remarkably consistent: confronting enduring pseudoscientific claims that rely heavily on arguments from ignorance and rarely gain credible evidence over time. While skeptics often feel disappointed by the persistence of credulity, he argues that meaningful progress will require broader public engagement and better education in intellectual humility, critical thinking, and recognizing

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06:05

We've All Been Fooled, Right? by Robyn E. Blumner

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/03/06

Robyn E. Blumner reflects on the mistaken beliefs and cultural fads she once experimented with—from religion and astrology to Ouija boards and Erich von Däniken's ancient astronaut claims—recalling how easily even curious, intelligent people can be taken in. Crediting scientific critics such as Carl Sagan and the rise of the organized skeptical movement, she argues that valuing evidence over comforting or entertaining falsehoods is a lifelong commitment—and one still worth defending today. Read this

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12:45

Organizing Doubt: Before CSICOP Had a Name by Massimo...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/03/04

Massimo Polidoro recounts the early 1970s efforts by James Randi, Martin Gardner, and Ray Hyman to create what would eventually become CSICOP, revealing that the modern skeptical movement began not with a clear structure but with strategic debates over tone, mission, funding, and even its name. Long before it had a public identity, the group wrestled with how to promote rigorous evaluation of paranormal claims without appearing merely "debunking," gradually shaping a vision centered on education,

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08:01

The Hidden Harms of Conspiracies by Benjamin Radford

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/03/02

Benjamin Radford argues that while many conspiracy theories may seem like harmless entertainment, they contain an embedded narrative of hidden enemies that can foster mistrust, alienation, and, in some cases, justify violence or harmful policy decisions. He contends that the real danger arises when conspiracy beliefs—especially when clustered together and amplified by confirmation bias—are acted upon by individuals with the will or power to influence others, making skepticism a necessary safeguard

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12:59

How Skeptics Might Save the World by Mick West

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2026/02/27

In the wake of widespread drone scares across Europe—sparked by war in Ukraine and fears of Russian "hybrid warfare"—Mick West examines how airport shutdowns, military alerts, and even assassination rumors were driven largely by eyewitness misidentifications of ordinary aircraft and lights in the sky. Drawing on investigative work from his Metabunk community and video recreations using flight data, he argues that scientific skepticism is essential for separating real threats from panic-fueled

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