MICHAEL SHERMER

We should be exploring consciousness at the neural level and higher, where the arrow of causal analysis points up toward such principles as emergence and self-organization.

The principal barrier to a general acceptance of the monist position is that it is counterintuitive.

In comparison, Google is brilliant because it uses an algorithm that ranks Web pages by the number of links to them, with those links themselves valued by the number of links to their page of origin.

We think of our eyes as video cameras and our brains as blank tapes to be filled with sensory inputs.

Mysteries once thought to be supernatural or paranormal happenings - such as astronomical or meteorological events - are incorporated into science once their causes are understood.

We know evolution happened because innumerable bits of data from myriad fields of science conjoin to paint a rich portrait of life's pilgrimage.

Scientific prayer makes God a celestial lab rat, leading to bad science and worse religion.

Science is not a thing. It's a verb. It's a way of thinking about things. It's a way of looking for natural explanations for all phenomena.

We do not just blindly concede control to authorities; instead we follow the cues provided by our moral communities on how best to behave.

Myths are stories that express meaning, morality or motivation. Whether they are true or not is irrelevant.

A Hubble Space Telescope photograph of the universe evokes far more awe for creation than light streaming through a stained glass window in a cathedral.

In my experience, people are usually fired for reasons having to do with budgetary constraints, incompetence or not fulfilling the terms of a contract.

Religious faith depends on a host of social, psychological and emotional factors that have little or nothing to do with probabilities, evidence and logic.

Mammals are sentient beings that want to live and are afraid to die. Evolution vouchsafed us all with an instinct to survive, reproduce and flourish.

Skepticism is not a position that you stake out ahead of time and stick to no matter what.

Tenure in any department is serious business, because it means, essentially, employment for life.

Skeptics question the validity of a particular claim by calling for evidence to prove or disprove it.

When alien abductees recount to me their stories, I do not deny that they had a real experience.

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

The natural inclination in all humans is to posit a force, a spirit, outside of us. That tendency toward superstitious magical thinking is just built into our nature.

I say you don't need religion, or political ideology, to understand human nature. Science reveals that human nature is greedy and selfish, altruistic and helpful.

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

Conspiracies are a perennial favorite for television producers because there is always a receptive audience.

Anecdotal thinking comes naturally; science requires training.

My libertarian beliefs have not always served me well. Like most people who hold strong ideological convictions, I find that, too often, my beliefs trump the scientific facts.