Home / Authors / Michael Shermer

Michael Shermer

Michael Shermer Quotes

Writer

Michael Shermer is an American writer, historian, and science writer. Born on September 8, 1954, he is known for his research on science, pseudoscience, and rational behavior. Shermer is a contributing writer for 'Scientific American' magazine and the founder and publisher of 'Skeptic' magazine. His writings cover a wide range of topics from history to scientific philosophy.

Filter quotes by topic

All Thinking Believe Evolution Humans World Doe Science Skepticism Atheism Belief Moral Brain Design Ifs Myth Patterns People Religion Religious Skeptic

Famous Michael Shermer Quotes

“No such individual would find the Golden Rule surprising in any way because at its base lies the foundation of most human interactions and exchanges and it can be found in countless texts throughout recorded history and from around the world - a testimony to its universality.”

World Way Humans Lying Found Individual Foundation Golden Around The World Surprising Interaction Testimony Golden Rule Universality

Book:The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule

Source: The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule

“In the past 10,000 years, humans have devised roughly 100,000 religions based on roughly 2,500 gods. So the only difference between myself and the believers is that I am skeptical of 2,500 gods whereas they are skeptical of 2,499 gods. We're only one God away from total agreement.”

Years Humans God Funny Past Religion Differences Atheism Atheist Believer Agreement Skepticism Skeptical Funny Atheist

Author:Michael Shermer

“Since humans are by nature tribal, the overall goal is to expand the concept of the tribe to include ALL members of the species, in a global free society.”

Humans Goal Members Concepts Species Tribes Free Society

Author:Michael Shermer

“Humans evolved brains that are pattern-recognition machines, adept at detecting signals that enhance or threaten survival amid a very noisy world. ... But there is only one surefire method of proper pattern recognition, and that is science.”

World Humans Brain Survival Machines Method Patterns Recognition Signals Noisy Adept

Author:Michael Shermer

“Human history is highly nonlinear and unpredictable.”

Humans Unpredictable Human History Nonlinear

Book:Skeptic: Viewing the World with a Rational Eye

Source: Skeptic: Viewing the World with a Rational Eye

“Humans are, by nature, pattern-seeking, storytelling animals, and we are quite adept at telling stories about patterns whether they exist or not.”

Humans Stories Animal Patterns Seeking Storytelling Programming Telling Stories Adept

Author:Michael Shermer

“My thesis is that morality exists outside the human mind in the sense of being not just a trait of individual humans, but a human trait; that is, a human universal.”

Mind Humans Individual Morality Universal Human Mind Traits Thesis

Book:The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule

Source: The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule

“The recent medical controversy over whether vaccinations cause autism reveals a habit of human cognition — thinking anecdotally comes naturally, whereas thinking scientifically does not.”

Thinking Humans Doe Causes Habit Medical Autism Controversy Cognition Vaccinations

Author:Michael Shermer

“The human capacity for self-delusion is boundless, and the effects of belief are overpowering.”

Humans Self Belief Effects Capacity Delusion Boundless Self Delusion Overpowering Human Capacity

Book:Skeptic: Viewing the World with a Rational Eye

Source: Skeptic: Viewing the World with a Rational Eye

“Machine intelligence of a human nature could be a century away, and immortality is at least a millennium away, if not unattainable altogether.”

Ifs Humans Century Human Nature Machines Immortality Millennium Unattainable

Author:Michael Shermer

“Myths are about the human struggle to deal with the great passages of time and life--birth, death, marriage, the transitions from childhood to adulthood to old age. They meet a need in the psychological or spiritual nature of humans that has absolutely nothing to do with science. To try to turn a myth into a science, or a science into a myth, is an insult to myths, an insult to religion, and an insult to science. In attempting to do this, creationists have missed the significance, meaning, and sublime nature of myths. They took a beautiful story of creation and re-creation and ruined it.”