The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine

INSIDE SKEPTIC

in this issue

• Secrets and Plots
• Reckless Rumors
• Revolutionary Rumors
• Passion and Paranoia
• Conspiracy Nation
• Invisible Invasion?
• Imagining Enemies
• Watching for Weirdness
• Conspiracy Believers
• Deadly Delusions
• The Power of Stories
• Escaping the Rabbit Hole
• How to Help

By Daniel Loxton. This issue’s cover features a digital painting and collage by Daniel Loxton.

from the Introduction

Hello!

As the world continues the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve learned that we’re facing another enemy just as dangerous as the virus: a plague of misinformation! Even while scientists, doctors, and nurses work around the clock to prevent illness and save lives, millions of others are being misled by stories they’ve heard about shadowy groups secretly scheming against society. False rumors about wicked conspiracies are as old as time. Some seem harmless. Others cost lives. Some rumors have even changed the course of history. How do conspiracy theories work? And what can we do about them? Let’s find out!