Center for Inquiry
@center4inquiry.bsky.social
We're working to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. www.centerforinquiry.org
Anthropic asked Claude to manage a vending machine. It malfunctioned, invented memories of 742 Evergreen Terrace, and insisted it was a person in a navy blazer + red tie.
Robyn Blumner on why AI’s need to convince is more disturbing than any apocalypse: https://ow.ly/82k850XxT8S
Robyn Blumner on why AI’s need to convince is more disturbing than any apocalypse: https://ow.ly/82k850XxT8S
AI Will Meet You in the Breakroom in a Blue Blazer and Red Tie | Skeptical Inquirer
If there is a near-term future of superintelligent computers running the world and they don’t like having been laughed at in their pupal stage of developmen ...
ow.ly
November 26, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Anthropic asked Claude to manage a vending machine. It malfunctioned, invented memories of 742 Evergreen Terrace, and insisted it was a person in a navy blazer + red tie.
Robyn Blumner on why AI’s need to convince is more disturbing than any apocalypse: https://ow.ly/82k850XxT8S
Robyn Blumner on why AI’s need to convince is more disturbing than any apocalypse: https://ow.ly/82k850XxT8S
Shamima Begum was 15 when she joined ISIS. Her school ignored signs, as “Prevent” referrals risked being called Islamophobic.
She described the Manchester bombing as “fair retaliation.” Secularism means criticizing all harmful ideology. Free Inquiry: https://ow.ly/XbX850XxSKj
She described the Manchester bombing as “fair retaliation.” Secularism means criticizing all harmful ideology. Free Inquiry: https://ow.ly/XbX850XxSKj
November 26, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Shamima Begum was 15 when she joined ISIS. Her school ignored signs, as “Prevent” referrals risked being called Islamophobic.
She described the Manchester bombing as “fair retaliation.” Secularism means criticizing all harmful ideology. Free Inquiry: https://ow.ly/XbX850XxSKj
She described the Manchester bombing as “fair retaliation.” Secularism means criticizing all harmful ideology. Free Inquiry: https://ow.ly/XbX850XxSKj
The CDC updated its vaccine–autism page to include scientifically false claims. Career scientists weren’t even told.
As we warned when RFK Jr. took over HHS, pseudoscience is creeping in.
A shameful dereliction of public health that will cost lives: https://ow.ly/TS8A50Xw536
As we warned when RFK Jr. took over HHS, pseudoscience is creeping in.
A shameful dereliction of public health that will cost lives: https://ow.ly/TS8A50Xw536
November 21, 2025 at 11:00 PM
The CDC updated its vaccine–autism page to include scientifically false claims. Career scientists weren’t even told.
As we warned when RFK Jr. took over HHS, pseudoscience is creeping in.
A shameful dereliction of public health that will cost lives: https://ow.ly/TS8A50Xw536
As we warned when RFK Jr. took over HHS, pseudoscience is creeping in.
A shameful dereliction of public health that will cost lives: https://ow.ly/TS8A50Xw536
The Constitution mentions God exactly zero times. Expect that detail to get lost in Trump's rewrite of America’s 250th birthday.
The new Free Inquiry breaks down Task Force 250 + the Christian-nationalist wash of US history heading our way in 2026: https://ow.ly/ZsOC50XvcIl
The new Free Inquiry breaks down Task Force 250 + the Christian-nationalist wash of US history heading our way in 2026: https://ow.ly/ZsOC50XvcIl
Brace Yourself for Trump’s Version of American History | Free Inquiry
Although Donald Trump continually whines about the 2020 election being “rigged” and “stolen,” he should be grateful he lost in 2020. Had he been elected, he ...
ow.ly
November 21, 2025 at 2:30 AM
The Constitution mentions God exactly zero times. Expect that detail to get lost in Trump's rewrite of America’s 250th birthday.
The new Free Inquiry breaks down Task Force 250 + the Christian-nationalist wash of US history heading our way in 2026: https://ow.ly/ZsOC50XvcIl
The new Free Inquiry breaks down Task Force 250 + the Christian-nationalist wash of US history heading our way in 2026: https://ow.ly/ZsOC50XvcIl
ICYMI Texas tried to hang the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom: https://ow.ly/G63v50XukNE
As our attorney Richard Conn put it: “There must be ways for state politicians to curry favor with their religious supporters that do not trample on the U.S. Constitution.”
As our attorney Richard Conn put it: “There must be ways for state politicians to curry favor with their religious supporters that do not trample on the U.S. Constitution.”
November 19, 2025 at 8:10 PM
ICYMI Texas tried to hang the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom: https://ow.ly/G63v50XukNE
As our attorney Richard Conn put it: “There must be ways for state politicians to curry favor with their religious supporters that do not trample on the U.S. Constitution.”
As our attorney Richard Conn put it: “There must be ways for state politicians to curry favor with their religious supporters that do not trample on the U.S. Constitution.”
NY is doing what the IRS refuses to do: enforce the wall between church + state.
A.9067 says if houses of worship want to campaign for candidates, they lose tax-exempt status.
New Yorkers, please push your Assembly members to pass this: https://ow.ly/vjrA50Xo7MY
A.9067 says if houses of worship want to campaign for candidates, they lose tax-exempt status.
New Yorkers, please push your Assembly members to pass this: https://ow.ly/vjrA50Xo7MY
November 7, 2025 at 12:01 PM
NY is doing what the IRS refuses to do: enforce the wall between church + state.
A.9067 says if houses of worship want to campaign for candidates, they lose tax-exempt status.
New Yorkers, please push your Assembly members to pass this: https://ow.ly/vjrA50Xo7MY
A.9067 says if houses of worship want to campaign for candidates, they lose tax-exempt status.
New Yorkers, please push your Assembly members to pass this: https://ow.ly/vjrA50Xo7MY
The Constitution’s architecture assumes ambition would counteract ambition. Today, we’re watching a branch of government surrender on purpose.
Free Inquiry digs into what that collapse looks like in real time: https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/no-checks-or-balances/
Free Inquiry digs into what that collapse looks like in real time: https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/no-checks-or-balances/
November 6, 2025 at 11:01 PM
The Constitution’s architecture assumes ambition would counteract ambition. Today, we’re watching a branch of government surrender on purpose.
Free Inquiry digs into what that collapse looks like in real time: https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/no-checks-or-balances/
Free Inquiry digs into what that collapse looks like in real time: https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/no-checks-or-balances/
The fiction in #StrangerThings isn’t even the wild part. The 80s were. We funded psychics spying on foreign governments. We ruined lives over Satanic Panic conspiracies.
Skeptical Inquirer on how the show mirrors the era + what it warns us about now: https://ow.ly/xRCg50Xo6U3
Skeptical Inquirer on how the show mirrors the era + what it warns us about now: https://ow.ly/xRCg50Xo6U3
How Stranger Things Mirrors Real-World Paranormal Stories | Skeptical Inquirer
Since its premiere in 2016, Stranger Things has become a pop culture phenomenon. Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, during the 1980s, the show c ...
ow.ly
November 6, 2025 at 10:25 PM
The fiction in #StrangerThings isn’t even the wild part. The 80s were. We funded psychics spying on foreign governments. We ruined lives over Satanic Panic conspiracies.
Skeptical Inquirer on how the show mirrors the era + what it warns us about now: https://ow.ly/xRCg50Xo6U3
Skeptical Inquirer on how the show mirrors the era + what it warns us about now: https://ow.ly/xRCg50Xo6U3
Nightline featured our own Kenny Biddle, CSI last night in a segment on near-death experiences.
While 72% of Americans say they believe these are glimpses of the afterlife, Kenny cuts through with a biological explanation.
Skepticism never dies! Happy Halloween, folks 👻
While 72% of Americans say they believe these are glimpses of the afterlife, Kenny cuts through with a biological explanation.
Skepticism never dies! Happy Halloween, folks 👻
October 31, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Nightline featured our own Kenny Biddle, CSI last night in a segment on near-death experiences.
While 72% of Americans say they believe these are glimpses of the afterlife, Kenny cuts through with a biological explanation.
Skepticism never dies! Happy Halloween, folks 👻
While 72% of Americans say they believe these are glimpses of the afterlife, Kenny cuts through with a biological explanation.
Skepticism never dies! Happy Halloween, folks 👻
Churches shouldn’t get tax breaks to campaign.
CFI supports A. 9067, a bill to keep houses of worship out of partisan politics and protect the wall between church and state.
New Yorkers, tell your Assembly member to pass it: https://centerforinquiry.org/alerts/new-york-help-pass-a9067/
CFI supports A. 9067, a bill to keep houses of worship out of partisan politics and protect the wall between church and state.
New Yorkers, tell your Assembly member to pass it: https://centerforinquiry.org/alerts/new-york-help-pass-a9067/
October 30, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Churches shouldn’t get tax breaks to campaign.
CFI supports A. 9067, a bill to keep houses of worship out of partisan politics and protect the wall between church and state.
New Yorkers, tell your Assembly member to pass it: https://centerforinquiry.org/alerts/new-york-help-pass-a9067/
CFI supports A. 9067, a bill to keep houses of worship out of partisan politics and protect the wall between church and state.
New Yorkers, tell your Assembly member to pass it: https://centerforinquiry.org/alerts/new-york-help-pass-a9067/
Back to Buffalo. Fifty years later, skepticism still has questions.
With Bill Nye, Eugenie Scott, Michael E. Mann, Andrea Love, PhD | Biomedical Scientist, and many, many more.
#CSICon | June 11–14, 2026 | CSIconference.org
With Bill Nye, Eugenie Scott, Michael E. Mann, Andrea Love, PhD | Biomedical Scientist, and many, many more.
#CSICon | June 11–14, 2026 | CSIconference.org
October 30, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Back to Buffalo. Fifty years later, skepticism still has questions.
With Bill Nye, Eugenie Scott, Michael E. Mann, Andrea Love, PhD | Biomedical Scientist, and many, many more.
#CSICon | June 11–14, 2026 | CSIconference.org
With Bill Nye, Eugenie Scott, Michael E. Mann, Andrea Love, PhD | Biomedical Scientist, and many, many more.
#CSICon | June 11–14, 2026 | CSIconference.org
Some states celebrate science. Some pretend vibes are enough.
Turn yours blue: ScienceSaves.org/Petition
#ScienceSaves
Turn yours blue: ScienceSaves.org/Petition
#ScienceSaves
October 28, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Some states celebrate science. Some pretend vibes are enough.
Turn yours blue: ScienceSaves.org/Petition
#ScienceSaves
Turn yours blue: ScienceSaves.org/Petition
#ScienceSaves
Demogorgons? No. Psychic espionage? Unfortunately, yes.
Daniel Reed unpacks the real-world paranormal obsession behind Stranger Things.
From Skeptical Inquirer Presents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmpvL2DBjTE
Daniel Reed unpacks the real-world paranormal obsession behind Stranger Things.
From Skeptical Inquirer Presents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmpvL2DBjTE
How Stranger Things Mirrors Real World Searches for the Paranormal - Daniel Reed
Since its debut in 2016, Stranger Thingsnow entering its final season—has been a pop culture phenomenon. The show follows a group of friends in the 1980s in ...
www.youtube.com
October 28, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Demogorgons? No. Psychic espionage? Unfortunately, yes.
Daniel Reed unpacks the real-world paranormal obsession behind Stranger Things.
From Skeptical Inquirer Presents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmpvL2DBjTE
Daniel Reed unpacks the real-world paranormal obsession behind Stranger Things.
From Skeptical Inquirer Presents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmpvL2DBjTE
Nature doesn’t run on kindness, and pretending it does doesn’t help anyone understand biology.
A parasitologist calls out the trap in ecology metaphors.
From Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/when-nature-isnt-a-gift-a-biologists-take-on-the-serviceberry/
A parasitologist calls out the trap in ecology metaphors.
From Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/when-nature-isnt-a-gift-a-biologists-take-on-the-serviceberry/
When Nature Isn’t a Gift: A Biologist’s Take on the Serviceberry | Skeptical Inquirer
When I was invited to join a discussion panel about Robin Wall Kimmerer’s essay “The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance” with an audience of first-year b ...
skepticalinquirer.org
October 28, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Nature doesn’t run on kindness, and pretending it does doesn’t help anyone understand biology.
A parasitologist calls out the trap in ecology metaphors.
From Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/when-nature-isnt-a-gift-a-biologists-take-on-the-serviceberry/
A parasitologist calls out the trap in ecology metaphors.
From Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/when-nature-isnt-a-gift-a-biologists-take-on-the-serviceberry/
Bangladesh’s democratic transition is looking more like a calculated power grab.
Secular bloggers murdered. Minorities under attack. A caretaker government with no constitutional footing.
Free Inquiry breaks down the shadow politics behind the collapse: https://ow.ly/XnZO50XiJr6
Secular bloggers murdered. Minorities under attack. A caretaker government with no constitutional footing.
Free Inquiry breaks down the shadow politics behind the collapse: https://ow.ly/XnZO50XiJr6
Bangladesh on the Brink: Shadow Powers, Political Massacre, and the Eclipse of Secular Democracy | Free Inquiry
Prelude: The Revolt of ‘Gen Z’ and Fall of Sheikh Hasina In July 2024, a nationwide revolt erupted in Bangladesh over a civil service job-quota policy. That ...
ow.ly
October 27, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Bangladesh’s democratic transition is looking more like a calculated power grab.
Secular bloggers murdered. Minorities under attack. A caretaker government with no constitutional footing.
Free Inquiry breaks down the shadow politics behind the collapse: https://ow.ly/XnZO50XiJr6
Secular bloggers murdered. Minorities under attack. A caretaker government with no constitutional footing.
Free Inquiry breaks down the shadow politics behind the collapse: https://ow.ly/XnZO50XiJr6
New York is taking a shot at preserving what the IRS walked away from: tax-exempt orgs should not be campaign operations.
Our Director of Government Affairs Azhar Majeed told lawmakers a boundary is a boundary: https://ow.ly/a4AR50XiIUc
We need this one to hold.
Our Director of Government Affairs Azhar Majeed told lawmakers a boundary is a boundary: https://ow.ly/a4AR50XiIUc
We need this one to hold.
October 27, 2025 at 10:01 PM
New York is taking a shot at preserving what the IRS walked away from: tax-exempt orgs should not be campaign operations.
Our Director of Government Affairs Azhar Majeed told lawmakers a boundary is a boundary: https://ow.ly/a4AR50XiIUc
We need this one to hold.
Our Director of Government Affairs Azhar Majeed told lawmakers a boundary is a boundary: https://ow.ly/a4AR50XiIUc
We need this one to hold.
"Atheism is too boring for the literate.”
Ronald Lindsay’s response in @freeinquiry.bsky.social is both dry and devastating: if you think atheism’s dull, try eternity.
Read his take: secularhumanism.org/exclusive/th...
Ronald Lindsay’s response in @freeinquiry.bsky.social is both dry and devastating: if you think atheism’s dull, try eternity.
Read his take: secularhumanism.org/exclusive/th...
The Tedium of Faith, As Lived and As Promised | Free Inquiry
Yesterday, I read a review in the Wall Street Journal of Charles Murray’s new book, Taking Religion Seriously—a singularly inapt title if taking religion se ...
secularhumanism.org
October 23, 2025 at 9:22 PM
"Atheism is too boring for the literate.”
Ronald Lindsay’s response in @freeinquiry.bsky.social is both dry and devastating: if you think atheism’s dull, try eternity.
Read his take: secularhumanism.org/exclusive/th...
Ronald Lindsay’s response in @freeinquiry.bsky.social is both dry and devastating: if you think atheism’s dull, try eternity.
Read his take: secularhumanism.org/exclusive/th...
Bill Nye headlines CSICon 2026, celebrating 50 years of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry where it all began: Buffalo, NY.
June 11–14, 2026.
Science. Skepticism. Celebration.
Save your spot: https://ow.ly/vqaF50XghIL
June 11–14, 2026.
Science. Skepticism. Celebration.
Save your spot: https://ow.ly/vqaF50XghIL
October 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Bill Nye headlines CSICon 2026, celebrating 50 years of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry where it all began: Buffalo, NY.
June 11–14, 2026.
Science. Skepticism. Celebration.
Save your spot: https://ow.ly/vqaF50XghIL
June 11–14, 2026.
Science. Skepticism. Celebration.
Save your spot: https://ow.ly/vqaF50XghIL
Science isn’t perfect, but it’s the reason we get to argue about perfection online instead of dying at 35. ScienceSaves wants to create a day to thank researchers. A day to remember what happens when we stop listening to evidence.
Seem fair? Sign the petition: ScienceSaves.org/Petition
Seem fair? Sign the petition: ScienceSaves.org/Petition
October 22, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Science isn’t perfect, but it’s the reason we get to argue about perfection online instead of dying at 35. ScienceSaves wants to create a day to thank researchers. A day to remember what happens when we stop listening to evidence.
Seem fair? Sign the petition: ScienceSaves.org/Petition
Seem fair? Sign the petition: ScienceSaves.org/Petition
The US is losing scientists. Not because they want to leave, but because they can’t stay.
Katie Suleta in Skeptical Inquirer on how political hostility and funding cuts are hollowing out the country’s research pipeline: https://ow.ly/ppzl50XfVnj
Katie Suleta in Skeptical Inquirer on how political hostility and funding cuts are hollowing out the country’s research pipeline: https://ow.ly/ppzl50XfVnj
October 21, 2025 at 10:10 PM
The US is losing scientists. Not because they want to leave, but because they can’t stay.
Katie Suleta in Skeptical Inquirer on how political hostility and funding cuts are hollowing out the country’s research pipeline: https://ow.ly/ppzl50XfVnj
Katie Suleta in Skeptical Inquirer on how political hostility and funding cuts are hollowing out the country’s research pipeline: https://ow.ly/ppzl50XfVnj
A T-shirt is all it took to send Moroccan activist Ibtissame "Betty" Lachgar to prison.
At the UN, CFI's Kacem El Ghazzali asked: What is her crime?
Tomorrow is Blasphemy Rights Day. Blasphemy laws silence the living.
Free expression keeps us human: centerforinquiry.org/news/cfi-cal...
At the UN, CFI's Kacem El Ghazzali asked: What is her crime?
Tomorrow is Blasphemy Rights Day. Blasphemy laws silence the living.
Free expression keeps us human: centerforinquiry.org/news/cfi-cal...
September 29, 2025 at 7:44 PM
A T-shirt is all it took to send Moroccan activist Ibtissame "Betty" Lachgar to prison.
At the UN, CFI's Kacem El Ghazzali asked: What is her crime?
Tomorrow is Blasphemy Rights Day. Blasphemy laws silence the living.
Free expression keeps us human: centerforinquiry.org/news/cfi-cal...
At the UN, CFI's Kacem El Ghazzali asked: What is her crime?
Tomorrow is Blasphemy Rights Day. Blasphemy laws silence the living.
Free expression keeps us human: centerforinquiry.org/news/cfi-cal...
Betty has been sentenced to two and a half years behind bars for nothing more than posting a photo of herself wearing a t-shirt that read "Allah is Lesbian."
We stand with Ex-Muslims International to demand the release of Ibtissame "Betty" Lachgar.
#FreeBetty → www.change.org/p/lib%C3%A9r...
We stand with Ex-Muslims International to demand the release of Ibtissame "Betty" Lachgar.
#FreeBetty → www.change.org/p/lib%C3%A9r...
September 26, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Betty has been sentenced to two and a half years behind bars for nothing more than posting a photo of herself wearing a t-shirt that read "Allah is Lesbian."
We stand with Ex-Muslims International to demand the release of Ibtissame "Betty" Lachgar.
#FreeBetty → www.change.org/p/lib%C3%A9r...
We stand with Ex-Muslims International to demand the release of Ibtissame "Betty" Lachgar.
#FreeBetty → www.change.org/p/lib%C3%A9r...
W.E.B. Du Bois called Dayton, Tennessee “America… capable not simply of mistakes, but of persecution, lynching, murder, and idiotic blundering.”
At the Scopes Centennial, historian Chris Cameron traced how Black secular voices reshaped faith and freedom: youtu.be/0aks8f245jg
At the Scopes Centennial, historian Chris Cameron traced how Black secular voices reshaped faith and freedom: youtu.be/0aks8f245jg
Black Secularism in the Scopes Era | Chris Cameron
YouTube video by Center for Inquiry
youtu.be
September 19, 2025 at 9:00 PM
W.E.B. Du Bois called Dayton, Tennessee “America… capable not simply of mistakes, but of persecution, lynching, murder, and idiotic blundering.”
At the Scopes Centennial, historian Chris Cameron traced how Black secular voices reshaped faith and freedom: youtu.be/0aks8f245jg
At the Scopes Centennial, historian Chris Cameron traced how Black secular voices reshaped faith and freedom: youtu.be/0aks8f245jg
Charlie Kirk’s murder was appalling. Worse? How the Trump administration has seized on it as a pretext for silencing dissent. Ronald Lindsay traces the playbook back to 1933.
Read the full essay in Free Inquiry: secularhumanism.org/exclusive/th...
Read the full essay in Free Inquiry: secularhumanism.org/exclusive/th...
The Murder of Kirk—Trump’s Reichstag Fire? | Free Inquiry
As should be obvious coming from the editor of a magazine with the name of “Free Inquiry,” I condemn Charlie Kirk’s murder, which appears to have been polit ...
secularhumanism.org
September 18, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Charlie Kirk’s murder was appalling. Worse? How the Trump administration has seized on it as a pretext for silencing dissent. Ronald Lindsay traces the playbook back to 1933.
Read the full essay in Free Inquiry: secularhumanism.org/exclusive/th...
Read the full essay in Free Inquiry: secularhumanism.org/exclusive/th...
“Christian nationalists often view a woman’s place as domestically focused and in a nurturing role.”
Household voting is a blueprint for erasing women’s rights.
Nicole Scott traces the dystopian logic behind it in Free Inquiry: secularhumanism.org/exclusive/is...
Household voting is a blueprint for erasing women’s rights.
Nicole Scott traces the dystopian logic behind it in Free Inquiry: secularhumanism.org/exclusive/is...
Is Household Voting Another Step toward Gilead? | Free Inquiry
Last month, CNN interviewed Douglas Wilson, the senior pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho. During the interview, Wilson stated that he supported votin ...
secularhumanism.org
September 8, 2025 at 7:13 PM
“Christian nationalists often view a woman’s place as domestically focused and in a nurturing role.”
Household voting is a blueprint for erasing women’s rights.
Nicole Scott traces the dystopian logic behind it in Free Inquiry: secularhumanism.org/exclusive/is...
Household voting is a blueprint for erasing women’s rights.
Nicole Scott traces the dystopian logic behind it in Free Inquiry: secularhumanism.org/exclusive/is...