Skeptics often focus their criticism on claims they consider to be implausible, dubious or clearly contradictory to generally accepted science.

Skeptics generally consider beliefs in the extraterrestrial hypothesis ( ETH ) and psychic powers as misguided, since no empirical evidence exists supporting such phenomena.

Some skeptics, such as the members of The Skeptics ' Guide to the Universe podcast, oppose certain cults and new religious movements because of their concern about what they consider false miracles performed or endorsed by the leadership of the group.

Skeptics can give new skeptical cases that wouldn't be subject to the same response ( e. g., one where the person was very recently turned into a brain in a vat, so that their words " brain " and " vat " still pick out real brains and vats, rather than simulated ones ).

Skeptics such as James Randi suggest that his reputation as a prophet is largely manufactured by modern-day supporters who fit his words to events that have either already occurred or are so imminent as to be inevitable, a process sometimes known as " retroactive clairvoyance " ( postdiction ).

Skeptics such as Milbourne Christopher have found that some cases of poltergeist activity can be attributed to unusual air currents, such as a 1957 case on Cape Cod where downdrafts from an uncovered chimney became strong enough to blow a mirror off of a wall and knock things off shelves.

Skeptics reject the three above responses and argue that beliefs cannot be justified as beyond doubt.

The book is titled Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals, and is meant as a kind of handbook to be read alongside the Bible itself.

Skeptics noted that Hu Jintao made a statement praising the governments of Cuba and North Korea ( in spite of their economic " flaws ") shortly after announcing Hu Yaobang's public commemoration, implying that it would be unlikely that the party would pursue a dramatic programme of political reform in the near future.

Skeptics initially doubted that SpongeBob could be popular in Japan as the character's design is very different to already popular designs for Hello Kitty and Pikachu.

Skeptics believe the Jersey Devil to be nothing more than a creative manifestation of the English settlers, Bogeyman stories created and told by bored Pine Barren residents as a form of children's entertainment, and rumors arising from negative perceptions of the local population (" pineys ").

Skeptics assert that rather than perfect goodness, it would be only the appearance of perfect goodness, reinforced by persuasion technology and probably brute force of violent technological escalation, which would cause people to accept such rulers or rules authored by them.

Skeptics contend that the match with the Shroud is based on a polarized image overlay technique, which may be subjective and unreliable.

Skeptics reason that the only benefit to eyesight gained from such techniques is itself imagined, and point out that familiar objects, including letters on an eye chart, can be recognized even when they appear less than clear.

Second, Trantor ’ s Junin-Sector “ Preservers vs Skeptics Society ” debate whether mechanical beings endowed with artificial intelligence should be built.

The Preservers ’ champion will be Joan, the Skeptics ’ champion Voltaire.

During an interview on the January 31, 2007 episode of The Skeptics ' Guide to the Universe, Teller claimed that the final episode of the show would be about " the bullshit of Bullshit!

Skeptics argue that fears of population control can be traced back to the traumatic legacy of the eugenics movement's " war against the weak " in the United States during the first decades of the 20th century but also the Second Red Scare in the U. S. during the late 1940s and 1950s, and to a lesser extent in the 1960s, when activists on the far right of American politics routinely opposed public health programs, notably water fluoridation, mass vaccination and mental health services, by asserting they were all part of a far-reaching plot to impose a socialist or communist regime.

Skeptics have argued that many of Kulagina's feats could easily be performed by one practiced in sleight of hand, through means such as cleverly concealed or disguised threads, small pieces of magnetic metal, or mirrors.

Skeptics, however, have questioned the usefulness and necessity of exploratory research in situations where prior analysis could be conducted instead.

Skeptics of claims involving ghosts and near-death experiences, such as Mobb and Watt ( 2011 ) have found evidence from MRI studies that experience of other-worldly substances may be due to neurotransmitter levels in the brain.

Skeptics argue that regardless of the exact mode of operation, if the output power is higher than the required input electrical power, the device should be capable of running " closed-loop ", producing excess power without external batteries.

Claimed fair use in Australian Skeptics, as no free substitute can be created.

Skeptics such as Robert Todd Carroll contend that auras may be seen for reasons such as migraines, synesthesia, epilepsy, a disorder within the visual system, a disorder within the brain, or due to the influence of psychedelic drugs such as LSD .< ref name =" fole ">< ref name =" ASID "> Eye fatigue can also produce an aura, sometimes referred to as eye burn.

Skeptics have relegated such notions to be much like the supposed inhabitants of Atlantis in Hellenic myth.

Skeptics have claimed that he did so by hypnosis, which, in one study, actually has proven to relieve symptoms because it lowers stress levels and therefore diminishes the symptomatology of haemophilia.

Skeptics of the ban have suggested that the airlines support the ban because they do not want passengers to have an alternative to the in-flight phone service such as GTE's Airfone.

Skeptics imply that much of the claimed effect of the drug relies on the belief of the subject that he or she cannot tell a lie while under its influence.

Skeptics question its scientific value while proponents contend the practice can lead to higher levels of consciousness and have a positive influence on society.

" Skeptical Inquirer has carried such articles as reports on the success rate of past years ' tabloid " psychic predictions " and coverage of the Australian Skeptics ' " Bent Spoon Awards " ( winners are notified by telepathy and must pick up their trophies by paranormal means ).

*" Remote Viewing ", entry on Skeptics Dictionary.

The Skeptic a newsletter of The North Texas Skeptics, reported in 1989 on criticism from a participant that was a staff volunteer until becoming disgruntled with the organization.

Skeptics often include palmists on lists of alleged psychics who practice cold reading.

* Skeptics Dictionary: entry on Theosophy.

She wrote a large number of books, including Theology for Skeptics: Reflections on God, The Silent Cry: Mysticism and Resistance ( 2001 ) and her autobiography Against the Wind: Memoir of a Radical Christian ( 1999 ).

* Sölle, Dorothee ( 1995 ) Theology for Skeptics: Reflections on God, Minneapolis, Fortress Press, ISBN 0-8006-2788-1

Skeptics have claimed that Lin's decision to flee to the Soviet Union was illogical, on the grounds that the United States or Taiwan would have been safer destinations.

In August 2005, Chopra wrote a series of articles on the creation-evolution controversy and Intelligent design which were criticized by science writer Michael Shermer, founder of The Skeptics Society.

Skeptics raised questions about the launch of Butterscotch and wondered if the launch made sense in terms of Tucows stated goal to divest non-core assets and focus on its core strengths in its four business lines.

The Skeptics were to have a larger impact on Western reasoning than the Cynics ; but this would not occur until after its having been reified during the middle years of the Roman Empire when it passed into the mainstream of Western thought.

Skeptics argue that conspiracy theorists grossly overestimate the influence of ex-Nazis and neo-Nazis on American society, and point out that political repression at home and imperialism abroad have a long history in the United States that predates the 20th century.

Skeptics argue that unfounded fears about an imminent or eventual gun ban, military coup, internment, or U. N. invasion and occupation are rooted in the siege mentality of the American militia movement but also an apocalyptic millenarianism which provides a basic narrative within the political right in the U. S., claiming that the idealized society ( i. e., constitutional republic, Jeffersonian democracy, " Christian nation ", " white nation ") is thwarted by subversive conspiracies of liberal secular humanists who want " Big Government " and globalists who plot on behalf of the New World Order.

In his book Restricting Handguns: The Liberal Skeptics Speak Out, civil rights attorney and gun scholar Don Kates found racial overtones in the focus on the Saturday Night Special (" niggertown Saturday night special ").

Every issue of the magazine opens with a description of The Skeptics Society and its mission statement, which is to explore subjects such as creationism, pyramid power, Bigfoot, pseudohistorical claims ( as in the examples of Holocaust denial and extreme Afrocentrism ), the use or misuse of theory and statistics, conspiracy theories, urban myths, witch-hunts, mass hysterias, genius and intelligence, and cultural influences on science, as well as controversies involving protosciences at the leading edge of established science, and even fads like cryonics and low-carb diets.

She has written mostly on topics in Hellenistic philosophy ( the epistemology and ethics of Stoics, Epicureans, and Skeptics ) and on Aristotelian logic.