Sometimes people get the impression that the only people who embrace the title of “skeptic” are science nerds & geeks. Not so. There are, fortunately, a growing number of artists – musicians, comedians, singers – who have taken up the cause of promoting skepticism through their work. I wanted to give some of them a brief mention here.
They are Julia Sweeney (of Saturday Night Live fame), George Hrab, Greydon Square, and Tim Minchin. There are undoubtedly others beyond these four, but these are the big ones I know about now. I have met Julia, George, and Greydon, and I look forward to meeting Tim someday in the future.
I became aware of Julia Sweeney, George Hrab and Greydon Square through a well-known skeptical meeting called The Amazing Meeting (learn more about TAM’s sponsoring organization – the James Randi Educational Foundation). And I learned about Tim Minchin from one of the best skeptical podcasts on the Internet, the Skeptics Guide to the Universe.
As a taste, here is a link to a neat 9-minute beat poem by Tim Minchin called “Storm”. Enjoy! 😀
It is encouraging to see that more and more high-profile artists are coming out and not only embracing but also promoting skepticism. This is a welcome trend, because it not only expands the message of the modern skeptical movement beyond areas to which it has traditionally been limited (i.e. the sciences), and it also lends an air of coolness to the movement which will broaden the appeal. And getting the message out to younger people that scientific thinking & skepticism can be cool and isn’t just for nerds is one of the best things that artists have to offer.
The Skeptical Teacher 