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A debunker is an individual who discredits and exposes claims as being false, exaggerated or pretentious. The term is closely associated with skeptical investigation
Scientific skepticism

Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism , sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a scientific or practical, epistemology position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence....
 of topics such as U.F.O.
Unidentified flying object

An unidentified flying object is any aerial phenomenon whose cause can not be easily or immediately determined. Both military and civilian research show that a significant majority of UFO sightings are identified after further investigation, either explicitly or indirectly The USAF, who coined the term in 1952, initially defined UFOs as thos...
s, claimed paranormal
Paranormal

Paranormal is a general term that describes unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation, or phenomena alleged to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure....
 phenomena, conspiracy theories, alternative medicine
Alternative medicine

The term alternative medicine, as used in the modern western world, encompasses any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine"....
, religion
Religion

A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of myth, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendence quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power or truth....
, research
Research

Research is defined as human activity based on intellectual application in the investigation of matter. The primary purpose for applied research is discovery , interpretation , and the development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge on a wide variety of scientific matters of our world and the universe....
 outside mainstream science
Science

In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
 or pseudoscientific subjects.
American Heritage Dictionary traces the passage of the words bunk (noun), debunk (verb) and debunker (noun) into American English in 1923 as a belated outgrowth of "bunkum
Bunkum

Sorry, no overview for this topic
", of which the first recorded use was in 1828, apparently related to a poorly received "speech for Buncombe
Buncombe County, North Carolina

Buncombe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is part of the Asheville, North Carolina, North Carolina, Asheville metropolitan area....
" given by North Carolina
North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
 representative Felix Walker
Felix Walker (American politician)

Felix Walker was a Democratic-Republican Party United States House of Representatives from North Carolina between 1817 and 1823.Walker was born near the Potomac River in what was then Hampshire County, Virginia, now part of West Virginia....
 during the 16th United States Congress
16th United States Congress

The Sixteenth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
 (1819–1821).

The term debunk originated
Neologism

A neologism is a newly coined word that may be in the process of entering common use, but has not yet been accepted into mainstream language . Neologisms are often directly attributable to a specific person, publication, period, or event....
 in a 1923 novel Bunk, by American novelist William Woodward (1874–1950), who used it to mean to "take the bunk out of things."

Often the term "debunkery" is not limited to arguments about scientific validity.






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Encyclopedia


A debunker is an individual who discredits and exposes claims as being false, exaggerated or pretentious. The term is closely associated with skeptical investigation
Scientific skepticism

Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism , sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a scientific or practical, epistemology position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence....
 of topics such as U.F.O.
Unidentified flying object

An unidentified flying object is any aerial phenomenon whose cause can not be easily or immediately determined. Both military and civilian research show that a significant majority of UFO sightings are identified after further investigation, either explicitly or indirectly The USAF, who coined the term in 1952, initially defined UFOs as thos...
s, claimed paranormal
Paranormal

Paranormal is a general term that describes unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation, or phenomena alleged to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure....
 phenomena, conspiracy theories, alternative medicine
Alternative medicine

The term alternative medicine, as used in the modern western world, encompasses any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine"....
, religion
Religion

A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of myth, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendence quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power or truth....
, research
Research

Research is defined as human activity based on intellectual application in the investigation of matter. The primary purpose for applied research is discovery , interpretation , and the development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge on a wide variety of scientific matters of our world and the universe....
 outside mainstream science
Science

In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
 or pseudoscientific subjects.

Etymology

The American Heritage Dictionary traces the passage of the words bunk (noun), debunk (verb) and debunker (noun) into American English in 1923 as a belated outgrowth of "bunkum
Bunkum

Sorry, no overview for this topic
", of which the first recorded use was in 1828, apparently related to a poorly received "speech for Buncombe
Buncombe County, North Carolina

Buncombe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is part of the Asheville, North Carolina, North Carolina, Asheville metropolitan area....
" given by North Carolina
North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
 representative Felix Walker
Felix Walker (American politician)

Felix Walker was a Democratic-Republican Party United States House of Representatives from North Carolina between 1817 and 1823.Walker was born near the Potomac River in what was then Hampshire County, Virginia, now part of West Virginia....
 during the 16th United States Congress
16th United States Congress

The Sixteenth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
 (1819–1821).

The term debunk originated
Neologism

A neologism is a newly coined word that may be in the process of entering common use, but has not yet been accepted into mainstream language . Neologisms are often directly attributable to a specific person, publication, period, or event....
 in a 1923 novel Bunk, by American novelist William Woodward (1874–1950), who used it to mean to "take the bunk out of things."

Often the term "debunkery" is not limited to arguments about scientific validity. It can also be used in a more general sense at attempts to discredit any opposing point of view, such as that of a political opponent.

Notable debunkers

  • Harry Houdini
    Harry Houdini

    Harry Houdini was a Jewish Hungarian-American magic and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer, as well as a skeptic and investigator of spiritualists....
     debunked spiritualists
    Spiritualism

    Spiritualism is a monotheism belief system or religion, postulating a belief in God, but the distinguishing feature is belief that spirits of the dead can be contacted, either by individuals or by gifted or trained "Mediumships", who can provide information about the afterlife....
    .
  • James Randi
    James Randi

    James Randi is a Magician and Scientific skepticism best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge,...
     has exposed faith healers
    Faith healing

    Faith healing is the attempt to use religious or spirituality means such as prayer, mental practices, spiritual insights, or other techniques to prevent illness, cure disease, or improve health....
    , psychic
    Psychic

    The word psychic refers to a proposed ability to perception information hidden from the senses through what is described as extrasensory perception, or to those people said to have such abilities....
    s and others claiming to have paranormal powers
    Paranormal

    Paranormal is a general term that describes unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation, or phenomena alleged to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure....
  • Penn & Teller
    Penn & Teller

    Penn & Teller are Las Vegas, Nevada headliners whose act is an amalgam of magic and comedy. Penn Jillette is a raconteur; Teller generally uses mime while performing, although his voice can occasionally be heard throughout their performance....
     demystify magic tricks and illusions
  • Philip Klass
    Philip J. Klass

    Philip Julian Klass was an American journalist and ufology researcher with a background in electrical engineering. Klass was born in Des Moines, Iowa and died in Merritt Island, Florida....
     was a pioneer in the field of skeptical investigation
    Scientific skepticism

    Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism , sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a scientific or practical, epistemology position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence....
     of UFOs
    Unidentified flying object

    An unidentified flying object is any aerial phenomenon whose cause can not be easily or immediately determined. Both military and civilian research show that a significant majority of UFO sightings are identified after further investigation, either explicitly or indirectly The USAF, who coined the term in 1952, initially defined UFOs as thos...
  • Carl Sagan
    Carl Sagan

    Carl Edward Sagan, Ph.D. was an United States astronomer, Astrochemistry, author, and highly successful popularizer of astronomy, astrophysics and other natural sciences....
     debunked purported close encounter
    Close encounter

    A close encounter in ufology is an event where a person witnesses an unidentified flying object. This terminology and the system of classification behind it was started by astronomer and UFO researcher J....
    s such as the Betty and Barney Hill abduction
    Betty and Barney Hill abduction

    Betty and Barney Hill were an United States married couple who rose to fame after they claimed to have been abducted by extraterrestrial life on September 19?20, 1961....
    , and pseudoscience
    Pseudoscience

    Pseudoscience is any knowledge, methodology, belief, or practice that is claimed to be scientific, or that is made to appear to be scientific, but which does not adhere to the scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, or otherwise lacks scientific status....
     such as Immanuel Velikovsky
    Immanuel Velikovsky

    Immanuel Velikovsky was a Russian-born American independent scholar, best known as the author of a number of controversial books reinterpreting the events of ancient history, in particular the US bestseller Worlds in Collision, published in 1950....
    's Worlds in Collision
    Worlds in Collision

    Worlds in Collision is a book written by Immanuel Velikovsky and first published on April 3, 1950, by Macmillan Publishers. The book, Velikovsky's most criticized and controversial, was an instant New York Times bestseller, topping the charts for eleven weeks while being in the top ten for twenty-seven straight weeks....
     
  • Stephen Barrett
    Stephen Barrett

    Stephen J. Barrett is a retired United States psychiatrist, author, co-founder of the National Council Against Health Fraud , and the webmaster of Quackwatch....
     founded Quackwatch
    Quackwatch

    Quackwatch, Inc., is an United states non-profit organization founded by Stephen Barrett that aims to "combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct" with a primary focus on providing "quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere." Since 1996 it has operated a website, quackwatch.org, wh...
     and writes on medical quackery
    Quackery

    Quackery is a derogatory term used to describe unproven or fraudulent medicine. Random House Dictionary describes a "quack" as a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, knowledge, or Professional certification he or she does not possess; a charlatan."...
    .


Organizations


  • Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
  • The Skeptics Society
    The Skeptics Society

    The Skeptics Society is a nonprofit, member-supported organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrationality beliefs....
  • The MythBusters
    MythBusters

    MythBusters is a popular science television program produced by Australian firm Beyond Television Productions originally for the Discovery Channel in the United States and Canada....
    , a program on the Discovery Channel
    Discovery Channel

    The Discovery Channel is an United States satellite and cable TV channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications....
    . Two experts in the field of special effects and physics majors, Jamie Hyneman
    Jamie Hyneman

    James Earl "Jamie" Hyneman is an US special effects expert, best known for being the co-host of the television series MythBusters. He is also the founder of M5 Industries, a special effects workshop where MythBusters is filmed....
     and Adam Savage
    Adam Savage

    Adam Whitney Savage is an United States industrial design and special effects engineer, actor, educator, and co-host of the Discovery Channel television series MythBusters....
    , use modern technology to test the validity of urban legends.
  • The National Institute for Standards and Technology debunked the Controlled demolition hypothesis for the collapse of the World Trade Center
    Controlled demolition hypothesis for the collapse of the World Trade Center

    The controlled demolition hypothesis is a 9/11 conspiracy theory that claims the complete structural failure of the World Trade Center towers was not caused by the plane crash damage that occurred as part of the September 11, 2001 attacks, nor by the fire damage that followed, but by explosives planted in the buildings in advance....
    .
  • Snopes debunks or validates urban legend
    Urban legend

    An urban legend, urban myth, or urban tale is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them....
    s.
  • Quackwatch
    Quackwatch

    Quackwatch, Inc., is an United states non-profit organization founded by Stephen Barrett that aims to "combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct" with a primary focus on providing "quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere." Since 1996 it has operated a website, quackwatch.org, wh...


See also

  • Scientific skepticism
    Scientific skepticism

    Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism , sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a scientific or practical, epistemology position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence....