A debunker is a skeptic who pursues dispelling false and unscientific claims. As a slang term, debunk is the act of disproval of a proposal or theory, generally in an academic sense. The term debunk originated in 1923, when American novelist William Woodward (1874-1950) used it to mean to "take the bunk out of things." Skepticism (Commonwealth spelling: Scepticism) can mean: Philosophical skepticism - a philosophical position in which people choose to critically examine whether the knowledge and perceptions that they have are actually true, and whether or not one can ever be said to have absolutely true knowledge; or Scientific skepticism - a scientific, or practical... Slang is the non-standard use of words in a language of a particular social group, and sometimes the creation of new words or importation of words from another language. ... Betrothal is a formal state of engagement to be married. ... The word theory has a number distinct meanings depending on the context. ... Plato is credited with the inception of academia: the body of knowledge, its development and transmission across generations. ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... 1874 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Many debunkers are rather controversial because they have strong opinions and can be vocal about things which may offend people, such as religion and pseudosciences. This dispostion, though, leads some debunkers to be, in reality, pseudoskeptics. The term is generally applied when a professional performs research and/or writes an article with the specific intent of proving or disproving a bizarre or abnormal claim, such as those about U.F.O.s or other paranormal phenomenon, and conclusively disproves the validity of the event and/or object. Pseudoscience refers to any body of knowledge or practice which purports to be scientific or supported by science but which is judged by the mainstream scientific community to fail to comply with the scientific method. ... Pathological skepticism (or Pseudoskepticism) is a class of pseudoscience masquerading as proper skepticism. ... Research is an active, diligent and systematic process of inquiry in order to discover, interpret or revise facts, events, behaviours, or theories, or to make practical applications with the help of such facts, laws or theories. ... Article may refer to the following: in grammar: a specific particle of speech. ... UFO can mean: Unidentified flying object United Future Organization, a Japanese-Brazilian electronic jazz band UFO, the rock band that previously featured Michael Schenker UFO, the Gerry Anderson TV series United Farmers of Ontario, a political party that formed the government in Ontario from 1919 to 1923 U.F.O... Anomalous phenomena are phenomena which are observed and for which there are no suitable explanations in the context of a specific body of scientific knowledge, e. ...

See also

• James Randi is a skeptic and opponent of pseudoscience. He is opposed to various protosciences, though, and has employed various invalid strategies of persuasion.
• Basava Premanand is full time Indian skeptic from Tamil Nadu, publisher of the magazine the Indian Skeptic.
• Penn and Teller, a two-man magic and comedy team,who have become associated with skepticism.
• Harry Houdini one of the most famous magicians, escapologists, and stunt performers of all time.

James Randi James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge, August 7, 1928 in Toronto, Canada), more often known as The Amazing Randi, is a stage magician, skeptic, and opponent of pseudoscience (including homeopathy). ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Penn (left) & Teller Penn and Teller are a two-man magic and comedy team, specializing in gory tricks (in which the mechanisms of the illusions are fully revealed) and clever pranks, who have become associated with Las Vegas and skepticism. ... Harry Houdini (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was the stage name of Ehrich Weiss (born Weisz Erik in the native Hungarian), one of the most famous magicians, escapologists, and stunt performers of all time. ...

External articles

• Wiktionary Entry for Debunk (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Debunk)
• Online Etymology Dictionary. (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=debunk&searchmode=none)