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About RationalWiki

Our purpose here at RationalWiki includes:

  1. Analyzing and refuting pseudoscience and the anti-science movement;
  2. Documenting the full range of crank ideas;
  3. Explorations of authoritarianism and fundamentalism;
  4. Analysis and criticism of how these subjects are handled in the media.

We welcome contributors, and encourage those who disagree with us to register and engage in constructive dialogue.

We have 8,082 articles for your enjoyment.

Random featured article[What is this?]
Fake news
The term "fake news" appeared as far back as 1894 during the era of yellow journalism.

Fake news consists of "news" that is blatantly false or otherwise distorted in the hopes of getting more clicks by feeding people the headlines they didn't know they wanted, in the hopes knowledge that shamelessly pandering to an agenda often proves sufficient to suspend the readers' disbelief. Depressing amounts of clicks can be garnered from fake news, simply by virtue of it posing as 'clear-cut examples' which — if true — would lend overwhelming apparent support to one side of the relevant multi-faceted, emotionally charged and complex issue. While fake news is a threat to common decency, one must admit that it is more entertaining than most normal news.

With the growth of the 24 hour news cycle, major media outlets needed to fill numerous hours of airtime, so in addition to "news" they added opinion, commentary, analysis, speculation and forecasting often centered around media personalities. This left them vulnerable to the charge of being labeled "fake news" themselves as traditional "news" was programmed adjacent to "narrative journalism."

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Featured Content
Need to know What Is Going On? We present regularly updated selections of the finest lunacy the Internet has to offer. Participate in the dialogue.

What is going on...

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…in the world?(talk) "Actual" "news" from the "real world."
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…in the Blogosphere?(talk) Quality blog posts, editorials, videos, and social media activities that relate to RationalWiki's mission.
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…in the Clogosphere?(talk) Craziness from the clogged-up fringes of the Internet.
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…with the Elections?(talk) News about elections from around the world.
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…at RationalWiki?(*hic*) Our own main back-page.

Portals and Articles[See more content]

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ScienceSpeed of lightLifeNobel diseaseWater fluoridationHAARPJames HansenNon-Overlapping MagisteriaWaterEvidence against a recent creationA comparative guide to science denial
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LogicArgument from authorityOpen mindAppeal to ancient wisdomNot even wrongArgumentum ad dictionariumDeepityDidit fallacyLewis TrilemmaGambler's fallacyHow do you know? Were you there?
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AtheismAntitheismAtheophobiaSecular humanismRational Response Squad debate with Way of the MasterThe God DelusionPascal's wagerRussell's TeapotSophisticated theologyAtheist professor mythSecular religions
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CreationismGlobal flood101 evidences for a young age of the Earth and the universeIntelligent designModern Science in the BibleBaraminologyAnswers Research JournalEyeCreationismMcLean v. Arkansas Board of EducationRichard Lenski
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PseudoscienceHomeopathyNon-materialist neuroscienceClimate changeFlat EarthPseudomathematicsPseudopsychologyChemtrailsNaturopathyAlternative medicineCOVID-19 pandemic
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Conspiracy9/11Project Blue BeamHolocaust denialFlat EarthQAnonProtochronismClimategateObama citizenship denialComet EleninConspiracy theory
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DenialismLost Cause of the SouthScience was wrong beforeCOVID-19 denialismMoon landing hoaxQAnonHIV/AIDS denialismCreationismHolocaust denialTurkey2021 U.S. coup attempt
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ParanormalGhost HuntersSeán ManchesterElectronic voice phenomenonNear-death experienceVampireCraig WeilerExorcismBigfootUnidentified flying objectDream interpretation
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PoliticsInternational relationsRobert MugabeBashar al-AssadHugo ChávezTiananmen Square MassacreCivilitySingle transferable voteSoviet UnionInternet Research AgencyNationalism