Robyn E. Blumner reflects on the mistaken beliefs and cultural fads she once experimented with—from religion and astrology to Ouija boards and Erich von Däniken's ancient astronaut claims—recalling how easily even curious, intelligent people can be taken in. Crediting scientific critics such as Carl Sagan and the rise of the organized skeptical movement, she argues that valuing evidence over comforting or entertaining falsehoods is a lifelong commitment—and one still worth defending today.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/02/weve-all-been-fooled-right/

About the Author:

Robyn E. Blumner is president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry and executive director of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science. She is a lawyer who previously held posts as a syndicated columnist and editorial writer at the Tampa Bay Times and as executive director of the ACLU of Florida and ACLU of Utah.

Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/