With the devasting loss of Skeptical Inquirer’s beloved longtime editor Kendrick Frazier, the magazine needed someone to take over the role as interim editor. Stuart Vyse stepped up in a big way. With a master’s in English and a doctorate in psychology, Vyse taught at Connecticut College for most of his career. He’s published several books, including the award-winning Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition and more recently The Uses of Delusion: Why It’s Not Always Rational to Be Rational. His words first appeared in SI in 1997 and later became a regular fixture through his “Behavior & Belief ” column. A fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, Vyse also serves on its Executive Council.
Vyse led the magazine through four issues, the first being a thoughtful tribute to Frazier (March/April 2023). Next, the magazine addressed “medical pseudoscience around the world” through a special issue with contributors from India, Hungary, Austria, and Germany. The cover story in his third issue tackled the “ideological subversion of science,” becoming one of the most widely read articles in the magazine’s history. The cover story of his final issue explored the broader topic of “persuasive bullshitters.” Through all these magazine issues, other articles also touched on tantalizing topics familiar to SI readers such as astrology, cryptozoology, and parapsychology.
Vyse’s legacy will continue to shape the magazine for many years to come. As interim editor, he officially accepted an additional twenty-five articles that were not published during his four-issue tenure; these articles provide the content for much of the current issue and will continue to be published throughout next year. He also shaped the process involved in putting an issue together, served on the search committee for the new editor, and provided considerable support and mentorship throughout the transition. Here are a few words from the people who worked with him the closest over the past year: