Daniel Loxton
Encyclopedia
Daniel Loxton is a Canadian writer, illustrator, and skeptic
. He is the Editor of Junior Skeptic magazine, a kids’ science section bound into the Skeptics Society's Skeptic
magazine. He writes and illustrates most issues of Junior Skeptic.
side of the Alaska Panhandle
.
Loxton has published two major essays on skeptical activism "Where Do We Go From Here?" in 2007, dealing with the focus and direction of the new generation of skepticism, and "What Do I Do Next?" in 2009, providing ideas and suggestions for individual involvement in the skepticism movement. This Op-Ed was also featured on an episode of the Skepticality
podcast.
He was featured in an interview on The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
podcast #194. He also appeared in an interview on the JREF podcast, For Good Reason in the episode dated February 6, 2010 and on Christopher Brown's Meet the Skeptics! podcast.
Loxton is the author of a book explaining evolution for young readers, Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came To Be, which has been nominated for the Canadian Children's Book Centre's Norma Fleck Award
for Children's Non-Fiction. When pitching Evolution to U.S. publishers, Loxton was told "‘Well of course I love it, but we just think it’s a little too hot,’... Which is a strange thing to say about fundamental biology.” Not so in Canada. About writing a children's book on the topic of evolution Luxton states "People forget to see kids as thinking beings, as people who have existential questions that they want answered. They just need the best information available,” he said. “Keep it simple, but make it true.” Evolution has been nominated for the Lane Anderson Award for Canadian science writing.
Loxton credits Barry Beyerstein
for his interest in skepticism. In several interviews Loxton talks about attending a science fiction conference in British Columbia in 1991 and hearing Beyerstein speak on behalf of the BC Skeptics. "He calmly and kindly fielded questions from the audience—and I was shocked by almost everything he said. This wasn’t the usual fluff: this guy really knew what he was talking about, in a way that I had never encountered before. Even his “I don’t know”s were substantial in a way that I wasn’t used to hearing."
Scientific skepticism
Scientific skepticism is the practice of questioning the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence or reproducibility, as part of a methodological norm pursuing "the extension of certified knowledge". For example, Robert K...
. He is the Editor of Junior Skeptic magazine, a kids’ science section bound into the Skeptics Society's Skeptic
Skeptic (U.S. magazine)
Skeptic is a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine published internationally by The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs...
magazine. He writes and illustrates most issues of Junior Skeptic.
Work
Prior to his involvement with the Skeptics Society, Loxton worked as a professional shepherd along the British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
side of the Alaska Panhandle
Alaska Panhandle
Southeast Alaska, sometimes referred to as the Alaska Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, which lies west of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The majority of Southeast Alaska's area is part of the Tongass National Forest, the United...
.
Loxton has published two major essays on skeptical activism "Where Do We Go From Here?" in 2007, dealing with the focus and direction of the new generation of skepticism, and "What Do I Do Next?" in 2009, providing ideas and suggestions for individual involvement in the skepticism movement. This Op-Ed was also featured on an episode of the Skepticality
Skepticality
Skepticality is the official biweekly podcast of The Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine. It explores rational thought, skeptical ideas, and famous myths from around the world and throughout history...
podcast.
He was featured in an interview on The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is a weekly, 80 minute podcast hosted by Steven Novella, MD, and a panel of "skeptical rogues". It is the official podcast of the New England Skeptical Society, and is produced in conjunction with the James Randi Educational Foundation...
podcast #194. He also appeared in an interview on the JREF podcast, For Good Reason in the episode dated February 6, 2010 and on Christopher Brown's Meet the Skeptics! podcast.
Loxton is the author of a book explaining evolution for young readers, Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came To Be, which has been nominated for the Canadian Children's Book Centre's Norma Fleck Award
Norma Fleck Award
The Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction is a lucrative literary award founded in May 1999 by the Fleck Family Foundation and the Canadian Children's Book Centre, and presented to the year's best non-fiction book for a youth audience...
for Children's Non-Fiction. When pitching Evolution to U.S. publishers, Loxton was told "‘Well of course I love it, but we just think it’s a little too hot,’... Which is a strange thing to say about fundamental biology.” Not so in Canada. About writing a children's book on the topic of evolution Luxton states "People forget to see kids as thinking beings, as people who have existential questions that they want answered. They just need the best information available,” he said. “Keep it simple, but make it true.” Evolution has been nominated for the Lane Anderson Award for Canadian science writing.
Loxton credits Barry Beyerstein
Barry Beyerstein
Barry L Beyerstein, Ph.D. was a noted scientific skeptic and professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia...
for his interest in skepticism. In several interviews Loxton talks about attending a science fiction conference in British Columbia in 1991 and hearing Beyerstein speak on behalf of the BC Skeptics. "He calmly and kindly fielded questions from the audience—and I was shocked by almost everything he said. This wasn’t the usual fluff: this guy really knew what he was talking about, in a way that I had never encountered before. Even his “I don’t know”s were substantial in a way that I wasn’t used to hearing."
Books
- Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be. (Kids Can Press, Ltd, 2010) ISBN 1554534305
- Ankylosaur Attack (Tales of Prehistoric Life) . (Kids Can Press, Ltd, 2011) ISBN 1554536316