ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author suggests that one of the most detrimental (and least discussed) effects of the crisis in science education in the world today is that we are creating a population increasingly unable to think sceptically about a wide range of issues. This is happening at just a time when the issues confronting society are becoming more and more complex, and thus the opportunities for deceptive claims and outright fraud are greater than ever. A receptive, but skeptical frame of mind is a key element in scientific thinking, and teaching about the scientific method is an excellent way to encourage skeptical thinking in many fields. In focusing so strongly on the entertainment aspect of their mission over the educational aspect, the media lose sight of the fact that there is an alternative to pandering to the lowest taste. Putting more skeptical thinking into the curriculum and the media will not be an easy task.
