Paul Zachary Myers, born March 9, 1957, is an American evolutionary developmental biologist.
Myers attended the University of Washington and University of Oregon. Currently he is an associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota. 1
An active blogger and Tweeter, Myers has a large following of pseudoskeptics due to his vehement campaigns against the teaching of intelligent design versus the current paradigms in the evolutionary sciences in American schools. He has earned praise from fellow pseudoskeptics for his scientifically-uninformed, verbally-abusive disparagement of psychical research and individual psychics.
Myers bills himself a “Godless liberal biologist”.2 Sam Harris, a fellow atheist and materialist, has characterized him as a “shepherd
of internet trolls”.3
Myers uses linguistic manipulation, false logic, sensationalism, and other combative rhetoric to attack public figures with whom he disagrees on ideological principles: Twitter followers, psychics, and scientists who do psi research or any research which does not conform to scientifically-outdated physicalist and rationalist ideals.
Myers’ science writing on evolution tends toward Freudian, highly interpreted and convoluted mentalistic opinionizing with no basis in empiricism.
Myers announced in 2013 that he was leaving the skeptical movement due to disagreement with the scientific views of other skeptics.4
PZ Myers Website: Pharyngula.
References
1. Wikipedia
2. PZ Myers’ self-written Twitter biography
Sam Harris, August 7, 2012
4. I officially divorce myself from the skeptic movement
PZ Myers, May 5, 2013
Photo credit: Larry Moran