The Michael Shermer Show

Shermer Says 3: Weird Experiences, the Meaning of Dreams, and What Mark Twain Knew About Reality

November 8, 2025

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  • The central theme of this segment of *The Michael Shermer Show*, *Shermer Says 3: Weird Experiences, the Meaning of Dreams, and What Mark Twain Knew About Reality*, is the tension between maintaining scientific skepticism and acknowledging the profound emotional significance of anomalous, unexplained personal experiences. 
  • Statistical principles like the law of large numbers suggest that highly improbable coincidences, such as death premonition dreams, are inevitable given the vast number of dreams and relationships people experience daily. 
  • Michael Shermer advocates for an approach that remains agnostic when evidence is indecisive, suggesting that one can enjoy the mystery of unexplained events without committing to supernatural or paranormal explanations, as future scientific understanding may reveal natural causes. 

Segments

Introduction to Shermer Says Three
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(00:01:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode is the third installment of Shermer’s solo commentary, focusing on anomalous experiences.
  • Summary: Michael Shermer introduces the solo commentary, ‘Shermer says, episode number three,’ triggered by an email from his friend Lon Haldeman.
Lon Haldeman’s Post-Death Phone Call
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(00:02:20)
  • Key Takeaway: A deceased mother’s landline rang the son’s cell phone after she passed, despite the house being empty and locked.
  • Summary: Shermer reads Lon Haldeman’s account of receiving calls from his recently deceased mother’s landline phone after everyone had left the house, which he interprets as a strange experience.
Mark Twain’s Death Dream Anecdote
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(00:06:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Mark Twain’s vivid dream about his brother’s death, including specific details like clothing and flowers, matched reality weeks later.
  • Summary: Shermer recounts Twain’s dream about his brother Henry lying in a specific burial case wearing Twain’s clothes and having a bouquet with one red rose, which later proved accurate.
Law of Large Numbers and Premonitions
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(00:08:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Given the vast number of dreams and deaths annually, coincidental premonition dreams are statistically inevitable.
  • Summary: Shermer performs a calculation showing that billions of dreams occur yearly among Americans, making it statistically inevitable that some will coincide with deaths.
Shermer’s Broken Radio Experience
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(00:10:44)
  • Key Takeaway: A broken transistor radio belonging to his fiancée’s late grandfather suddenly played romantic music perfectly tuned during their wedding ceremony.
  • Summary: Shermer details the anomalous event where his non-functional radio spontaneously turned on and played music at an emotionally significant moment, months after he had tried and failed to fix it.
Interpreting Anomalous Events
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(00:14:11)
  • Key Takeaway: Shermer advocates for enjoying the mystery of unexplained events without immediately resorting to supernatural explanations.
  • Summary: Shermer discusses the mail received regarding his radio story, contrasting skeptical critiques with believer interpretations, and reiterates his stance of remaining agnostic while appreciating the mystery.
Physics and Potential Natural Explanations
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(00:26:05)
  • Key Takeaway: Future physics, like concepts in Interstellar, might explain seemingly paranormal events through multi-dimensional travel or gravitational waves.
  • Summary: Shermer explores Kip Thorne’s scientific basis for Interstellar’s plot, suggesting that if his radio event had a physical cause, it might involve physics beyond current common understanding, not necessarily the supernatural.
Embracing the Unknown in Science
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(00:31:48)
  • Key Takeaway: Until science explains spectacular events, we should enjoy the mystery rather than filling gaps with preternatural forces.
  • Summary: Shermer concludes by urging listeners to embrace the unknown, noting that science is constantly overturning old assumptions, as evidenced by new discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope.