GaryJJSpate (talk | contribs) Created page with "{{OrganisationInfobox |name=Committee for Skeptical Inquiry |type=Scientific skepticism organisation |founded=30 April 1976 (as CSICOP) |founders=Paul Kurtz, Martin Gardner, James Randi, Ray Hyman, and others |known_for=Founding organisation of the modern scientific skepticism movement; publisher of Skeptical Inquirer |status=Active }} The '''Committee for Skeptical Inquiry''' (CSI) — known until 2006 as the '''Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of t..." |
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|type=Scientific skepticism organisation | |type=Scientific skepticism organisation | ||
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The '''Committee for Skeptical Inquiry''' (CSI) — known until 2006 as the '''Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal''' (CSICOP) — is an American organisation dedicated to promoting scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and reason in examining paranormal, pseudoscientific, and other extraordinary claims. It has operated as a programme of the Center for Inquiry (CFI) since 2015, having previously existed as an independent non-profit.<ref name=" | The '''Committee for Skeptical Inquiry''' (CSI) — known until 2006 as the '''Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal''' (CSICOP) — is an American organisation dedicated to promoting scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and reason in examining paranormal, pseudoscientific, and other extraordinary claims. It has operated as a programme of the Center for Inquiry (CFI) since 2015, having previously existed as an independent non-profit.<ref name="loc">{{cite web |title=Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0016235/ |website=Library of Congress}}</ref> | ||
== Founding == | == Founding == | ||
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== Early disputes == | == Early disputes == | ||
CSICOP's founding period was marked by internal disagreement over the organisation's approach. Sociologist Marcello Truzzi, an early | CSICOP's founding period was marked by internal disagreement over the organisation's approach. Sociologist [[Marcello Truzzi]], an early co-chairman alongside Kurtz, contended that Gardner and CSICOP more broadly acted "like lawyers, more interested in winning a case than abiding by science's rules of conduct" — what Truzzi characterised as CSICOP's "debunking stance," which he considered a breach of its own declared position of not dismissing claims without full evaluation.<ref name="skepticalinquirer">{{cite web |title=The Martin Gardner Correspondence with Marcello Truzzi |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2017/11/the-martin-gardner-correspondence-with-marcello-truzzi/ |website=Skeptical Inquirer}}</ref> Gardner, in turn, opposed extending CSICOP's associated journal to voices sympathetic to paranormal claims, arguing this "conferred too much respectability to nonsense."<ref name="skepticalinquirer"/> Truzzi left the organisation within about a year of its founding, following a vote of no confidence from its Executive Council, and went on to found his own independent journal, ''Zetetic Scholar''.<ref name="skepticalinquirer"/> | ||
== Activities == | == Activities == | ||
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== 2006 renaming == | == 2006 renaming == | ||
Following a roughly seven-year hiatus in the organisation's regular conferences in the mid-2000s, and internal discussion about its leadership and future direction, CSICOP's Executive Council voted on 4 December 2006 to shorten the organisation's name to the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, broadening its stated mission beyond claims specifically framed as "paranormal."<ref name="loc" | Following a roughly seven-year hiatus in the organisation's regular conferences in the mid-2000s, and internal discussion about its leadership and future direction, CSICOP's Executive Council voted on 4 December 2006 to shorten the organisation's name to the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, broadening its stated mission beyond claims specifically framed as "paranormal."<ref name="loc" /> | ||
== Today == | == Today == | ||
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* [[James Randi]] | * [[James Randi]] | ||
* [[Ray Hyman]] | * [[Ray Hyman]] | ||
* [[Marcello Truzzi]] | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
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* [https://www.beenews.com/amherst_bee/news/committee-for-skeptical-inquiry-celebrates-50-years/article_e2465c15-70c7-4434-afac-bb6512090768.html beenews.com — Committee for Skeptical Inquiry celebrates 50 years] | * [https://www.beenews.com/amherst_bee/news/committee-for-skeptical-inquiry-celebrates-50-years/article_e2465c15-70c7-4434-afac-bb6512090768.html beenews.com — Committee for Skeptical Inquiry celebrates 50 years] | ||
[[Category:Organisations]] | [[Category:Skeptical Organisations]] | ||
[[Category:Amherst, New York]] | |||
Latest revision as of 10:24, 5 August 2026
The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) — known until 2006 as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) — is an American organisation dedicated to promoting scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and reason in examining paranormal, pseudoscientific, and other extraordinary claims. It has operated as a programme of the Center for Inquiry (CFI) since 2015, having previously existed as an independent non-profit.[1]
Founding
Paul Kurtz proposed CSICOP's establishment at a symposium titled "The New Irrationalisms: Antiscience and Pseudoscience," held at SUNY Buffalo. The organisation was officially launched at a specially convened conference of the American Humanist Association on 30 April and 1 May 1976, with Paul Kurtz, James Randi, Martin Gardner, and Ray Hyman taking seats on its founding executive board, alongside supporters including Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, and B. F. Skinner.[2]
Early disputes
CSICOP's founding period was marked by internal disagreement over the organisation's approach. Sociologist Marcello Truzzi, an early co-chairman alongside Kurtz, contended that Gardner and CSICOP more broadly acted "like lawyers, more interested in winning a case than abiding by science's rules of conduct" — what Truzzi characterised as CSICOP's "debunking stance," which he considered a breach of its own declared position of not dismissing claims without full evaluation.[3] Gardner, in turn, opposed extending CSICOP's associated journal to voices sympathetic to paranormal claims, arguing this "conferred too much respectability to nonsense."[3] Truzzi left the organisation within about a year of its founding, following a vote of no confidence from its Executive Council, and went on to found his own independent journal, Zetetic Scholar.[3]
Activities
CSI's central publication is Skeptical Inquirer, a bimonthly magazine first published in 1976 and still running today. The organisation investigates a broad range of claims, spanning paranormal subjects such as UFO sightings and psychic phenomena alongside pseudoscience, astrology, alternative medicine, and religious cults more generally.[4] Its position rests on the principle that extraordinary claims must be reliably demonstrated rather than assumed true by default — closely related to the Sagan standard discussed more generally on The Vault's Skepticism page. Critics of the organisation have accused some of its members of "pseudo-skepticism," alleging a fixed prior assumption that paranormal claims are false regardless of evidence presented.[4]
2006 renaming
Following a roughly seven-year hiatus in the organisation's regular conferences in the mid-2000s, and internal discussion about its leadership and future direction, CSICOP's Executive Council voted on 4 December 2006 to shorten the organisation's name to the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, broadening its stated mission beyond claims specifically framed as "paranormal."[1]
Today
CSI is based in Amherst, New York, as part of the Center for Inquiry, and is led by executive director Stephen Hupp. The organisation marked its 50th anniversary on 1 May 2026, with a year-long series of celebrations culminating in the CSICon 2026 conference held in Buffalo, New York, featuring speakers including Bill Nye, Mary Roach, and the hosts of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI)."Library of Congress.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Committee for Skeptical Inquiry celebrates 50 years."beenews.com.1 May 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "The Martin Gardner Correspondence with Marcello Truzzi."Skeptical Inquirer.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Committee for Skeptical Inquiry."AcademiaLab.