The Skeptics Society is a nonprofit, member-supported organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs. A non-profit organization ( abbreviated "NPO" also "not-for-profit" is a legally constituted Organization whose objective is to support or engage Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism ( also spelled scepticism) sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a scientific or practical Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the Superstition ( Latin superstitio, literally "standing over" derived perhaps from standing in awe used in Latin as a unreasonable or excessive belief Irrationality is talking or acting without regard of Rationality. The Skeptics Society was originally founded as a Los Angeles-area skeptical group to replace the defunct Southern California Skeptics. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U After the success of its magazine, Skeptic, introduced in Spring 1992, it became a national — then international — organization.
Like Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the James Randi Educational Foundation, the Skeptics Society investigates extraordinary claims, such as extra sensory perception, Atlantis, 9/11 conspiracy theories, the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, creationism, pyramid power, etc. The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry ( CSI) formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal ( CSICOP) is a The James Randi Educational Foundation ( JREF) is a Fort Lauderdale Florida Non-profit organization founded in 1996 by magician and Extrasensory perception (ESP is the apparent ability to acquire information by Paranormal means independent of any known physical Senses or deduction from previous Atlantis (in Greek,, "island of Atlas " is the name of a Legendary Island, first mentioned in Plato 's dialogues A variety of conspiracy theories question the mainstream account of the September 11 attacks in the United States. The Loch Ness Monster ( Nessiteras rhombopteryx) is an alleged animal family and upward Incertae sedis, purportedly inhabiting Scotland 's Loch Ness Bigfoot or Sasquatch is alleged to be an Ape -like creature inhabiting remote forests mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Canada "Creationism" can also refer to Creation myths in general or to a concept about the origin of the soul. The term pyramid power was coined by Patrick Flanagan in 1973, to describe alleged supernatural properties of the ancient Egyptian pyramids and It does not limit itself to potentially pseudoscientific claims, but also investigates such controversies such as pseudohistory (as in the examples of Holocaust denial and extreme Afrocentrism), the use of misuse of theory and statistics, conspiracy theories, urban legends, witch hunts, mass hysteria, genius, and intelligence, and cultural influences on science, as well as controversies involving protosciences at the leading edge of established science, and even fads like cryonics and low-carb diets. Pseudohistory is a term applied to texts which purport to be historical in nature but which depart from standard historiographical conventions in a way which undermines Holocaust denial is the claim that the Genocide of Jews during World War II —usually referred to as The Holocaust —did not occur in the Afrocentrism or Afrocentricity is a World view that emphasizes the importance of African people in culture philosophy and history A conspiracy theory attributes the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually Political, Social or Historical events or the concealment An urban legend or urban myth is a form of modern Folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them "Witch trial" redirects here For the song by Rush, see Fear series. Mass hysteria, also called collective hysteria, mass psychogenic illness, or collective obsessional behavior, is the sociopsychological A genius is a person of great Intelligence or remarkable abilities in a specific subject who shows an exceptional natural capacity of intellect and/or ability especially Intelligence (also called intellect) is an Umbrella term used to describe a property of the Mind that encompasses many related abilities such as the capacities Protoscience refers to historical philosophical disciplines which existed prior to the development of Scientific method, which allowed them to develop into Science Cryonics is the low-temperature Preservation of Humans and other Animals that can no longer be sustained by contemporary Medicine until Low-carbohydrate diets or low-carb diets are dietary programs that restrict Carbohydrate consumption usually for Weight control or for the treatment of
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Philosophy
When investigating extraordinary claims, the Skeptics Society adopts the view of the 17th Century Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza:
- “I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand them. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Baruch or Benedict de Spinoza (ברוך שפינוזה Bento de Espinosa Benedictus de Spinoza ( November 24, 1632 – February 21, ”
With regard to the procedure by which such claims are investigated, the Society uses the scientific method developed in the 16th and 17th Century, which the Society believes adheres to Albert Einstein’s philosophy:
- “All our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike—and yet it is the most precious thing we have. Scientific method refers to bodies of Techniques for investigating phenomena As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar Albert Einstein ( German: ˈalbɐt ˈaɪ̯nʃtaɪ̯n; English: ˈælbɝt ˈaɪnstaɪn (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955 was a German -born theoretical ”
The Skeptics Society contends that whereas some may perceive skeptics to be cynics or curmudgeons who reject all new ideas that may challenge the status quo on an a priori basis, skepticism is actually a provisional approach to claims. "A priori" redirects here For other uses see A priori. The Society contends that skepticism is merely the application of reason and the acknowledgement of the need for evidence for any and all ideas, even “sacred cows”, and that it is merely a method, and not a position. The Skeptics Society contends that skepticism has a long historical tradition dating back to Socrates’ observation, “All I know is that I know nothing”, and that its modern embodiment is the scientific method, which involves gathering data to formulate and test explanations for natural phenomena and other claims. SOCRATES is the European Community action programme in the field of Education. A claim, according to this view, becomes factual when it is confirmed to a rigorous extent, but that all facts remain provisional and subject to challenge, because the ongoing accumulation of knowledge may one day yield information that requires revision, correction, or even abandonment of the prevailing model.
Activities
The Skeptics Society activities include:
- Production of a quarterly journal, Skeptic magazine, of which Michael Shermer is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. Michael Brand Shermer (born September 8, 1954 in Glendale California) is an American science writer historian of science founder of The Skeptics Editing Language, Images or Sound through correction condensation organization and other modifications in various media
- Investigating and researching controversial claims.
- Sponsoring a monthly lecture series at the California Institute of Technology. The California Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Caltech) is a private, Coeducational research university located in Pasadena
- Production and sale of audio and video tapes of the lectures.
- Maintaining a catalogue of books on science and skepticism discounted for members.
- Organizing an annual scientific conference centered around a particular theme.
- Conducting field trips for scientific research and education.
- Holding social events to promote good will among like-minded individuals
- Maintaining a speaker’s bureau for schools and organizations to access.
- Maintaining a telephone referral service for the public and the media to access information on controversial claims from a skeptical viewpoint.
- Maintaining a website on the World Wide Web. A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages The World Wide Web (commonly shortened to the Web) is a system of interlinked Hypertext documents accessed via the Internet.
A primary activity of the Skeptics Society is the publication of Skeptic magazine. Skeptic is a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine available by subscription or on major newsstands in the U.S. and Canada. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Over 100 pages long, the magazine examines many of the aforementioned topics. Its cover stories have ranged from examination of alleged UFOs in religious icons[1] and theories of the likelihood of artificial intelligence [2] to tributes to luminaries such as Isaac Asimov [3] and Ernst Mayr. An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. Isaac Asimov (c January 2 1920 &ndash April 6 1992 ˈaɪzək ˈæzɪmʌv originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as, was a Russian Ernst Walter Mayr ( July 5, 1904, Kempten, Germany &ndash February 3, 2005, Bedford Massachusetts U [4] Some editions feature special sections devoted to a particular topic or theme that is examined through multiple articles by different authors, such as intelligent design, a frequently recurring topic in the magazine, given the ongoing creation-evolution controversy. Intelligent The creation-evolution controversy (also termed the creation vs
The magazine also features a large correspondence section called "Forum", that includes not only letters from lay readers, but also in-depth comments and rebuttals from professionals for extended academic debate across issues from past editions. Bound into most issues is also a 10-page young readers section called Junior Skeptic, which focuses on one topic, or practical instruction that is written and illustrated in a style more appealing to children. Junior Skeptic magazine is an illustrated science and critical thinking publication intended for younger readers which is bound into every issue of Skeptic magazine
Recently, the podcast Skepticality has been adopted as the group's official podcast. A podcast is a series of audio or Video digital-media files which is distributed over the Internet by syndicated Download Skepticality is the official bimonthly Podcast of The Skeptics Society 's Skeptic magazine
See also
References
External links
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