The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, or CSICOP, is an organization formed to encourage open minded, critical investigation of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims from a responsible, scientific point of view. It is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1976 by Paul Kurtz. Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal - Activities. According to CSICOP's charter, the organization exists to pursue six major goals: Maintain a n ...

Including:

• Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal - Activities
• Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal - Skeptical Inquirer
• Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal - Partial list of CSICOP fellows past and present

Read more here: » Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal: Encyclopedia - Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal

According to CSICOP's charter, the organization exists to pursue six major goals: Maintain a network of people interested in critically examining paranormal, fringe science, and other claims, and in contributing to consumer education. Prepare bibliographies of published materials that carefully examine such claims. Encourage research by objective and impartial inquiry in areas where it is needed. Convene conferences and meetings. Publish articles that examine claims of the paranormal. Do not reject claims ...

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Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal - Activities, Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal - Skeptical Inquirer, Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal - Partial list of CSICOP fellows past and present

Read more here: » Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal: Encyclopedia II - Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal - Activities

Secular humanism is that branch of philosophy that advocates the use of reason, compassion, scientific inquiry, ethics, justice and a presumption of equality within a worldview centered upon human beings. The term was originally coined in the 20th century to make a clear distinction from "Christian humanism". A perhaps less confrontational synonym is scientific humanism, which the biologist Edward O. Wilson termed "the only world-view compatible with science's growing knowledge of the real world and the laws of nature". ^Including:

• Secular humanism - Secular humanism today
• Secular humanism - Modern and historical references
• Secular humanism - Notable secular humanists
• Secular humanism - Secular humanism manifestos
• Secular humanism - Humanist and related organizations
• Secular humanism - Related philosophies
• Secular humanism - Footnote

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Naturally, many targets of skeptical criticism are themselves critical of scientific skepticism. These and other critics may claim that scientific skeptics are biased and rigid in their analysis, use propaganda techniques like ridicule and mere assertion of fact, and do not actually use the scientific method to support their arguments. Self-described skeptics almost always favor established, consensus science and normally would reject any claim to the status of skeptic by anyone indulging in paranormal or supernatural beliefs, though ...

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Scientific skepticism, Scientific skepticism - Characteristics, Scientific skepticism - Famous skeptics, Scientific skepticism - Perceived dangers of pseudoscience, Scientific skepticism - Criticism, Scientific skepticism - Skeptics, Scientific skepticism - Science, Scientific skepticism - Other, Scientific skepticism - Books

Read more here: » Scientific skepticism: Encyclopedia II - Scientific skepticism - Criticism

The term secularism was created in 1846 by George Jacob Holyoake in order to describe "a form of opinion which concerns itself only with questions, the issues of which can be tested by the experience of this life." The earliest documented use of the phrase "secular humanism" was in the United States Supreme Court case Torcaso v. Watkins. In the 1961 decision, Justice Hugo Black commented in a footnote, "Among religions in this country which do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of God are Bud ...

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Secular humanism, Secular humanism - Secular humanism today, Secular humanism - Modern and historical references, Secular humanism - Notable secular humanists, Secular humanism - Secular humanism manifestos, Secular humanism - Humanist and related organizations, Secular humanism - Related philosophies, Secular humanism - Footnote

Read more here: » Secular humanism: Encyclopedia II - Secular humanism - Modern and historical references

In the scientific disciplines there is a belief that all claims should be treated with scientific skepticism. Mainstream science believes that after examining psi claims for over a century, there has been significant difficulty in merging the results of parapsychology studies with other fields of science. A growing network of scientists — in association with the Institute of Noetic Sciences, which was founded by American Astronaut, Dr. Edgar Mitchell — is seeking to bridge t ...

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Parapsychology, Parapsychology - Types of parapsychology, Parapsychology - Status of the field, Parapsychology - How science views the field, Parapsychology - Interpretation of the evidence, Parapsychology - Criticisms of parapsychological research, Parapsychology - Responses from parapsychologists to criticisms, Parapsychology - Early Scientific American challenge, Parapsychology - Other objections to parapsychology, Parapsychology - History and evaluation, Parapsychology - Trivia, Parapsychology - Famous parapsychologists, Parapsychology - Well-known psychic mediums, Parapsychology - Other claimed psychics, Parapsychology - Critics of parapsychology, Parapsychology - Independent research organizations, Parapsychology - University research organizations, Parapsychology - External links

Read more here: » Parapsychology: Encyclopedia II - Parapsychology - How science views the field

The Council for Secular Humanism (originally the Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism) is the only exclusively secular humanist organization in the USA. Unlike the American Humanist Association, the Council for Secular Humanism does not call itself religious and has never claimed tax-exemption as a religious organization. The council is based in Amherst, New York, and acts as an umbrella organization for a number of other groups such as the Secular Organizations for Sobriety, African Americans for Humanism, and provides ...

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Carl Edward Sagan (November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer and highly successful science popularizer. He pioneered exobiology and promoted the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (SETI). He is world-famous for his popular science books and the award-winning television series Cosmos, which he co-wrote and presented. He also wrote the novel Contact on which the 1997 film of the same name starring Jodie Foster was based. In his works, he frequently advocated the scientific method. < ...

Including:

• Carl Sagan - Education and scientific career
• Carl Sagan - Scientific achievements
• Carl Sagan - Scientific advocacy
• Carl Sagan - Social concerns
• Carl Sagan - Popularization of science
• Carl Sagan - Personality
• Carl Sagan - Legacy
• Carl Sagan - Awards and medals
• Carl Sagan - Related books and media

Read more here: » Carl Sagan: Encyclopedia - Carl Sagan

Skepticism or Scepticism can mean: Philosophical skepticism - a philosophical position according to which much of what we normally take as knowledge is not knowledge, or is not justified. The most extreme skepticism holds that no belief can ever be justified. An example of a more moderate form of skepticism is the view that we lack knowledge of the external world because our beliefs about the external world are not absolutely certain. Religious or Scientific skepticism - a scientific, or practical, p ...

Including:

• Skepticism - Spelling
• Skepticism - Philosophical skepticism
• Skepticism - Religious and Scientific Skepticism
• Skepticism - Skeptics and cynics
• Skepticism - Debunkers
• Skepticism - Scientific Skepticism as Inertia
• Skepticism - Quotations
• Skepticism - Religious and Scientific Skepticism
• Skepticism - Famous skeptics
• Skepticism - Essays on famous skeptics
• Skepticism - Organizations dedicated to skepticism
• Skepticism - TV shows and documentaries based upon skepticism

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While secular humanist organizations are found in all parts of the earth, the largest humanist organisation in the world (relative to population) is Norway's Human-Etisk Forbund [2], which had over 69,000 members out of a population of around 4.6 million in 2004 [3]. This popularity is partly attributable to a unique set of Church-State relations. In certain areas of the world, secular humanism finds itself in conflict with religious fundamentalism, especially over the issue of the separation of church and state. Many secular humanist ...

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Secular humanism, Secular humanism - Secular humanism today, Secular humanism - Modern and historical references, Secular humanism - Notable secular humanists, Secular humanism - Secular humanism manifestos, Secular humanism - Humanist and related organizations, Secular humanism - Related philosophies, Secular humanism - Footnote

Read more here: » Secular humanism: Encyclopedia II - Secular humanism - Secular humanism today

Skepticism is an approach to strange or unusual claims where doubt is preferred to belief, given a lack of conclusive evidence. This is a personal principle -- it does not, on the surface, imply that skeptics should attempt to convert other people to their beliefs. The question is often asked: what is the danger of "magical thinking" and pseudoscience? It may be silly to believe in UFOs and psychic powers, but why not tolerate those beliefs? What harm do they do? The Ancient Greek philosopher Plato believed that to release another per ...

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Scientific skepticism, Scientific skepticism - Characteristics, Scientific skepticism - Famous skeptics, Scientific skepticism - Perceived dangers of pseudoscience, Scientific skepticism - Criticism, Scientific skepticism - Skeptics, Scientific skepticism - Science, Scientific skepticism - Other, Scientific skepticism - Books

Read more here: » Scientific skepticism: Encyclopedia II - Scientific skepticism - Perceived dangers of pseudoscience

Ufology is the study of unidentified-flying-object (UFO) reports, sightings, and other related phenomena. While many ufologists strive for legitimacy, and some are respected scientists in other fields, ufology has never been fully embraced by the scientific community, for a number of reasons. One cannot obtain a ufology degree from any college or university, though there have been a few college or university courses on the subject, often from a folklore perspective. Many ufologists are amateurs (or worse, individuals in search ...

Including:

• Ufology - Hypotheses involving the objective existence of UFO's
• Ufology - The Extraterrestrial Hypothesis
• Ufology - The advanced human aircraft hypothesis
• Ufology - The Interdimensional Hypothesis a.k.a. Cosmic Trickster Ultraterrestrial Hypothesis
• Ufology - Sky Critter Hypothesis
• Ufology - UFO's as perception or illusion
• Ufology - The natural explanation hypothesis
• Ufology - Psychosocial Hypothesis
• Ufology - Groups Involved with Ufology
• Ufology - UFO Researchers
• Ufology - Sources

Read more here: » Ufology: Encyclopedia - Ufology

Like a scientist, a scientific skeptic aims to decide claims based on verifiability and falsifiability rather than accepting claims on faith or relying on unfalsifiable categories. Claims that such skeptics focus on are generally those they personally consider to be seemingly outrageous, dubious and/or clearly contradictory to generally accepted science. This distinguishes the scientific skeptic from the professional scientist, who often concentrates her or his enquiry on verifying or falsifying hypoth ...

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Scientific skepticism, Scientific skepticism - Characteristics, Scientific skepticism - Famous skeptics, Scientific skepticism - Perceived dangers of pseudoscience, Scientific skepticism - Criticism, Scientific skepticism - Skeptics, Scientific skepticism - Science, Scientific skepticism - Other, Scientific skepticism - Books

Read more here: » Scientific skepticism: Encyclopedia II - Scientific skepticism - Characteristics

The "Hundredth Monkey" is the name for a supposed phenomenon in which a particular learned behaviour spread instantaneously from one group of animals, once a critical number was reached, to all related animals in the region or perhaps throughout the world. Largely due to popularisation of this story, the "Hundredth Monkey" phenomenon is now thought by many to occur in human populations with respect to ideas and beliefs in general even thoug ...

Including:

• Hundredth Monkey - Sources

Read more here: » Hundredth Monkey: Encyclopedia - Hundredth Monkey

Parapsychology is the study of the evidence of mental awareness or influence of external objects without interaction from known physical means. Most objects of study fall within the realm of "mind-to-mind" influence (such as extra-sensory perception and telepathy), "mind-to-environment" influence (such as psychokinesis) and "environment-to-mind" (such as hauntings). The premiere professional organization, the Parapsychological Association (PA), is a member in good standing of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science ...

Including:

• Parapsychology - Types of parapsychology
• Parapsychology - Status of the field
• Parapsychology - How science views the field
• Parapsychology - Interpretation of the evidence
• Parapsychology - Criticisms of parapsychological research
• Parapsychology - Responses from parapsychologists to criticisms
• Parapsychology - Early Scientific American challenge
• Parapsychology - Other objections to parapsychology
• Parapsychology - History and evaluation
• Parapsychology - Trivia
• Parapsychology - Famous parapsychologists
• Parapsychology - Claimed psychics
• Parapsychology - Critics of parapsychology
• Parapsychology - Psychic investigations
• Parapsychology - General organizations
• Parapsychology - Independent research organizations
• Parapsychology - University research organizations
• Parapsychology - External links

Read more here: » Parapsychology: Encyclopedia - Parapsychology

List of atheists - Living. Phillip Adams (1939-) - Australian broadcaster, writer, film-maker, left-wing radical thinker, iconoclast, Australian Humanist of the Year 1987. Woody Allen (1935-) - American filmmaker, actor and writer. Ingmar Bergman (1918-) - Swedish film director and playwright. George Carlin (1937-) - American comedian, actor and author, wrote a number of monologues about the non-existence of God. André Comte-Sponville (1952-) - French materialist philoso ...

See also:

List of atheists, List of atheists - Influential or outspoken atheists, List of atheists - Living, List of atheists - Dead, List of atheists - Classical, List of atheists - Other atheists, List of atheists - Living, List of atheists - Dead

Read more here: » List of atheists: Encyclopedia II - List of atheists - Influential or outspoken atheists

These hypotheses speculate that the phenomena derives wholly or in part from a phenomena, rather than the mind of the observer. Ufology - The Extraterrestrial Hypothesis. The Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH) theorizes that some UFO sightings are alien spacecraft. See separate article. A sub-theory, the Staging Hypothesis, prevalent up until the 1980s, speculated that extraterrestrials have "stage-managed" encounters as a deliberate policy to "educate" humanity. This theory has fallen out of f ...

See also:

Ufology, Ufology - Hypotheses involving the objective existence of UFO's, Ufology - The Extraterrestrial Hypothesis, Ufology - The advanced human aircraft hypothesis, Ufology - The Interdimensional Hypothesis a.k.a. Cosmic Trickster Ultraterrestrial Hypothesis, Ufology - Sky Critter Hypothesis, Ufology - UFO's as perception or illusion, Ufology - The natural explanation hypothesis, Ufology - Psychosocial Hypothesis, Ufology - Groups Involved with Ufology, Ufology - UFO Researchers, Ufology - Sources

Read more here: » Ufology: Encyclopedia II - Ufology - Hypotheses involving the objective existence of UFO's

Truzzi was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. His family, a group of circus performers, moved to the United States in 1944. His father, Massimiliano Truzzi, was an outstanding juggler. Marcello served in the United States Army between 1958 and 1960. He became a naturalized citizen in 1961. Truzzi was a skeptic's skeptic and investigator of various protosciences and pseudosciences. He is credited with originatating the often-used phrase "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof". However, this is a rewording of the principle of Laplace which says "The weight of evidence for an extrordinary claim ...

See also:

Marcello Truzzi, Marcello Truzzi - Biography, Marcello Truzzi - Books by Truzzi, Marcello Truzzi - Obituaries, Marcello Truzzi - External articles and references

Read more here: » Marcello Truzzi: Encyclopedia II - Marcello Truzzi - Biography

The terms Pathological skepticism and Pseudoskepticism were coined by Marcello Truzzi (sociology professor at Eastern Michigan University) in the early 1990s in response to the skeptic groups who applied the label of "Pathological Science" to fields which Truzzi thought might be better described as protoscience. The term only makes sense if one uses a special meaning of "skeptic". "Skeptic" can simply mean "someone who doesn't believe this". Applied to that case, using the term "pseudoskeptic" would be as fallacious as c ...

See also:

Pathological skepticism, Pathological skepticism - History and usage

Read more here: » Pathological skepticism: Encyclopedia II - Pathological skepticism - History and usage

Klass's plasma conclusion met with considerable incredulity, even from some pronounced UFO skeptics; Klass was essentially invoking one mystery to explain another. Psychologist David Saunders (a Condon Committee investigator), described UFOs: Identified as "the most presumptuous book in the history of ufology". Atmospheric physicist James E. McDonald offered a detailed rebuttal of Klass' plasma hypothesis. In part, McDonald wrote "My most basic objection to his plasma-UFO theory is that he does not confront the fact that the in ...

See also:

Philip J. Klass, Philip J. Klass - Biography, Philip J. Klass - UFO Researcher and Skeptic, Philip J. Klass - Criticism of Klass, Philip J. Klass - Books and articles, Philip J. Klass - Sources

Read more here: » Philip J. Klass: Encyclopedia II - Philip J. Klass - Criticism of Klass