Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
Abbreviation	CSI
Formation	1976
Type	Nonprofit organization (1976–2015); Program of the Center for Inquiry (2015–present)
Purpose	Skeptical inquiry of paranormal claims
Headquarters	Amherst, New York, United States
Region served	Worldwide
Executive director	Barry Karr
Website	www.skepticalinquirer.org

The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the U.S. non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to "promote scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims."^[1] Paul Kurtz proposed the establishment of CSICOP in 1976 as an independent non-profit organization (before merging with CFI as one of its programs in 2015^[2]), to counter what he regarded as an uncritical acceptance of, and support for, paranormal claims by both the media and society in general.^[3] Its philosophical position is one of scientific skepticism. CSI's fellows have included notable scientists, Nobel laureates, philosophers, psychologists, educators, and authors.^[4] It is headquartered in Amherst, New York.

^ UFO True Believers and Skeptics Clash on the Web Archived November 9, 2018, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times, June 30, 1997
^ "A Unified Center for Inquiry, Stronger Than Ever". CenterForInquiry.net. Center for Inquiry. January 14, 2015. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
^ Evans, Jules (October 3, 2012). "The Skeptic movement". philosophyforlife.org. Jules Evans. Archived from the original on July 6, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2017. The modern Skeptic movement, as an organized force, arguably first appeared in 1976, when the philosopher Paul Kurtz proposed the establishment of a Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) at the American Humanist Association annual convention. CSICOP launched as a committee with founder members including the magicians James Randi and Martin Gardner.
^ Kurtz, Paul. (1996). Skepticism and the Paranormal. In Gordon Stein (Ed.). The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal. pp. 684–701. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-57392-021-5

[1] UFO True Believers and Skeptics Clash on the Web Archived November 9, 2018, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times, June 30, 1997

[2] "A Unified Center for Inquiry, Stronger Than Ever". CenterForInquiry.net. Center for Inquiry. January 14, 2015. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.

[Evans2012-3] Evans, Jules (October 3, 2012). "The Skeptic movement". philosophyforlife.org. Jules Evans. Archived from the original on July 6, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2017. The modern Skeptic movement, as an organized force, arguably first appeared in 1976, when the philosopher Paul Kurtz proposed the establishment of a Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) at the American Humanist Association annual convention. CSICOP launched as a committee with founder members including the magicians James Randi and Martin Gardner.

[4] Kurtz, Paul. (1996). Skepticism and the Paranormal. In Gordon Stein (Ed.). The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal. pp. 684–701. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-57392-021-5

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]


Abbreviation	CSI
Formation	1976; 48 years ago (1976)
Type	Nonprofit organization (1976–2015) Program of the Center for Inquiry (2015–present)
Purpose	Skeptical inquiry of paranormal claims
Headquarters	Amherst, New York, United States
Region served	Worldwide
Executive director	Barry Karr
Website	www.skepticalinquirer.org