Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🏢 Organization
Contents 4
| Type | Organization |
|---|---|
| Also known as | CSICOP |
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 founded in 1976 to promote the scientific examination of paranormal claims, including UFO reports. It publishes the magazine Skeptical Inquirer.[1]
Founding
Philosopher Paul Kurtz proposed the committee to counter what he saw as uncritical acceptance of paranormal claims in the media. It was launched on 30 April 1976, co-chaired by Kurtz and sociologist Marcello Truzzi. Its founding members included Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, B. F. Skinner, magician James Randi, writer Martin Gardner, psychologist Ray Hyman and aviation journalist Philip J. Klass, a leading UFO skeptic.[1] Truzzi soon left, accusing the group of a "debunking stance".[1]
Work on UFOs
CSI investigates UFO sightings as well as psychics, astrology, alternative medicine and other claims.[1] Skeptical Inquirer has published many critiques, including of the Soviet Voronezh reports and French government UFO studies.[1][2][3] A saying often repeated by members, popularised by Sagan, is that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence".[1]
Today
The committee shortened its name in 2006 and became a programme of the Center for Inquiry in 2015. It is based in Amherst, New York.[1]
References
- Committee for Skeptical Inquiry — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Paul Kurtz, "Paranormal Pandemonium in the Soviet Union", Skeptical Inquirer (1990) · skepticalinquirer.org · archived copy
- David Rossoni, Éric Maillot and Éric Déguillaume, Skeptical Inquirer (2009) (PDF) · skepticalinquirer.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 31 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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