CSICon or CSIConference is an annual

skeptical conference This is a list of notable conferences that promote or practice scientific skepticism. See also * Humanism * Lists of skepticism topics * List of books about skepticism * List of skeptical magazines * List of skeptical organizations * List of s ...

typically held in the United States. CSICon is hosted by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), which is a program of the

Center for Inquiry The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a US nonprofit organization that works to mitigate belief in pseudoscience and the paranormal, as well as to fight the influence of religion in government. History The Center for Inquiry was established in 19 ...

(CFI). CSI publishes the magazine ''

Skeptical Inquirer ''Skeptical Inquirer'' is a bimonthly American general-audience magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) with the subtitle: ''The Magazine for Science and Reason''. Mission statement and goals Daniel Loxton, writing in ...

.''

History

1983–2005: CSICOP conferences

CSICon's current format stems from 2011, but similar conferences by CSI (until 2006 known as CSICOP, the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal) go back as far as 1983, when the first was held at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY). The second international CSICOP conference, themed "Paranormal Beliefs: Scientific Facts and Fictions", was held at Stanford University in 1984. The third, the first European CSICOP conference, was held at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

in Britain, themed "Investigation and Belief". Throughout the 1980s, the European readership of the ''

'' was increasing, while CSICOP members

James Randi James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; August 7, 1928 – October 20, 2020) was a Canadian-American stage magician, author and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. Rodrigues 2010p. ...

and

Paul Kurtz Paul Kurtz (December 21, 1925 – October 20, 2012) was an American scientific skeptic and secular humanist. He has been called "the father of secular humanism". He was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buff ...

were visiting several European countries to help found national skeptical organizations with their own magazines. In 1989, the second European CSICOP conference occurred in

Bad Tölz Bad Tölz (; Bavarian: ''Däiz'') is a town in Bavaria, Germany and the administrative center of the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district. History Archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tölz since the retreat of the gla ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, co-organized by the GWUP and also known as the 1st

European Skeptics Congress European Skeptics Congresses (ESCs) – a series of congresses now supported by the European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ECSO), in which skeptical organisations from many different European countries participate. They have been held ever s ...

. It was followed by the formation of the European Council of Skeptical Organisations in 1994, that would henceforth host international skeptical conferences in Europe. Subsequent CSICOP conferences were always held inside the United States. These included the First World Skeptics Congress at SUNY Buffalo (1996), "That’s Entertainment! Hollywood, the Media, and the Supernatural" with the Council for Media Integrity in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

(1998), "Science Meets 'Alternative Medicine'" in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

(1999) and others.

2005–2011: hiatus

Around 2005, the CSICOP conferences that were on average held every year and a half, usually at a major American university in conjunction with the relevant faculties such as physics, psychology and philosophy, went into a seven-year hiatus. According to

Kendrick Frazier Kendrick Crosby Frazier (March 19, 1942 – November 7, 2022) was an American science writer and longtime editor of ''Skeptical Inquirer'' magazine. He was also a former editor of ''Science News'', author or editor of ten books, and a Fellow of t ...

, the organization struggled with its leadership, focus and future perspective, prompting amongst other things the 2006 renaming from CSICOP to CSI, the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. In the meantime, the annual skeptical conference in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

, The Amaz!ng Meeting run by the

James Randi Educational Foundation James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) is an American grant-making institution founded in 1996 by magician and skeptic James Randi. As a nonprofit organization, the mission of JREF includes educating the public and the media on the dangers of ...

(JREF), started to fill the gap and grew larger every year.

2011–present: CSICon

CSICON 2011-Bill Nye-CFI In Praise of Reason Award

2011

When CSI stabilized in 2011, it held its first newly styled CSICon in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

. At this first CSICon,

Planetary Society The Planetary Society is an American internationally-active non-governmental nonprofit organization. It is involved in research, public outreach, and political space advocacy for engineering projects related to astronomy, planetary science, a ...

president

Bill Nye William Sanford Nye (born November 27, 1955), popularly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, is an American mechanical engineer, science communicator, and television presenter. He is best known as the host of the science television show ''Bill ...

was presented with the "In Praise of Reason" Award for his efforts in science communication with shows such as " Bill Nye the Science Guy" and later series and lectures. Bill Nye is a frequent speaker at the conference, with speaking slots in 2011 and 2013. He also attended the conference in a non speaker role in 2018.

2012

CSICon 2 took place in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

, in October 2012.

2013

In October 2013, CSICon 3 was held as part of a larger CFI conference, including the Council for Secular Humanism (CSH), called the CFI Summit in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

. This combined congress was an experiment, as some people like

Ray Hyman Ray Hyman (born June 23, 1928) is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, and a noted critic of parapsychology. Hyman, along with James Randi, Martin Gardner and Paul Kurtz, is one of the founders of the ...

and

Daniel Loxton Daniel Loxton (born 1975) is a Canadian writer, illustrator, and skeptic. He wrote or co-wrote several books including ''Tales of Prehistoric Life,'' a children's science trilogy, and '' Abominable Science!'', a scientific look at cryptozoology. ...

feared or argued the goals and focus of skepticism and humanism differed too much from each other to be discussed at a single conference. On the other hand, Ronald A. Lindsay and Eddie Tabash defended the decision of a joint conference, and Susan Gerbic wrote afterwards she was "completely impressed" by how well the two camps overlapped (citing the

creation–evolution controversy Recurring cultural, political, and theological rejection of evolution by religious groups (sometimes termed the creation–evolution controversy, the creation vs. evolution debate or the origins debate) exists regarding the origins of the Eart ...

as the most important common ground), and "have to work together". In June 2015, again a joint CFI conference was organized under the banner "Reason for Change", with almost 500 people attending. Frazier opined that " ientific skepticism and secularism/humanism blended fairly seamlessly" in

Amherst, New York Amherst () is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. Amherst is an inner ring suburb of Buffalo. As of 2020, the town had a total population of 129,595. This represents an increase from 122,366 as reported in the 2010 census. The second ...

, the headquarters of CFI.

2016

After the last installment of The Amaz!ng Meeting in 2015, Las Vegas was chosen as the location for CSICon 2016 to fill the void. There are active efforts to bring more students to CSICon, such as by Oregonians for Science and Reason (O4SR) which in 2016 and 2017 gave three scholarships that included conference fees, travel, hotel and food costs.

2017

At The Amaz!ng Meeting in 2011 (TAM 9) the

Independent Investigations Group The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a US nonprofit organization that works to mitigate belief in pseudoscience and the paranormal, as well as to fight the influence of religion in government. History The Center for Inquiry was established in 199 ...

(IIG) organised a tribute to

. The group gathered together with other attendees, put on fake white beards, and posed for a large group photo with Randi. At CSICon 2017, in absence of Randi, the IIG organised another group photo with leftover beards from the 2011 photo. After Randi was sent the photo, he replied, "I’m always very touched by any such expression. This is certainly no exception. You have my sincere gratitude. I suspect, however that a couple of those beards were fake. But I’m in a forgiving mood at the moment. I’m frankly very touched. I’ll see you at the next CSICon. Thank you all."

2018

Hundreds of new attendees to CSICon from the 650 person audience. CEO

Robyn Blumner Robyn Ellen Blumner (born 1961) is an opinion columnist, civil rights expert and the current president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the secular educational organization Center for Inquiry (CFI) and executive director of the Richard Dawkin ...

"There were impactful and thoughtful talks but also plenty of humor". According to Barry Karr the highlight for him was watching James Randi in conversation with Ray Hyman, James Alcock and Ken Frazier "discussing the founding of CSICOP (now CSI) and the dawning of the skeptic's movement. I am not sure how you can top a line-up like the one we had,... we certainly going to try next year!" One ''

'' article covering the 2018 conference profiled volunteer Scott Romanowski, who also volunteered at TAM, while another noted a large number of first-time attendees, and included interviews with several of these people from around the world to gain perspective on what they experienced.

2019

For the 2019 conference an effort was made to lower barriers for younger people to experience CSICon to encourage skeptical inquiry amongst a demographic largely absent from skeptical conferences. Susan Gerbic, Mark Edward, Kenny Biddle, John Anglin, Ron Lee and

Stuart Vyse Stuart Vyse is an American psychologist, teacher, speaker and author who specializes in belief in superstitions and critical thinking. He is frequently invited as a speaker and interviewed by the media as an expert on superstitious behavior. His ...

visited the Coral Academy of Science to talk to students shortly before and during the conference. The Skeptic community rallied around the cause and more than $4,000 was donated which paid for 16 students and 2 teachers to attend.

2020

The cancellation of the conference in 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

led to an online series of lectures entitled

Presents. These sessions included presentations by well known figures in the skeptical community and opportunities for viewers to ask questions.

Conference details

Sunday Morning Papers Sessions

One part of TAM that was carried over directly to CSICon is the Sunday Morning Papers Sessions. As described by Ray Hall, who has been in charge of vetting the Sunday Papers since TAM2 in 2002 and continued in that role for CSICon 2016, "The Sunday Papers are an opportunity for anyone with specific expertise to lend their skills to the kepticalmovement . . . Proposals that make it to the stage have some or all of these characteristics: they are well researched (with citations), introduce new data and analysis, discuss successes in media outreach, and the speaker’s credentials are well matched to the content of the proposal." As Jay Diamond described them, "The Sunday Papers are 'best of' the skeptical community. Grassroots skeptics get fifteen minutes to discuss their passion, so they are concise and clear." Speakers are given a strict time limit of 15 minutes. According to Diamond, " It’s much easier to do an hour-long talk than fifteen minutes. For the short talk, you need to be very well rehearsed."

columnist Rob Palmer wrote an article titled, "So, You Want To Speak At CSICon?" which describes his experience of applying for and being accepted as a speaker for the 2018 Sunday Morning Papers Session. The article is aimed at those who are "considering submitting a proposal for the chance to address the conference – or are even just curious as to what the application experience is like." In 2016, the wide-ranging topics included Creationist attacks on genetic algorithms, Rh-negative blood types, Homeopathy, concussions in American football, teaching critical thinking in college, and chemtrails. In 2017, the Sunday Papers presentations included teaching people to recognize pseudoscience, the history of phrenology and parallels to the current misuse of functional MRI, the influence of prayer on sports outcomes, the belief in the paranormal among university students, and a review of aberrant treatments promoted on naturopath websites. In 2018, the Sunday Papers presentations included speakers from the US, Brazil, India, and Denmark: * ''Politicization of Science: CAMs in the Brazilian Public Healthcare System'', by Natália Pasternak Taschner * ''Our Fight to Bring in the Anti-black Magic Law in India'', by Shantanu Abhyankar * ''Patented Woo: Why does the Patent Office issue patents on homeopathic “cures" and other pseudoscience?'', by Rick McLeod * ''Pseudoscience Ruins Adolescence: Myths About Sex, Drugs, and Self-Control'', by Stephen Hupp * ''Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia: Your Pathway to Skeptical Activism'', by Rob Palmer * ''The Harrit Syndrome: A New Explanation of Why and How People Become Evangelical Conspiracy Theorists'', by Steen Svanholm & Claus Flodin Larsen The 2019 Sunday Papers session consisted of five presentations, including two given by speakers from 2018 and one from the session moderator, Ray Hall: * ''From Boob Tube to Woo Tube: A Method for Examining Science and Pseudoscience in Video Social Media'', by Jessica E. Tuttle * ''Belief in Psychics: What’s the Harm?'', by Rob Palmer * ''Brazilians Love and Support Science! Or is it Pseudoscience?'', by Natália Pasternak Taschner * ''The False Experts Among Us: Why Some (But Not All) Novices Exhibit the Dunning–Kruger Effect'', by Kathleen Dyer * ''Promoting Science on Social Media: Is the Public Willing to Believe Physics is Fun?'', by

Ray Hall Ray Hall (born 27 October 1980) is a former Australian rules football player who played for the Richmond Football Club. Hall grew up in New South Wales, playing for the Balmain Australian Football Club before moving to Woy Woy where he was ...

Gallery

Conspiracy Panel at CSICON.jpg, CSICon 1 conspiracy panel: Ted Goertzel, Dave Thomas, Bob Blaskiewicz and

Scott Lilienfeld Scott O. Lilienfeld (December 23, 1960 – September 30, 2020) was a professor of psychology at Emory University and advocate for evidence-based treatments and methods within the field. He is known for his books '' 50 Great Myths of Popular Psy ...

Dr. Indre Viskontas - Skepticism and the Media Panel at CSICon 2011.JPG, Indre Viskontas leading the Skepticism and the Media Panel CSICon 1 Nickellzombie.JPG,

Joe Nickell Joe Nickell (born December 1, 1944) is an American skeptic and investigator of the paranormal. Nickell is senior research fellow for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and writes regularly for their journal, ''Skeptical Inquirer''. He is al ...

as a zombie at CSICon 2 CSICON 2011-MassimoPolidoro.JPG , Massimo Polidoro participating in "The Investigators" panel at CSICon 2011 in New Orleans CSICON 2012-204-How to Think About Weird News 1-Sharon Hill.JPG, Sharon Hill speaking about weird news at CSICon 2 Point of Inquiry recording.jpg, Point of Inquiry host Josh Zepps interviews Leonard Mlodinow at CFI Summit 2013. Hall 2013.jpg,

Harriet Hall Harriet A. Hall (born July 2, 1945) is a U.S. retired family physician, former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon and skeptic who writes about alternative medicine and quackery for '' Skeptic'' and ''Skeptical Inquirer''. She writes under the name ...

, a frequent CSICon speaker, in Tacoma 2013 Bill Nye lectures at 2013 CFI Summit.jpg, Bill Nye lectures at CFI Summit 2013. Nickell Balles Prize.jpg, Joe Nickell receives the Robert Balles Prize. CSI Executive Council-Reason for Change.JPG, Public CSI–CFI–CSH board gathering at Reason for Change Ronald Lindsay "Why Skepticism?" at CSICon Las Vegas in 2016.jpg, Ron Lindsay "Why Skepticism?" 2016 Mini-Skeptic's Toolbox at CSICon Las Vegas in 2016.jpg, Mini Skeptic's Toolbox 2016 Dr. Paul Offitt "Opioids" at CSICon Las Vegas in 2016.jpg,

Paul Offit Paul Allan Offit (born March 27, 1951) is an American pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases, vaccines, immunology, and virology. He is the co-inventor of a rotavirus vaccine. Offit is the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology, ...

"Opioids" lecture 2016 James Randi & Massimo Polidoro at CSICon Las Vegas in 2016.jpg,

and Massimo Polidoro 2016 CSI Staff Halloween Party 2016.jpg, CSI Staff at Halloween Party 2016 Science Moms, CSICon 2017.jpg, ''

Science Moms ''Science Moms'' is a 2017 American documentary film about mothers who advocate for science-based decision-making concerning the health and nutrition of children. The film covers vaccines, autism, celebrity-endorsed health fads, cancer, allerg ...

'' panel discussion at CSICon in 2017 Susan Gerbic presenting on GSoW at CSICon 2017.jpg, Susan Gerbic presenting on GSoW at CSICon in 2017 Richard Dawkins and Richard Wiseman at CSICon 2017.jpg,

Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford and was Professor for Public Understanding of Science in the University of Oxford from 1995 to 2008. An at ...

and

Richard Wiseman Richard J. Wiseman (born 17 September 1966) is a Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. He has written several psychology books. He has given keynote addresses to The Royal ...

at CSICon 2017 Banachek & James Randi CSICon2018.jpg,

Banachek Banachek (born Steven Shaw; 30 November 1960) is an English mentalist, magician, and "thought reader". He first came to public attention as a teenager for his role in James Randi's Project Alpha experiment, which exposed the lack of objectiv ...

and his mentor

CSICon 2018 CSICon 2018 Mark W. Gura & Richard Dawkins Present Stepehn Fry the 2018 Atheist Alliance Richard Dawkins Award.jpg, Mark Gura &

present Stephen Fry the 2018 Atheist Alliance Richard Dawkins Award CFI Staff 2019 Halloween Party CSICon.jpg, CFI staff at CSICon party 2019 Julia Sweeney CSICon 2019 Older and Wider.jpg,

Julia Sweeney Julia Anne Sweeney (born October 10, 1959) is an American actress, comedian, and author, who gained fame as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1994. She played Mrs. Keeper in the film '' Stuart Little'' and voiced Brittany in ...

"Older and Wider" 2019 Leighann Lord at CSICon 2019.jpg, Leighann Lord 2019 CSICon emcee

References

Notes

External links

* * *

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

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@SkeptInquiry
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@center4inquiry
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#CSICon
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All CFI events including CSICon
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Lanyrd Lanyrd (pronounced and named after "lanyard") was a conference directory website. It was created by Simon Willison and Natalie Downe and launched in 2010. The site was created while the couple were on honeymoon. The site compiled blog posts, p ...

Skeptical Inquirer Presents
{{Skeptical conferences Conventions in the United States Skeptic conferences Recurring events established in 2011