This is a list of notable organizations that promote or practice scientific skepticism.
| Name (English / local (abbreviation)) | Founded | Region served | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Association against Quackery / Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij (VtdK) | 1881 |  Netherlands |
Oldest skeptical organisation.[1] Member of ECSO.[citation needed] |
| Association for Skeptical Enquiry (ASKE) | 1997 |  United Kingdom |
Member of ECSO.[2] |
| Australian Skeptics | 1980 |  Australia |
|
| Center for Inquiry (CFI) | 1991 |  World |
Global umbrella organisation based in Amherst, New York. |
| Committee for the Advancement of Scientific Skepticism (CASS) | 2010 |  Canada |
Part of Centre for Inquiry Canada. |
| Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) | 1976 |  United States |
Part of the Center for Inquiry. |
| Committee Para / Comité Para[3] | 1949 |  Belgium |
Member of ECSO.[2] Serves Wallonia and Brussels. |
| Czech Skeptics Club Sisyfos / Český klub skeptiků Sisyfos (Sisyfos) | 1995 |  Czech Republic |
Member of ECSO.[2] |
| Dakshina Kannada Rationalist Association / தட்சிண கன்னட பகுத்தறிவாளர் ஒன்றியம் (DKRA) | 1976 |  India |
Member of FIRA. |
| The Free Thought / De Vrije Gedachte (DVG) | 1856 | Netherlands |
Focuses on atheism/secular humanism.[4] |
| Edinburgh Skeptics Society (EdSkeptics) | 2009 | United Kingdom |
|
| European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ECSO) | 1994 |  Europe |
A European umbrella organization, based in Roßdorf, Germany. |
| Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations / இந்திய பகுத்தறிவாளர் ஒன்றியங்களின் பேரவை (FIRA) | 1997 | India |
Indian umbrella organisation. |
| Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) | 1978 | United States |
Focuses on state/church separation, nontheism, and atheism. |
| French Association for Scientific Information / Association française pour l’information scientifique (AFIS) | 1968[5] |  France |
Member of ECSO.[2] |
| German Society for Fighting Quackery / Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Bekämpfung des Kurpfuschertums (DGBK) | 1903 |  Germany |
Dissolved in 1934. |
| Glasgow Skeptics | 2009 | United Kingdom |
|
| Good Thinking Society | 2012 | United Kingdom |
|
| Het Denkgelag | 2012 | Belgium |
|
| Hungarian Skeptic Society / Szkeptikus Társaság (HSS) | 2006 |  Hungary |
Member of ECSO.[2] |
| Independent Investigations Group (IIG) | 2000 | United States |
|
| Indian CSICOP | 19?? | India |
Affiliated with CSI, member of FIRA. |
| Indian Rationalist Association (IRA) | 1949 | India |
Member of Rationalist International. |
| Irish Skeptics Society | 2002 |  Ireland |
Member of ECSO.[2] |
| Italian Committee for the Investigation of Claims of the Pseudosciences / Comitato Italiano per il Controllo delle Affermazioni sulle Pseudoscienze (CICAP) | 1989 |  Italy |
Member of ECSO.[2] |
| James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) | 1996 | United States |
|
| Launceston Skeptics | 2010 | Australia |
|
| Maharashtra Committee for Eradication of Blind Faith / Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS) | 1989 | India |
Member of FIRA. |
| Merseyside Skeptics Society (MSS) | 2009 | United Kingdom |
|
| MTÜ Eesti Skeptik (skeptik.ee) | 2007 |  Estonia |
|
| New England Skeptical Society (NESS) | 1996 | United States |
Fusion of three earlier organisations. |
| New Mexicans for Science and Reason (NMSR) | 1990 | United States |
|
| New Zealand Skeptics[6] (NZ Skeptics) | 1986 |  New Zealand |
|
| Office for Science and Society (OSS) | 1999 | Canada |
McGill University, Montreal. |
| Philippine Atheists and Agnostics Society (PATAS) | 2011 |  Philippines |
|
| Polish Skeptics Club / Klub Sceptyków Polskich (KSP)[7][8] | 2010 |  Poland |
|
| Portuguese Skeptical Community / Comunidade Céptica Portuguesa (COMCEPT) | 2012 |  Portugal |
|
| Rational Alternative to Pseudoscience – Society for the Advancement of Critical Thinking / Alternativa Racional a las Pseudociencias – Sociedad para el Avance del Pensamiento Crítico (ARP-SAPC) |
1986 |  Spain |
Member of ECSO.[2] |
| Rationalist Union / Union Rationaliste | 1930 | France |
|
| Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (RDFRS) | 2006 | UK &  US |
The American and British branches are independent. |
| Science and Popular Enlightenment / Föreningen Vetenskap och Folkbildning (VoF) | 1982 |  Sweden |
Member of ECSO.[2] |
| Science and Rationalists' Association of India / Bharatiya Bigyan O Yuktibadi Samiti | 1985 | India |
Based in Kolkata, West Bengal. |
| SKEPP[9] | 1990 | Belgium |
Member of ECSO.[2] Serves Flanders and Brussels. |
| Skepsis ry | 1987 |  Finland |
Member of ECSO.[2] |
| Skepsis Foundation / Stichting Skepsis (Skepsis) | 1987 | Netherlands |
Member of ECSO.[2] |
| Skeptical Circle / Círculo Escéptico (CE) | 2006 | Spain |
Member of ECSO.[2] |
| Skeptic Society / Общество скептиков[10] | 2013[11] |  Russia |
|
| Skeptics in the Pub Online | 2020 | United Kingdom / World |
|
| Society for the Scientific Investigation of Parasciences / Gesellschaft zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung von Parawissenschaften (GWUP) | 1987 |  D-A-CH |
Based in Roßdorf, Germany. Member of ECSO.[2] |
| The Skeptics Society | 1992 | United States |
Globally active, but mainly serves California. |
| Young Australian Skeptics (YAS) | 2008 | Australia |
|
| Young Skeptics | 2015 | US |
American after school program. |
See also[edit]
- Humanism
- Lists about skepticism
- List of books about skepticism
- List of secularist organizations
- List of skeptical conferences
- List of skeptical magazines
- List of skeptical podcasts
- List of notable skeptics
- Rationalism
References[edit]
- ^ Andy Lewis (3 August 2009). "Dutch Sceptics Have 'Bogus' Libel Decision Overturned On Human Rights Grounds". The Quackometer. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Skeptics Organisations: ECSO Members". ECSO website. European Council of Skeptical Organisations. 16 March 2008. Archived from the original on 27 September 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ^ Its full name, Comité Belge pour l'Investigation Scientifique des Phénomènes Réputés Paranormaux ("Belgian Committee for Scientific Investigation of Purported Paranormal Phenomena"), is rarely used, except to indicate it inspired the name of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) three decades later.
- ^ "Debunking pseudoscience and other delusions" only became part of the DVG mission statement in 1978.
- ^ Jean-Pierre Thomas. "Notre histoire". Website AFIS (in French). AFIS. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ The full name is "New Zealand Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal", but this name is rarely used in practice.
- ^ Tomasz Witkowski & Maciej Zatonski (18 November 2011). "The Inception of the Polish Sceptics Club". CSI website. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
- ^ KSP website
- ^ The letters 'SKEPP' stand for Studiekring voor de Kritische Evaluatie van Pseudowetenschap en het Paranormale ("Study Circle for the Critical Evaluation of Pseudoscience and the Paranormal"), but in practice only the abbreviation is used.
- ^ Saunders, Richard (23 March 2014). "The Skeptic Zone" (podcast). The Skeptic Zone. Episode 283. Australian Skeptics. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ^ Алфёров, Кирилл (April 2014). "Выпуск 041". "Скептик" podcast. Общество скептиков. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
External links[edit]
- CSI – International Network of Skeptical Organizations
- Somewhere To Think – Introduction portal to several thought-provoking groups around Australia and New Zealand