The
Australian Skeptics is a non-profit organisation based in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
which investigates
paranormalParanormal is a general term that describes unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation, or phenomena alleged to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
and pseudoscientific claims using
scientificScience is in its broadest sense to any systematic knowledge-base or prescriptive practice that is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable type of outcome...
methodologies.
The Australian Skeptics were founded in Victoria in 1980, after a visit to Australia by
James RandiJames Randi is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
, who encouraged its establishment based upon the American organisation
Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the ParanormalThe Committee for Skeptical Inquiry , formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal , is a U.S...
(CSICOP). It grew from a
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
-based organisation, founded by Mark Plummer and James Gerrand, to a national one over the following years.
The
Australian Skeptics is a non-profit organisation based in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
which investigates
paranormalParanormal is a general term that describes unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation, or phenomena alleged to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
and pseudoscientific claims using
scientificScience is in its broadest sense to any systematic knowledge-base or prescriptive practice that is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable type of outcome...
methodologies.
History
The Australian Skeptics were founded in Victoria in 1980, after a visit to Australia by
James RandiJames Randi is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
, who encouraged its establishment based upon the American organisation
Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the ParanormalThe Committee for Skeptical Inquiry , formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal , is a U.S...
(CSICOP). It grew from a
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
-based organisation, founded by Mark Plummer and James Gerrand, to a national one over the following years. As of 2007 it has some 2100 members from all Australian states and territories. Each state and territory has its own branch, and most have their own newsletters.
The Skeptic
The journal of the Australian Skeptics is called
The Skeptic and has been published since 1981. The first issue, edited by the first President of the Australian Skeptics, Mark Plummer, and produced by founding Secretary, James Gerrand, appeared in January 1981 . Three issues appeared in 1981 and it has appeared quarterly since 1982.
The Skeptic is used extensively by the media in Australia seeking an alternative view on many of the issues examined by the Australian Skeptics. Since 1987,
The Skeptic has been published by Australian Skeptics Inc, in New South Wales. From 1990 to 2008 it was edited by Barry Williams. The current editor (as of June 2009) is Tim Mendham.
The Skeptic Tank
Hosted by Stefan Sojka and
Richard SaundersRichard Saunders is an Australian skeptic, podcaster and professional origamist. He has received recognition by the Australian Skeptics with a Life Membership in 2001 for his contributions to the organisation....
,
The Skeptic Tank started as a weekly radio programme on the
internet radioInternet radio is an audio broadcasting service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted broadly through wireless means...
station netFM in October 2001. The programme consisted of discussions on skeptical and science related topics, as well as guest inteviews. Some regular guests were Peter Bowditch, Richard Lead and Helen Vnuk.
The Skeptic Tank stayed on netFM until October 2002.
The Tank Vodcast
The Skeptic Tank was revived in 2005 as a podcast, and was in 2006 renamed
The Tank Podcast. The podcast was produced and hosted by Richard Saunders, with Stefan Sojka as the co-host. The format remained much the same as
The Skeptic Tank radio programme, but the podcasting format also made it possible to record segments, or entire episodes, out of the studio.
In 2007
The Tank became a
video podcastVideo podcast is a term used for the online delivery of video on demand video clip content via Atom or RSS enclosures...
, and renamed
The Tank Vodcast. Reporters for the vodcast include Jayson Cooke, Karen Stollznow, Kylie Sturgess and Michael Wolloghan. Previous guests have included
James RandiJames Randi is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
,
Eugenie C. ScottEugenie Carol Scott is an American physical anthropologist who has been the executive director of the National Center for Science Education since 1987...
, Phil Plait,
Rebecca WatsonRebecca Watson is a blogger and independent podcast host. She is the founder of Skepchick and a co-host on The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast....
and Alison Smith from SAPS.
The Skeptic Zone
The Tank Vodcast was, in September 2008, replaced by a new podcast,
The Skeptic Zone. Though still hosted by Saunders and Sojka, the podcast featured a new format with clearly defined segments. Episodes usually feature an interview, or several shorter interviews, along with one or more regular segments. The regular segments are:
- A Grain of Salt: A segment where Eran Segev talks about a topic relevant to skepticism
Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism , sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a practical, epistemological position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence...
and critical thinkingCritical thinking is assumed to be the purposeful and reflective judgement about what to believe or what to do in response to observations, experience, verbal or written expressions, or arguments...
.
- Dr Rachie Reports: In this segment Dr Rachael Dunlop examines one branch, or modality, of alternative medicine
In Western culture, alternative medicine is any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine", or "that which has been shown consistently to be effective." Alternative medicine is often based on the belief that a particular health regimen has efficacious effects...
. Topics discussed include: Live Blood AnalysisLive blood analysis , or live cell analysis, or nutritional blood analysis is the use of high-resolution dark field microscopy to observe live blood cells in vitro...
, detoxDetoxification, or detox for short is the removal of toxic substances from the body. In conventional medicine, detoxification can also be achieved artificially by techniques such as dialysis and chelation therapy. There is a firm scientific base in evidence-based medicine for this type of...
, ear candlingEar candling, also called ear coning or thermal-auricular therapy, is an alternative medicine practice claimed to improve general health and well-being by lighting one end of a hollow candle and placing the other end in the ear canal. According to medical researchers, it is both dangerous and...
, homeopathyHomeopathy is a form of alternative medicine, first proposed by German physician Samuel Hahnemann in 1796, that treats patients with heavily diluted preparations which are thought to cause effects similar to the symptoms presented...
and the anti-vaccination movementA vaccine controversy is a dispute over the morality, ethics, effectiveness, and safety of vaccination. The medical and scientific evidence is that the benefits of preventing suffering and death from infectious diseases outweigh rare adverse effects of immunization...
.
- The Roundup: Michael Wolloghan discusses recent news stories, and shares his views on the topic.
- The Think Tank: Relevant skeptical issues are discussed in a less formal manner, at a pub.
Some notable guests interviewed on
The Skeptic Zone are:
Stephen FryStephen John Fry is a British actor, writer, comedian, author, television presenter and film director. With Hugh Laurie, as the comedy double act Fry and Laurie, he co-wrote and co-starred in A Bit of Fry and Laurie, and the duo also played the title roles in Jeeves and Wooster...
,
Tim MinchinTim Minchin is a British born Australian comedian, actor and musician. He is best known for his musical comedy, which has featured in three CDs, three DVDs and a number of live comedy shows which he has performed internationally. He has also appeared on television and radio in both Australia and...
,
Richard WisemanRichard Wiseman is Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. Wiseman started his professional life as a magician, before graduating in Psychology from University College London and obtaining a Ph.D...
,
Ben GoldacreBen Goldacre is a British medical doctor and journalist, and the author of the The Guardian newspaper's weekly Bad Science column. He works full-time as a junior doctor for the National Health Service and is a registered psychiatrist. His first book, also called Bad Science, was published by Fourth...
,
Jon RonsonJon Ronson is a Cardiff-born journalist, author, documentary filmmaker and radio presenter. His journalism and columns have appeared in British publications including The Guardian newspaper and Time Out magazine...
,
Benjamin RadfordBenjamin Radford is managing editor of the science magazine Skeptical Inquirer and editor-in-chief of the Spanish-language magazine Pensar, published in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He has written hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics, including urban legends, the paranormal, critical...
,
Steven NovellaSteven P. Novella is an American clinical neurologist, assistant professor and Director of General Neurology at Yale University School of Medicine...
,
Eugenie ScottEugenie Carol Scott is an American physical anthropologist who has been the executive director of the National Center for Science Education since 1987...
and Phil Plait.
Public Action
In June 2005, members of the creationist group
Answers in GenesisAnswers in Genesis is a non-profit Christian apologetics ministry with a particular focus on Young Earth creationism and a literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis. The organization has offices in the United Kingdom and the United States...
– Australia debated a team from the Australian Skeptics online on
Margo KingstonMargo Kingston is an Australian journalist, author and commentator. She is best known for her work at The Sydney Morning Herald and her weblog, .Kingston was born in Maryborough, Queensland and was raised in Mackay...
's web diary section of the
Sydney Morning Herald website.
In response to a large increase in
pertussisPertussis, also known as the whooping cough, is a highly contagious disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It derived its name from the "whoop" sound made from the inspiration of air after a cough. A similar, milder disease is caused by B. parapertussis...
cases during a 2008/09
outbreakOutbreak is a term used in epidemiology to describe an occurrence of disease greater than would otherwise be expected in a particular time and place. It may be small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire continent. Two linked cases of a rare infectious disease may...
, the organization focused efforts on countering information from Meryl Dorey's
Australia Vaccination Network. This included supporting a complaint lodged by a private individual, Ken McLeod, against the organization with the New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commission and running a national ad (funded by Dick Smith) in
The AustralianThe Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia on Monday to Saturday each week since 1964. The editor is Chris Mitchell and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
.
Awards and prizes
Australian Skeptics is offering $100,000 (Australian) for proof of psychic or paranormal powers. $20,000 of it goes to the person who nominates the successful claimant (which may be the same person).
Annually, the Australian Skeptics award several prizes including an essay prize for young writers, a $10,000 cash prize for challenging paranormal beliefs and advancing scientific thinking, Skeptic of the Year, and the Bent Spoon Award. The
Bent Spoon AwardThe Bent Spoon Award is an award given by Australian Skeptics, "presented to the perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of paranormal or pseudoscientific piffle". The name of the award is a reference to the spoon bending of Uri Geller...
is given to "to the perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of paranormal or pseudo-scientific piffle" - only Australian individuals and groups are eligible for these awards.
No Answers in Genesis
No Answers in Genesis is a
websiteA website is a collection of related web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that are addressed with a common domain name or IP address in an Internet Protocol-based network...
affiliated with the Australian Skeptics organisation that provides information to defend the
theory of evolutionIn biology, evolution is change in the genetic material of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. Though changes produced in any one generation are normally small, differences accumulate with each generation and can, over time, cause substantial changes in the population, a...
, and, more specifically, counter
young Earth creationistYoung Earth creationism is the religious belief that the Heavens, Earth, and life on Earth were created by direct acts of God during a short period, sometime between ca 5,700 and 10,000 years ago....
arguments put forward by
Answers in GenesisAnswers in Genesis is a non-profit Christian apologetics ministry with a particular focus on Young Earth creationism and a literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis. The organization has offices in the United Kingdom and the United States...
. It was founded by
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n
atheistAtheism can be either the rejection of theism,or the position that deities do not exist.In the broadest sense, it is the absence of belief in the existence of deities....
and
skepticIn classical philosophy, skepticism is the teachings and the traits of the 'Skeptikoi', a school of philosophers of whom it was said that they 'asserted nothing but only opined.' In this sense, philosophical skepticism, or Pyrrhonism, is the philosophical position that one should suspend...
John Stear, a retired civil servant. The website contains links, essays and other postings that rebut creationist arguments against evolution. Stear states that the site is meant for educational purposes as well as to illustrate the problems with Young Earth Creationism. The site also contains simple introductions to evolutionary concepts.
Prominent members of the Australian Skeptics
- Phillip Adams
Phillip Andrew Hedley Adams AO is an Australian broadcaster, film producer, writer, humanist, social commentator, satirist, left-wing pundit and atheist. He currently hosts a radio program, Late Night Live, four nights a week on the ABC, and he also writes a weekly column for the News...
A.O.
- Peter Bowditch
- James Gerrand (co-founder)
- Professor Colin Groves
Colin Groves is Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.Born in England, he completed a BSc in 1963, and a PhD in 1966...
- Dr Donald Laycock
Dr. Donald Laycock was an Australian linguist and anthropologist. He is best remembered for his work on the languages of Papua New Guinea.-Biography:...
- Dr Steve Roberts aka 'Dr. Bob'
- Richard Saunders (Chief Spoon Bender)
- Dick Smith
Dick Smith, AO is an Australian entrepreneur, businessman and aviator. He is the founder of Dick Smith Electronics, Dick Smith Foods and Australian Geographic, and was selected as the 1986 Australian of the Year....
- John Stear
- Karen Stollznow
- David Vernon
- Barry Williams (Past Editor)
External links