The skeptical movement in Australia covers
both schools, with an over-riding vision of “a society that makes decisions
based on evidence, reason and critical thinking”.
We have undertaken campaigns against some of
the key issues which affect skeptical groups around the world – anti-vaxxers,
quack cures, psychic rip-offs – as well as some of the classic skeptical areas,
such as UFOs, ghosts and unknown animals (we have our own version of Bigfoot,
known as a Yowie).
It is important to note that, while this
article is primarily on the activities of the formal skeptical organisations in
Australia, all such activity is based around individuals, whether members of
committees, skeptical organisations, or concerned people working on their own
to counter misinformation. They have all contributed, with or without the
overview or participation of Australian Skeptics.
The organisation
Australian Skeptics (AS) dates its foundation
to 1980, when James Randi, the then principal investigator for the
American-based Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the
Paranormal (CSICOP – now known as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry), visited
Australia to investigate water divining. This investigation was sponsored by Australian
entrepreneur Dick Smith.
For these tests, Dick and others raised a
prize amount of $50,000. That has since grown to $100,000 and is the basis for
the Skeptics’ challenge to anyone who claims to have psychic or paranormal
powers to demonstrate their ability under proper observing conditions.
Randi’s visit raised a great deal of interest,
not least from those wishing to continue the momentum by setting up an
organisation that would investigate paranormal and pseudoscientific claims and
act as a central source of information for the public and the media.
Groups in other states and territories were
soon started, all sharing the same aims of promoting skepticism in Australia,
with the Victorian group working notionally as the national headquarters.
The first Australian Skeptics National
Convention, now known as Skepticon, was held in Sydney in 1985, and a
convention has been held in some Australian city every year since, a record for
any skeptical organisation. Skepticon 2023 - the 39th in the continuing series
- will be held in Melbourne.
With changes to the committee in Melbourne, in
1986 we moved out headquarters from Melbourne to Sydney as Australian Skeptics
Inc (ASI); production of The Skeptic
magazine was transferred to ASI in 1987.
ASI is responsible for coordinating several
awards and the annual national conventions, the $100,000 challenge, as well as
the magazine, a newsletter, and as the primary focus for media and the public
(though local groups are also active in these areas).
Various regional groups have also started up,
many based on the Skeptics in the Pub model of monthly informal gatherings.
ASI is supported by subscriptions to the
magazine, donations and bequests.
Over the years, Australian Skeptics has been active
across a wide range of areas.
The magazine is now in its 43rd year, with
four issues published annually. The first issue was a curious 4-page tabloid
format; since then, it has appeared in A4 size and since 2010 also in a digital
format. In that time, we have published thousands of articles and items on a
broad range of topics. Compendiums of articles and items from the first ten
years of The Skeptic were published first
in print, and then in CD-ROM format. The entire back catalogue, including
inserts, has now been digitised and published online for free download
(excepting the most recent four issues) - we believe this to be a first for
skeptical organisations.
Since June 2016 we also have a fortnightly
newsletter since June 2016.
Over the years, various books have been
published, including a series of articles refuting key creationist claims and a
book showing how Uri Geller’s spoon-bending tricks were performed.
ASI has had a website since 1996, and with the
appointment of a social media manager, we are assessing various platforms to
reach the public.
Over the years, Skeptics have appeared
regularly in the media, and have taken part in public campaigns, some targeted
at specific issues (say, a visiting psychic or anti-vaxxer) and other more
general support for broad issues.
There is also significant lobbying of
politicians and organisations on a case-by-case basis.
Awards, grants, and campaigns
Since its beginning, AS has supported
individual and organisational activity with awards and grants.
Currently the awards are: Skeptic of the Year;
an award for the Promotion of Reason; and an award for skeptical journalism - the
last two awards include $2000 for the winner or to a charity or cause of their
choice.
Of course, since 1982 there has been the
less-desirable Bent Spoon award, which is given to the “perpetrator
of the most preposterous piece of paranormal or pseudoscientific piffle”.
In 1995 we received a sizeable bequest and
with these funds we established the Australian Skeptics Science and Education
Foundation (ASSEF) and appointed the paid position of an executive officer. We have
given grants for most of our existence for various skeptical and scientifically
oriented activities, including awards to science students at high school level,
research on skeptical projects, and activities by state and local groups. These
include science teachers’ associations, local and national museums, research
centres and activist groups.
On the more proactive side of Skeptical
activity, the Skeptical community, ASI, and various skeptical groups and
individuals have been very active – and very successful – in a range of
campaigns. Just some of these include:
· o A campaign
against the teaching of creationism in science classes which resulted in
creationist organisations withdrawing (or being withdrawn) from such promotion.
· o A major
study on the teaching of pseudoscience and pseudomedicine in Australian
universities. Several universities withdrew or toned-down support for such
courses..
· o A major
study of Australian health insurance funds’ cover for alternative medicine.
· o A media
campaign against pseudoscience Power Balance wristbands, which resulted in the
local distributor going out of business.
· o The
establishment of legal defence funds for various skeptics both in Australia and
overseas, such as Britt Hermes in her legal battle in Germany with an American naturopath.
· o A major
campaign against the leading anti-vaccination group in Australia
One project which has achieved media coverage in Australia and overseas was a major study on psychic predictions in Australia - The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project (see The Skeptic, December 2021). Twelve years in the making, this project assessed over 3000 predictions by more than 200 ‘psychics’ over a period of 20 years. It highlighted the appalling record of such predictions and underlined the false claims of success made by self-professed psychics.
One of the highest profile outreach activities
of Australian Skeptics is the $100,000 challenge to anyone who can prove a
paranormal or “extraordinary” skill under strict scientific conditions. We receive
roughly one application every week from people with skills as broad-ranging as
telekinesis (a common one is spinning a piece of tinfoil on a needle point),
thought projection and telepathy generally, palmistry, distance health
diagnosis, picking lottery numbers, and of course dowsing (a popular activity
in a dry continent like Australia). There have also been some very strange skills,
such as making someone fall in love, moving clouds, or spinning around on the
spot.
Over
the years, around 200 applicants have gone to a preliminary test to prove that
they actually have a skill (such a test is a preamble to a full test under
strict conditions). The majority of those have been water or metal diviners. To
date, no-one has gone beyond this first stage of the test, there being no
particular skill being demonstrated.
Our role
This rather lengthy profile of skeptical
activity in Australia indicates that there is a range and long history of
pro-active, reactive, and activist activity which has had measurable results
via campaigns and considerable impact in the spreading of relevant and reliable
information.
We have obviously benefitted financially from
a number of generous bequests which have allowed to undertake many activities,
to support other groups, and appoint an executive officer and social media
manager. But these bequests have been inspired by our activities and high-profile
role – without that activism we would never have encouraged such support.
When Australian Skeptics started over 40 years
ago, it was treated as somewhat of a novelty. After all, UFOs and unknown
creatures were hardly a serious threat, so anyone making a case for the truth
must be a bunch of eccentric naysayers and party-poopers.
Come the realisation that misinformation can
have a far more perfidious role to play in social and personal ills, then the
role of groups like Australian Skeptics becomes more pressing and taken much
more seriously. Interviewers no longer say, “But do the Skeptics believe in
themselves?”, and while there is still the fair percentage of media activity in
which the producers might say “we just want some fun with this” and “is Friday
the 13th really a problem”, there are just as many – if not more –
who seek out Skeptics’ opinion and assessment of real threats that have real
and sometimes tragic consequences in terms of finance and health.
GO TO NEO-SKEPSIS # 15: SKEPTICISM IN THE WORLD (I)
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