- Source: 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 since 1989. The conferences are often held in the month of September, and may last from two up to four days. The ECSO was formed at the 6th ESC on 25 September 1994 in Ostend, Belgium. Since its foundation, the ECSO co-ordinates in the organisation of new ESCs that take place (on average) every other year, and is hosted by a different member organisation each time. Skeptical organisations that are non-ECSO members may also send their delegations. Past ESCs are enumerated below.
ESC 1, Germany 1989
Date: 5–7 May
Place: Bad Tölz
ESC 2, Belgium 1990
Date: 10–11 August
Place: Brussels
ESC 3, Netherlands 1991
Date: 4–5 October
Place: Amsterdam
ESC 4, Italy 1992
Date: 17–19 July
Place: Saint-Vincent
ESC 5, United Kingdom 1993
Date: 29–31 August
Place: Keele
Theme: "Science for Life: Health, Medicine and Well-Being". Organised by the UK Skeptics.
ESC 6, Belgium 1994
Date: 23–25 September
Place: Ostend
Theme: "Science, Pseudoscience and the Environment".
During this congress the European Council of Skeptical Organisations was formed.
ESC 7, Germany 1995
Date: 4–7 May
Place: Roßdorf
ESC 8, Spain 1997
Date: 4–7 September
Place: A Coruña
ESC 9, Netherlands 1999
Date: 17–19 September
Place: Maastricht
Hosted by Stichting Skepsis
ESC 10, Czech Republic 2001
Date: 7–9 September
Place: Prague
Theme: "Rise and Development of Paranormal Beliefs in Eastern Europe"
ESC 11, United Kingdom 2003
Date: 5–7 September
Place: London
ESC 12, Belgium 2005
Date: 13–15 October
Place: Brussels
Theme: "Pseudoscience, Alternative Medicine and the Media"
ESC 13, Ireland 2007
Date: 7–9 September
Place: Dublin
Theme: "The Assault on Science: Constructing a Response" 100+ attendees.
ESC 14, Hungary 2010
Date: 17–19 September
Place: Budapest
ESC 15, Sweden 2013
Date: 22–25 August
Place: Stockholm
Theme: "ESCape to Clarity!"
ESC 16, United Kingdom 2015
Date: 10–13 September
Place: London
Organised by Association for Skeptical Enquiry and Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit
ESC 17, Poland 2017
Date: 22–24 September
Place: Wrocław
Organised by Klub Sceptyków Polskich and Český klub skeptiků Sisyfos
The speakers:
Deborah Hyde – The Restless Ghost of Wroclaw
Diego Fontanive – Meta-Memetic Thinking and Skepticism as a Meme
Eran Segev – The Secrets of an Effective Skeptical Organization
Gerald Ostdiek – Believing in Biology: The Religious Imagination of Living Things (Including People)
Holm Gero Hümmler – Relative Quantum Nonsense: Don't be Fooled by False Physics!
Jakub Kroulik – Exorcism by Hypnosis
James Randi
Konrad Szołajski – The Battle with Satan in Poland
Konrad Talmont-Kamiński – Cognition and the Science/Religion Debate
Leo Igwe – "Robber Goat", "Bird Woman" and "Cat Woman": How Religion is Hampering Scientific Thinking in Africa
Marcin Rotkiewicz – Rational Thinking vs. Moral Disgust: Why the Discussion about GMOs Is So Hard and the Scientific Evidence Is Unable to Convince the Public
Mariusz Błochowiak – Rational justification for the existence of the devil and the exorcism
Mark Lynas – Why anti-GMO activists are the new climate deniers
Massimo Polidoro – An interview with James Randi
Ovidiu Covaciu – How the Romanian anti-vaccine movement threatens Europe
Petr Jan Vinš – A Priest's View
Scott Lilienfeld – Tunnel Vision: Confirmation Bias from Courtroom to Boardroom to Bedroom
Sofie Vanthournout – Talking about Evidence in the Post-Truth Era
Susan Blackmore – Positive Scepticism: The new science of out-of-body experiences
Susan Gerbic – We Marched for Science – Now What?
Tomáš Moravec – How Rational are the Fears of GMOs?
Zbynek Vybiral – Why Psychology Is Not Only in a Replication Crisis
There were also free workshops organised for the public.
ESC 18, Belgium 2019
Date: 30 August – 1 September
Place: Ghent
Norbert Aust – Informationsnetzwerk Homöopathie
Mathijs Beckers – How skepticism helped me become pro-nuclear
Johan Braeckman – Con men in the art world
Vanessa Charland – Near-death experiences: actual considerations
Ovidiu Covaciu – The antivaccination activists, misinformation and the damage done
Edzard Ernst – The battle against SCAM. Are we winning?
Farah Focqaert – How con men operate
André Fougeroux – Is it still possible to rationally address modern agriculture?
Lieven Gheysen (Aka. Gili)
Michael Heap – Anomalistic Psychology in the Classroom
Inge Jeandarme – Dealing with psychopathy
Catherine de Jong – chairperson for the session The never-ending struggle against quackery
Michel Naud – Science and decision: towards restoring scientific integrity in policy making
Jan Willem Nienhuys – Descent into one’s own illusion
Geerdt Magiels – chairperson for the session on Anomalistic Psychology
Christine Mohr – When using magicians to study how paranormal beliefs come about
Iida Ruishalme – Energy and decarbonisation
Amardeo Sarma – chairperson for the session on Green Skepticism
Kavin Senapathy – GMOs, modern agriculture, and the People
Lukas Stalpers – Vitamin B12 clinics: An example of a hype that results in clinics with quackery
Tim Trachet – chairperson for the session on 30 Years of European Skepticism
Dirk Vogelaers – Lyme disease: An example of a real disease misused by quacks
Wietse Wiels – Co-chairing the session The never-ending struggle against quackery
David Zaruk – Reason has left the building: How the emotional need for certainty and safety has handcuffed research and technology
Sophie van der Zee – How con men operate in cyberspace
ESC 19, Austria 2022
Date: 9–11 September
Place: Billrothhaus, Vienna
Florian Aigner – Why we can trust in Science
David Badcock – The future – Rational European drug policies
Pontus Böckman – chairperson for the session Skepticism in the Classroom
Giulia Conforto – Making science-based decisions in politics (Panel)
Katalin Cseh – Making science-based decisions in politics (Panel)
Annika Harrison – The Skeptical Movement in Europe (Panel)
Alice Howarth – The Skeptical Movement in Europe (Panel)
Holm Hümmler – 5G mobile networks – the conspiracy myths and what they really do
Catherine de Jong – chairperson for the session Towards Rational European Drug Policies
Gábor Kemenesi – The strange relationship of humanity and pandemics in the 21st century
Claire Klingenberg – chairperson for the session The Skeptical Movement in Europe (Panel)
Johannes Kopton – “Natural” or sustainable? Agriculture Environmentalism at the Crossroads
Péter Krekó – The structure of pseudo-scientific revolutions
Stephen Law – How to raise moral citizens
Philippe Longchamps – Teacher competence and the combat against misinformation
Elisa Palazzi – Communicating uncertainty in the science of climate change
Kellie C. Payne – Making science-based decisions in politics (Panel)
Massimo Pigliucci – Skepticism as a way of life
András Gábor Pintér – chairperson for the session Making science-based decisions in politics (Panel)
Massimo Polidoro – The Skeptical Movement in Europe (Panel)
Claudia Preis – chairperson for Keynotes Why we can trust in Science and Skepticism as a way of life
Jan-Willem van Prooijen – Belief in conspiracy theories during a pandemic
Franck Ramus – What is evidence-based education?
Sergio Della Sala – The reliable uncertainty of science
Amardeo Sarma – chairperson for the session Conspiracy Theories
Ulrike Schiesser – Building bridges – how to talk to conspiracy believers
Anne Katrin Schlag – The truth about drugs: From misinformation to science
Georg Steinhauser – The hazards of radiation
See also
List of skeptical conferences
QED: Question, Explore, Discover
The Amaz!ng Meeting (TAM!)
CSICon
References
External links
Official website