Editing Scientific skepticism (section)

=== CSICOP and contemporary skepticism ===
{{main|Committee for Skeptical Inquiry}}
[[File:Ken-RayPaulRandiKen photo at TAM8.jpg|thumb|Influential North American skeptics: [[Ray Hyman]], [[Paul Kurtz]], [[James Randi]] and [[Kendrick Frazier]]]]
In 1976, the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), known as the [[Committee for Skeptical Inquiry]] (CSI) since November 2006, was founded in the [[United States]]. Some see this as the "birth of modern skepticism",<ref>Loxton (2013), p. 29.</ref> however, founder [[Paul Kurtz]] actually modeled it after the Comité Para, including its name.<ref name="Loxton2013"/> Kurtz' motive was being "dismayed ... by the rising tide of belief in the paranormal and the lack of adequate scientific examinations of these claims."<ref>Loxton (2013), p. 32.</ref>

Kurtz was an atheist and had also founded the [[Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion]]. While he saw both aspects as being covered in the skeptical movement, he had recommended CSICOP to focus on paranormal and pseudoscientific claims and to leave religious aspects to others.<ref name="NisbetKurtsStrategicError">{{cite web |last1=Nisbet |first1=Matthew |title=Paul Kurtz on the "Strategic Blunder" of the New Atheists |url=https://bigthink.com/age-of-engagement/paul-kurtz-on-the-strategic-blunder-of-the-new-atheists |website=www.bigthink.com |access-date=12 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319051059/http://bigthink.com/age-of-engagement/paul-kurtz-on-the-strategic-blunder-of-the-new-atheists |archive-date=2018-03-19 |date=16 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite not being the oldest, CSICOP was "the first successful, broad-mandate North American skeptical organization of the contemporary period",<ref>Loxton (2013), p. 2.</ref> popularized the usage of the terms "skeptic", "skeptical" and "skepticism" by its magazine, ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'',<ref name="Wonder">{{cite journal |last=Boel |first=Herman |date=2003 |title=Wat is het verschil tussen Skepticisme en Scepticisme? |url=http://nederlands.skepdic.com/skepticus.htm |journal=Wonder en is gheen Wonder<!--Citation bot --> |publisher=[[SKEPP]] |volume=3 |issue=1 |access-date=24 May 2014 |language=nl |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517153013/http://nederlands.skepdic.com/skepticus.htm |archive-date=17 May 2014 }}</ref> and directly inspired the foundation of many other skeptical organizations throughout the world, especially in Europe.<ref>{{cite book |last=Frazier |first=Kendrick |author-link=Kendrick Frazier |date=1996 |title=The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal |url=http://www.csicop.org/about/csicop/ |location=[[Amherst, New York]] |pages=168–180 |access-date=24 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140615171346/http://www.csicop.org/about/csicop/ |archive-date=15 June 2014 }}</ref>

These included [[Australian Skeptics]] (1980), [[Föreningen Vetenskap och Folkbildning|Vetenskap och Folkbildning]] (Sweden, 1982), [[New Zealand Skeptics]] (1986), [[Gesellschaft zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung von Parawissenschaften|GWUP]] (Austria, Germany and Switzerland, 1987), [[Skepsis (organization)|Skepsis r.y.]] (Finland, 1987), [[Stichting Skepsis]] (Netherlands, 1987), [[CICAP]] (Italy, 1989) and [[SKEPP]] (Dutch-speaking Belgium, 1990).

Besides scientists such as [[astronomers]], stage magicians like [[James Randi]] were important in investigating charlatans and exposing their trickery. In 1996 Randi formed the [[James Randi Educational Foundation]] (JREF) and created the [[One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge]], where anyone who could demonstrate paranormal abilities, under mutually agreed-upon controlled circumstances, could claim the prize. After Randi's retirement in 2015, the Paranormal Challenge was officially terminated by the JREF with the prize unclaimed:{{Blockquote|text=Effective 9/1/2015 the JREF has made major changes including converting to a grant making foundation and no longer accepting applications for the Million Dollar Prize from the general public.<ref>{{cite web|title=JREF Status, 9-1-2015|url=http://web.randi.org/home/jref-status|website=Web.randi.org|publisher=JREF|access-date=30 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830152145/http://web.randi.org/home/jref-status|archive-date = 30 August 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref>}}

Other influential second-generation American organizations were [[The Skeptics Society]] (founded in 1992 by [[Michael Shermer]]), the [[New England Skeptical Society]] (originating in 1996) and the [[Independent Investigations Group]] (formed in 2000 by [[James Underdown]]).