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Welcome to SCEPCOP - The Scientific Committee to Evaluate Pseudo-Skeptical Criticism of the Paranormal

SCEPCOP is the 1st Coalition of Paranormal Researchers, Investigators, Writers and Intellectuals united to counter and expose the PseudoSkepticism movement for their fallacies, religious fanaticism, unscientific behavior, misinformation, denial, suppression, bigotry and ridicule toward all data, experience or science that challenges orthodoxy or does not fit into a materialistic reductionist paradigm.  We do not support every quack claim out there, but advocate true skepticism, proper application of the Scientific Method, objectivity and unbiased open inquiry toward all paranormal and unconventional data, experience and science.  We are the world's first counter-pseudoskeptic movement providing resources, articles, books, videos and an online community.

We support the true application of the Scientific Method, which involves the updating of one's hypothesis to the fit the data, rather than rejecting any and all data that doesn't fit into an "a priori" hypothesis, which the PseudoSkeptics do, which is totally unscientific and the antithesis of the Scientific Method.

Background

The Paranormal is one of the most exciting frontiers today.  Research into Consciousness, Quantum Physics and Psychic Phenomena, etc. explores venues that are unlocking the mysteries of the universe and gateways to other dimensions or levels of reality and consciousness.  These provide deeper insights into a larger nature of reality, revealing insights into the meaning of existence and spawning hope for a better future in which humanity's consciousness and awareness are elevated to new heights, transcending greed, lust for power, hatred, violence, ignorance, and the confines of a materialistic paradigm that keeps us living in fear.  Therefore, the study of the Paranormal is a key stepping stone for humanity's next stage of evolution.

However, standing in the way are groups of organized fundamentalists who call themselves "skeptics" but in reality know nothing about the true meaning of the word nor practice it.  Pyrrho, the founder of "Skepticism", intended for it to be about open inquiry and suspension of judgment.

       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeptic
  • In classical philosophy, skepticism refers to the teachings and the traits of the 'Skeptikoi', a school of philosophers of whom it was said that they 'asserted nothing but only opined.' (Liddell and Scott) In this sense, philosophical skepticism, or Pyrrhonism, is the philosophical position that one should suspend judgment in investigations.[1]

And according to Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, a skeptic is:

  • "One who is yet undecided as to what is true; one who is looking or inquiring for what is true; an inquirer after facts or reasons."

But rather than inquiring, or asking questions to try to understand something, they seek to debunk, discredit and ridicule anything that doesn't fit into their belief system.  And rather than suspending judgment, they make accusations of fraud and delusion of all paranormal claimants.  Hence, we call them pseudoskeptics (a term coined by the late Marcello Truzzi) for their actions and behaviors are the complete antithesis of what skepticism truly means.

According to WikiSynergy:

  • Pseudoskepticism (or pseudo-skepticism) is defined as thinking that claims to be Skeptical but is actually faith-based disbelief. Because real skepticism is a justifiable position, pseudoskepticism may also be defined as making pseudoscientific arguments in pursuit of a skeptical agenda.

  • Pseudoskepticism is a general term which encompasses two types of faith-based disbelief: making positive claims that something is wrong or unreal without evidence (positive disbelief), and rejecting sufficient evidence.

A "true skeptic" objectively inquires and seeks evidence, challenging all sides including their own beliefs (see here).  But these pseudoskeptics do anything but.  As someone observed to me:

  • "The original definition of skeptic was a person who questions ALL beliefs, facts, and points-of-view. A healthy perspective in my opinion. Today's common definition of skeptic is someone who questions any belief that strays outside of the status quo, yet leaving the status quo itself completely unquestioned. Kind of a juvenile and intellectually lazy practice in my opinion."

Even Wikipedia indirectly admits that modern skepticism is really about rejecting new information:

       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeptic
  • The word skepticism can characterize a position on a single claim, but in scholastic circles more frequently describes a lasting mind-set and an approach to accepting or rejecting new information.

And this insightful YouTuber eloquently hit the bull's eye with this comment:

       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vks49Bfn544
  • "What skeptics fail to understand is that skepticism involves being skeptical of your own position, it does not mean just being skeptical of that which you do not believe in, otherwise we are all skeptics and that renders their use of the term "skeptic" meaningless. A true skeptic casts skepticism on their own position as well. Since the Randi crowd do not employ skepticism in this respect then they are fairly termed pseudo skeptics and demean the term skepticism."


Dean Radin, who spent many years studying parapsychology and skeptical views, concluded the same in his acclaimed book Entangled Minds: (pages 10-11)

  • "Some skeptics pushed doubt to extremes and insisted that positive evidence was always due to mistakes or intentional fraud. As I saw it, within this dialectic one side was struggling to understand the depths of inner space by probing Nature with clever questions. The other was trying to maintain the status quo through passionate, and sometimes vicious, denial. The former were willing to take risks to advance knowledge, the latter were naysayers interested mainly in defending dogma."

In truth and by their actions, these pseudoskeptics are defenders of the status quo and materialism.  They are fanatics and dogmatists who have no regard for facts, evidence or truth, but have an a priori faith-based belief that paranormal phenomena is impossible and therefore set out to debunk it, not investigate it. And they will distort, dismiss and obfuscate to get their way.  Thus, they generally have no objectivity toward evidence, but bigotry and emotional fanaticism.

And in fact, despite their worship of science, they do not even follow the Scientific Method, because they do not update their hypotheses to fit the data, but instead reject data that doesn't fit into their hypothesis, which is a direct violation of the Scientific Method of course.  There are plenty of examples of this.

These pseudoskeptics include organizations such as CSICOP (Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal), now known as CSI (Committee for Skeptical Inquiry), JREF (James Randi Educational Foundation) and professional Skeptics such as Michael Shermer of Skeptic Magazine, as well as many smaller groups and websites.  In media reports and programs on paranormal phenomena, these skeptics are often presented as the final authorities on the matter and go virtually unchallenged.  And unfortunately, most paranormal/psychic researchers have neither the time nor interest to debate these debunkers. 

So now it's our turn to form a counter movement.  Enter SCEPCOP.  As CSICOP was formed to "police the claims of psi", SCEPCOP now in turn acts to "police the pseudoskeptics".  We will debunk their arguments, and reveal their fallacies, misinformation, censorship, denial, inconsistencies, pseudo-dogmas posing as "rules of logic" and double standards, showing that they are not objective truth seekers, but biased debunkers.

Back in 2001, Vinstonas Wu was the first to write a book length treatise debunking 30 primary arguments of these pseudoskeptics.  Much needed at the time, it quickly became acclaimed in paranormal circles as a comprehensive masterpiece and first-of-its-kind.  And now, he's taken it to the next step in forming the SCEPCOP coalition, a movement needed and long overdue, evidenced by the immediate attention that SCEPCOP received from many paranormal websites.

Just to state for the record though, opposing pseudoskepticism does NOT mean that SCEPCOP endorses every crackpot claim, theory and fantasy out there. Not at all.  We believe in applying equal skepticism to both sides, as well as the objective weighing of evidence, for as you might expect, some claims and phenomenon have a lot of solid evidence to back it up, while others have little or none.

One thing to keep in mind.  All pseudoskeptics will claim to be true skeptics, just like all high pressured salesmen claim to not be high pressure, all liars and con artists claim to be sincere, and all politicians claim to be honest.  But as you know, ACTIONS speak louder than words, so the proof of what they are is in their ACTIONS, not words.  If a salesman for example, told you "I am not a high pressure salesman" but then proceeds to pressure you to buy his product/service, becoming pushy and not taking no for an answer, then what do you believe, his words or his actions?  Likewise, when a skeptic tells you that he is a true skeptic who is open to evidence, yet he displays all the characteristics, traits and behaviors of a pseudoskeptic, do you listen to his words or his actions?  The answer is obvious.

Unfortunately, pseudo-skeptic groups have not heeded the warnings and advice of one of their own heros, the late Carl Sagan:

"...The chief deficiency I see in the skeptical movement is its polarization: Us vs. Them -- the sense that we have a monopoly on the truth; that those other people who believe in all these stupid doctrines are morons; that if you're sensible, you'll listen to us; and if not, to hell with you. This is nonconstructive. It does not get our message across. It condemns us to permanent minority status." - Carl Sagan

"People are not stupid. They believe things for reasons. The last way for skeptics to get the attention of bright, curious, intelligent people is to belittle or condescend or to show arrogance toward their beliefs." - Carl Sagan

"The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge, and there's no place for it in the endeavor of science." - Carl Sagan

Anyhow, thank you for your attention and interest.  For a quick rundown, you may start by browsing through the summary of pseudoskeptic fallacies in the left sidebar which contain descriptions and examples of each fallacy. 

Then see the main treatise debunking 30 common arguments of pseudoskeptics.

Below that you will also see links to other debunking articles, sites about pseudoskepticism and the latest research and developments.

On the right sidebar you will see a variety of resources to aid your understanding of Pseudoskepticism vs. The Facts.

Below, you will see some relevant and interesting videos followed by a list of our committee members and links to their work and research.

If you would like to join our mailing list , join SCEPCOP and have your work featured on the home page, or submit an article to us, you may do so at the links in the left sidebar.

To discuss any of these topics, you may enter our forum and post your discussions there.

Thanks for visiting us, and if you have any questions, contact us at scepcop@debunkingskeptics.com

Sincerely,
The SCEPCOP Team


"I shall not commit the fashionable stupidity of regarding everything I cannot explain as a fraud." - Carl Gustav Jung

"Pure logical thinking cannot yield us any knowledge of the empirical world. All knowledge of reality starts from experience and ends in it." - Albert Einstein

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes." - Marcel Proust, French novelist


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