Report from the new Chairperson

In the after glow of our first annual convention, NZCSICOP members will have to feel pleased by the progress of our organisation. The meeting itself attracted considerable media attention, all of it favourable, and discussion of our aims and purposes continues to reverberate in letters weeks later. Our membership now stands at just short of a hundred and it is still growing. And well it must, for a group such as ours has much work to accomplish. Unless we have enough people scattered nationwide who are willing to take an active part in our projects we cannot flourish.

If there is one thing that sticks in my mind following the Dunedin convention, it has to do with the character of our members so clearly displayed there. It is quite apparent that the New Zealand Skeptics are a group to be taken seriously. Their opposition to fraudulent exploitation and victimisation so often involved with paranormal claims is formidable. But at the same time, it is also clear that they do not dogmatically reject a priori all paranormal claims, or regard them as invariably as disingenuous. Many paranormal claims are made in good faith, and while sincerity does not entail validity, there is always the possibility of substance in such claims. Open-mindedness is, we seem to all agree, a necessary ingredient of our approach to matters paranormal.

Another characteristic of our membership became clear by its absence in the atmosphere of the Dunedin meeting. NZCSICOP members are not interested in censorship or stifling the expression of innovative or outlandish ideas. The free expression of unconventional or zany beliefs, whether in religion, science, or any other field of human endeavour is necessary for creative progress. But not only do we welcome new ideas, we also recognize that they must be able to prove their worth under critical scrutiny. If there are areas where repeated claims are made which have not stood up to testing and open criticism, it is our job to bring that fact to public attention. It is inevitable that some people will misinterpret such well-earned skepticism as dogmatic closed-mindedness. But we must make it clear that the onus is on the proponents of the paranormal to demonstrate the worth of their claims.

Except then in areas of the most vicious criminal exploitation (e.g. bogus claims to cure cancers), where in any event there are already laws in place, the New Zealand Skeptics have no desire to censor or constrain expression or activity. What we can be expected to engage in is open, rational criticism. We want to know the truth about paranormal claims, whether that knowledge tends to confirm or overturn whatever suspicion we may have.

There are a number of intriguing new projects we have in mind. If you would like to help with any of these, please contact the organiser.

Iridology. Can the principle of iridology be used for a better than chance diagnosis of disease or bodily condition? We would like to organise a test. ir particular, we would need the help of an opthamologist or someone else capable of making a series of photographs of patients with known complaints/diseases. If you can help in any way, get in touch with B.H. Howard, P.O. Box 13, Lincoln College, Canterbury.

Astrology. Some might feel it hardly necessary, but it might still be very useful to run an improved variation on the astrology test published in Nature last year. We also wish to renew our campaign to have newspapers I include a disclaimer with daily horoscopes to make it clear, especially to their younger readers, far, incidentally, that astrological predictions are without value. (So far, incidentally, two newspapers in New Zealand have altered their horoscopes in response to our requests.). If you can help, contact Errol Higgins, P.O. Box 2565, Christchurch.

Serious Diseases. If you come across any advertising, whether leaflet, poster, paid display ad or media announcement (including news interview) in which some questionable person purports to cure or successfully treat a Serious disease, especially cancer, please contact Bernard Howard, P.O. Box 13, Lincoln College, Canterbury. If possible, send a dated cutting or photocopy.

Bent Spoon/Excellence Awards. It is crucially important for all members to keep their eyes peeled for print articles or radio/television programmes which deserve awards for high excellence or high gullibility. Keep your scissors handy when you read the newspaper. (And thanks to M.Sutton and Bays News article for the bent spoon. Except for their effort, none of us would have seen this gem!) Send nominations to Denis Dutton, School of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury,

Letters to the Editor. While for legal reasons only the chairperson, secretary and treasurer can speak officially for NZCSICOP, we encourage ali members to write to publications they read, whenever criticisms or general enlightenment is called for. (There are some splendid examples in this newsletter.) Always remember H.L. Mencken's dictum that one horse laugh is worth a thousand syllogisms. Keep the tone light and the only enemies you'll make are the ones you'd probably enjoy having anyway. And one again, send a cutting or photocopy of your letter to Denis Dutton.

Other ideas. What would you like to see NZCSICOP do? Let us know.

Finally, our most heartfelt thanks goes to our founding chairperson, David Marks. David arranged the Dunedin meeting in his last months in New Zealand and was in fact engrossed in details of the convention only days before he and his family left. We are grateful to him for his vision and rare devotion to our cause and we wish him the very best in his new position as Professor and Head of Department at Middlesex Polytechnic in Britain. We are delighted to offer him Honorary Life Membership in the New Zealand Skeptics. We've lost a national asset, but we console ourselves with the news that the British Skeptics have gained a dynamic new Chairman. Good luck, David, Elsie, and Michael!