Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

[Barry Karr <SkeptInq@AOL.COM>]

The 11th European Skeptics Congress
London, September 5-7, 2003

 ASKE
The Association for
Skeptical Enquiry

THE SKEPTIC
ukskeptic@compuserve

ECSO
The European Council of
Skeptical Organisations

CSICOP
The Committee for the Scientific
Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal

Congress Advisory Board
Prof. Willem Betz, University of Brussels; Dr. Scott Campbell, University of
Nottingham; Prof. Cornelis de Jager, Universities of Utrecht and Brussels;
Prof. Steven Donnelly, University of Salford; Prof. Christopher French,
Goldsmiths College, University of London; Dr. Toby Howard, University of
Manchester; Mr. Mike Hutchinson, The Skeptic; Mr. Barry Karr, CSICOP; Dr.
Martin Mahner, GWUP/ECSO; Prof. David Marks, City University; Mr. Amardeo
Sarma, GWUP/ECSO; Dr. Graham Wagstaff, University of Liverpool; Dr. Richard
Wiseman, University of Herts.



PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME
and
EARLY CALL FOR PAPERS


This is a preliminary outline of the programme for the 11th European Skeptics
Congress in 2003 and an early first call for papers to enable potential
speakers plenty of time to consider what they would like to contribute to the
congress.

The congress will be divided into symposia.  Some will include one or more
presentations from invited speakers. The remaining time will be devoted to
shorter presentations by participants and audience discussion of these
presentations.

Provisional titles of the symposia are given in this brochure.  Under each
title are examples of possible topics for volunteered presentations.  There
will be at least two types of non-invited presentation:

1. Presentations of 20 minutes + 10 minutes for question and discussion
2. 'Make you point' sessions.  These will be of 1 hours duration, with 4
speakers.  Each speaker will be allowed no more than 7 minutes to make his or
her point.  Following the 4 presentations there will be comments and
questions from the audience to any of the speakers, thus allowing each
speaker to develop his or her theme.

N.B. The programme organisers will give preference to presentations of the
second type, in order to encourage audience participation and debate.

The congress is open to anyone, and indeed we hope that people from all walks
of life will come and listen and participate in the debates and discussions.
It is the intention of the organisers that costs will be kept to a minimum to
encourage a good attendance.  The exact venue and costs will be announced as
soon as possible.
SYMPOSIUM 1: SCIENCE, HEALTH AND MEDICINE

This symposium addresses contemporary controversies in health, illness and
treatment.  As well as the traditional conflict between conventional
science-based medicine and alternative medicine, participants and audience
are invited to take a skeptical stance on a range of matters pertaining to
modern medicine in general, including orthodox approaches.

There will be two invited addresses, one on the current state of alternative
medicine, the other on cancer treatment.  Further contributions are invited,
suggested themes and titles being as follows:

· The current state of alternative medicine
· Alternative medicine: Free market, regulation or prohibition?
· Health scares
· Is there a voice for Skepticism in modern medicine?
· Modern medicine: friend or tyrant?
· The medicalisation of everyday life
· Are there real alternatives to orthodox medical practice?
· Evidence-based medicine: Fad or the way forward?
· Is medicine bad for our health?
· Gene therapy: Salvation or false dawn?
· Can prevention work better than cure?
· Mental illness: The medical model wrongly applied?
· Medical ethics
· Does medical research give value for money?
· Animal research: For whose benefit?


SYMPOSIUM 2: ANOMALISTIC PSYCHOLOGY

This symposium deals with the area of anomalistic psychology, which may be
defined as the study of extraordinary phenomena of behaviour and experience,
including (but not restricted to) those that are often labelled "paranormal".
It is directed towards understanding bizarre experiences that many people
have without assuming a priori that there is anything paranormal involved. It
entails attempting to explain paranormal and related beliefs and ostensibly
paranormal experiences in terms of known (or knowable) psychological and
physical factors and presenting empirical evidence to support such
explanations.

The paranormal is here defined as "alleged phenomena that cannot be accounted
for in terms of conventional scientific theories". The definition of the
paranormal adopted by those working in this area typically goes beyond the
core phenomena of ESP, PK, and life after death. There will be a keynote
address presenting an overview of the area. Contributions are invited on such
topics as:

· Cognitive biases related to ostensibly paranormal experiences
· Personality characteristics associated with paranormal belief and
experience
· The development and maintenance of paranormal and related beliefs
· The functions of paranormal and related beliefs
· Altered states of consciousness
(Symposium 2, continued)

· Hypnosis
· Dissociative states, including dissociative identity disorder
· The relevance of false memories and reality monitoring errors to paranormal
claims
· The psychology of deception and self-deception
· Placebo effects
· The psychology of psychic readings
· The psychology of superstition
· The psychology of coincidences
· Hallucinations
· Sleep-related disorders, including sleep paralysis
· Religious experiences and religious beliefs
· Non-paranormal accounts for a range of ostensibly paranormal experiences
including:
· Extrasensory perception
· Psychokinesis
· Psychic readings
· Psychic healing
· Alternative and complementary medicine
· Out-of-body and near-death experiences
· Astrology and other divinatory techniques
· Reincarnation
· UFOs and alien abduction
· Ghosts and poltergeists
· Crystal power
· Dowsing


SYMPOSIUM 3: PARAPSYCHOLOGY

This symposium assesses the current status and future prospects of
parapsychology. Parapsychology attempts to study alleged paranormal phenomena
using the tools of experimental science. Proponents claim that it is only
prejudice on the part of the wider scientific community that prevents the
general acceptance that the existence of paranormal forces has been
established beyond all reasonable doubt. Critics allege that parapsychology
is dogged by the problems of failure to replicate, sloppy methodology, and
occasional fraud by experimenters or participants.

There will be an invited address by a leading parapsychologist outlining the
current state of the field. Further contributions are invited, arguing both
for and against the psi hypothesis, dealing with such topics as:

· Ganzfeld studies
· Remote viewing
· Precognition
· Psychokinesis
(Symposium 3, continued)

· Mental interactions with living organisms
· Field consciousness
· Reincarnation
· Ghosts and poltergeists
· Near-death and out-of-body experiences
· The scientific status of parapsychology


SYMPOSIUM 4: (to be decided, or 'miscellany')


This is reserved either for a miscellany of topics or a single theme that may
emerge from the 'call for papers'.  Apart from the usual topics, talks on
more radical, iconoclastic and even political themes will also be considered,
provided they present a reasoned and informed skeptical analysis.


DEBATE: 'SCIENTISTS ON THE DEFENSIVE'


This 90-minute debate will consist in the main of 5-minute 'make your point'
presentations plus spontaneous contributions from the audience.  Examples of
points for the debate are as follows:

·   Public conceptions of science
·   The teaching of science in schools
·   Science and the media: What's wrong?
·   Do scientists have too much power?
·   Science and ethics
·   Science and religion
·   Should we trust scientists?


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GIVING A PRESENTATION

If you would like to give a presentation at the congress (full paper or a
'make your point' contribution) please complete the form enclosed with this
brochure entitled 'Preliminary Application to Present a Paper' and return it
to the congress address shown.  The congress organisers will then contact you
in due course with further information.  Please note that there is no
discount on the congress registration fee for contributors to the programme.
 The 11th European Skeptics Congress
London, September 5-7, 2003

If you are interested in giving a presentation at the congress, please read
the brochure 'Provisional Programme and Early Call for Papers' and in
particular note that the programme organisers will give preference to the
following presentations:

1. Those that are on a topic that is covered by any of the planned symposia
as outlined in the brochure
2. 'Make your point' presentations

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Type of presentation (please tick):  30 minute talk   OR    'Make your point'
presentation

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Please post or email your form to The 11th European Skeptics Congress, ASKE,
P.O. Box 5994, Ripley, DE5 3X, UK (Email: m.heap@sheffield.ac.uk)