Český klub skeptiků Sisyfos (English: ''Czech Skeptics' Club Sisyfos'') is a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

skeptical Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the p ...

nonprofit organisation A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

founded in 1994, headquartered in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. Its primary goal and mission is to spread and defend the findings and results of contemporary

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

, to promote

rational Rationality is the quality of being guided by or based on reasons. In this regard, a person acts rationally if they have a good reason for what they do or a belief is rational if it is based on strong evidence. This quality can apply to an abi ...

critical thinking Critical thinking is the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to form a judgement. The subject is complex; several different definitions exist, which generally include the rational, skeptical, and unbiased analysis ...

, to acquaint the public with the principles of

scientific method The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific m ...

, to speak out against the spread of

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Nota ...

ideas and unproven procedures, to ensure that universities, scientific societies and institutions are actively responsible for defending science and critical thinking, to investigate controversies and false claims, to provide assistance to citizens in protecting against fraudulent products and ineffective or dangerous

alternative medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...

products and healing methods. In line with mission and goals, the club refuses to interfere with religious, moral and political issues.

Organization

James Randi at the Skepticism for Breakfast event for Czech Skeptics

The organization has around 400 members. It is a partner of the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and is a member of the

European Council of Skeptical Organisations The European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ECSO) is an umbrella of skeptical organisations in Europe. Goals Founded on 25 September 1994, the ECSO aims to co-ordinate activities of European organisations and individuals that aim at critic ...

(ECSO). Since 2000, it is a member of the Czech organisation ''Rada vědeckých společností České republiky'' (The Council of Scientific Societies of the Czech Republic). Some of the leading members include the astronomer and science communicator

Jiří Grygar Jiří Grygar (; March 17, 1936, in Heinersdorf, Germany, now Dziewiętlice, Poland) is a Czech astronomer, popularizer of science and Kalinga Prize (1996) laureate. Career After studying physics at the Masaryk University in Brno and astronom ...

and the publicist Věra Nosková. The name of the organization refers to mythological

Sisyphus In Greek mythology, Sisyphus or Sisyphos (; Ancient Greek: Σίσυφος ''Sísyphos'') was the founder and king of Ancient Corinth, Ephyra (now known as Corinth). Hades punished him for cheating death twice by forcing him to roll an immense bo ...

and it symbolises the founders' belief that Labors of Sisyphus (long and ultimately unsuccessful work) await them.

Chairpersons

* MUDr. Ivan David, CSc. * prof. MUDr. Jiří Heřt, DrSc. * Věra Nosková * doc. RNDr. Čeněk Zlatník, CSc. * Bc. Leoš Kyša * MUDr. Jaromír Šrámek

Activities

The organisation publishes the Sisyfos newspaper online and as a daily press, organises the series of lectures called ''Věda kontra iracionalita'' (Science vs Irrationality), publishes several book collections and offers a paranormal challenge. It has also participated in the worldwide 10:23 campaign to raise awareness about the inefficacy of

homeopathy Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths, believe that a substance that causes symptoms of a dis ...

Paranormal challenge

Sisyfos offers €125,000 to anyone who can prove paranormal phenomena.

''Erratic Boulder'' award

The organisation issues an anti-award called ''Bludný balvan'' (Erratic Boulder) "to highlight the contribution of individuals and societies in misleading the Czech public and the development of a muddy way of thinking."

Newsletter Sisyfos

Since 1995, the organisation issues a periodic newsletter three or four times a year entitled ''Neperiodický zpravodaj občanského sdružení Sisyfos'' (Non-periodical Report of the Sisyfos Organisation). It contains articles by Czech and foreign experts, as well as current events inside the organisation. The newsletter is available free of charge on the website since 2000.

Events

In 2017, Český klub skeptiků Sisyfos and

Klub Sceptyków Polskich Klub Sceptyków Polskich or KSP (English: ''Polish Skeptics Club'' or ''Polish Sceptics Club'') is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation actively engaged in the promotion of critical thinking, scientific skepticism and scientific methods. It ...

organised the seventeenth

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 si ...

(ESC). The ESC has been held every two years since 1989, each time hosted by a different member of the

(ECSO). The Congress included lectures and panels, and involved discussion on topics such as science and religion,

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...

s and

genetically modified organism A genetically modified organism (GMO) is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. The exact definition of a genetically modified organism and what constitutes genetic engineering varies, with ...

s. Speakers included

Amardeo Sarma Amardeo Sarma (born 1955) is a Engineer's degree#Germany and Austria, qualified engineer for electrical engineering, electrical and telecommunications engineering, chair of the Gesellschaft zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung von Parawissenschaf ...

, Gerald Ostdiek, Holm Gero Hümmler and

Mark Lynas Mark Lynas (born 1973) is a British author and journalist whose work is focused on environmentalism and climate change. He is a contributor to ''New Statesman'', ''The Ecologist'', ''Granta ''and ''Geographical ''magazines, and ''The Guardian'' ...

as well as many others. Also,

Massimo Polidoro Massimo Polidoro (born 10 March 1969) is an Italian psychologist, writer, journalist, television personality, and co-founder and executive director of the Italian Committee for the Investigation of Claims of the Pseudosciences (CICAP). Early lif ...

interviewed

James Randi James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; August 7, 1928 – October 20, 2020) was a Canadian-American stage magician, author and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. Rodrigues 2010p. ...

on the topic of paranormal investigation. Free, public workshops also ran during the Congress on topics like "Quantum Mechanics vs Common Sense", "What can we infer from children's drawings", and "Mission to Mars".

Sisyfos and religion

According to its mission statement, the organisation refuses to interfere within the religious area. The members of the club are both atheists and religious believers. Nevertheless, several articles on the issue of science, skepticism and religion were published. After an internal debate among the members, on February 2001 the organisation finally decided that, for practical reasons, it will not deal with religious issues.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1994 establishments in the Czech Republic Articles containing video clips Non-profit organizations based in the Czech Republic Organizations based in Prague Skeptic organizations