Editor's Note

Skep ti cal In quir er™ THE MAG A ZINE FOR SCI ENCE AND REA SON Editor’s Note ED I TOR Kend rick Fra zi er ED I TO RI AL BOARD James E. Al cock Thom as Cas ten Mar tin Gard ner Ray Hy man Introducing Skepticism 2.0 Paul Kurtz Joe Nick ell Am ar deo Sar ma here’s nothing new about skepticism. People who think critically and analytically Benjamin Wolozin T have been around since ancient times. David Hume, Benjamin Franklin, Harry CON SULT ING ED I TORS Houdini, and Oskar Pfungst did brilliant skeptical investigations in earlier centuries. Sus an J. Black more Ken neth L. Fed er The modern skeptical movement, dating back to the 1970s, was led by pioneers such Barry Karr as Martin Gardner, Paul Kurtz, Carl Sagan, James Randi, Ray Hyman, Ken Frazier, Joe E. C. Krupp Scott O. Lil i en feld Nickell, and others—many of whom still proudly appear in these pages. The work they Da vid F. Marks have done, and continue to do, has inspired and educated countless people. Jay M. Pasachoff Eu ge nie Scott Until we find a way to clone Randi and the rest (I’ve been told in confidence that a Rich ard Wis e man top-secret project to do just that has been underway since 1986 at Area 51), future gener- CON TRIB UT ING ED I TORS ations of skeptics will need to step up, join the cause, and carry on the mission. Austin Dacey Harriet Hall In fact, a new generation of skeptics is already here, with more on the way. They are Kenneth W. Krause the YouTube crowd, the Twitterers, and the texters of today. These kids are intelligent, Chris Moon ey James E. Oberg critical thinkers engaged in the world around them. The challenge is to provide them with Rob ert Sheaf fer not only support but a context for their skepticism; as Shakespeare noted, “What’s past Da vid E. Thom as is prologue.” Faith healers, soothsayers, frauds, and magical thinking have always been MAN A GING ED I TOR with us and always will be. Recognizing that much of the paranormal and pseudoscience Ben ja min Rad ford ART DI RECT OR is merely old wine in new bottles arms future generations of skeptics against woo-woo. Chri sto pher Fix Skepticism has found new champions with new ways of spreading its message. In this PRO DUC TION special issue, Justin Trottier discusses how to effectively communicate skepticism and sci- Paul Loynes ence to younger generations. We have contributions by our own Barry Karr, who brings ASSISTANT EDITORS Donna Danford us up to date on CSI’s efforts to reach out to kids. CFI librarian Timothy Binga reviews Julia Lavarnway some of the best skeptical books for children and young adults, and Heidi Anderson gives Gingle C. Lee a mother’s perspective on raising skeptical kids. CAR TOON IST This theme carries on in articles by the Center for Inquiry’s own D.J. Grothe (on Rob Pu dim WEB DEVELOPER podcasts), Karen Stollznow (on blogging), Blake “Dr. Atlantis” Smith (on skeptical Web C. Alan Zoppa sites), and Tim Farley (on video skepticism). Reed Esau tells us about a new program called SkeptiCamp, and Daniel Loxton provides a follow-up to his insightful “Where Do We Go PUB LISH ER’S REP RE SENT A TIVE From Here?” essay about the future of skepticism, asking “What Do We Do Next?” Bar ry Karr COR PO RATE COUN SEL Today’s teens have never known a time when Google and Wikipedia weren’t available Bren ton N. Ver Ploeg to answer any question (accurately or otherwise) with a few clicks. They didn’t grow up BUSI NESS MAN A GER watching Cosmos or In Search Of (or even That’s Incredible! or Unsolved Mysteries). Young San dra Les ni ak people remain fascinated by the paranormal and unexplained, and they are interested in FIS CAL OF FI CER the skeptical point of view when exposed to it. Paul Pau lin VICE PRESIDENT OF Every generation has worried for the future and wrung its hands about “kids today.” PLANNING AND DE VEL OP MENT But I have faith in the younger generation of skeptics (not just because I’m one of them). Sherry Rook Youths are interested, engaged, and smarter than they’re often given credit for. Andrea DATA OF FI CER Lunsford, a Stanford professor researching the writing habits of today’s youth, has found Jacalyn Mohr STAFF that young people write far more than previous generations did. Much of it is in the con- Pa tri cia Beau champ text of online social networking (such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter); while this is Cheryl Catania Matt hew Cra vat ta not the same caliber of writing as analyses of themes in Animal Farm, this self-initiated, Roe Giambrone non-scholastic discourse is encouraging. Just as comic books, graphic novels, and Harry Leah Gordon Sandy Kujawa Potter books may be stepping stones to more “serious” literature, kids who instant mes- An tho ny San ta Lu cia sage each other may one day be writing—or critiquing—great works. John Sul li van The forms and forums are changing, but science, skepticism, and critical thinking Vance Vi grass PUB LIC RE LA TIONS will always be with us. Ever-grounded in the roots of skepticism, the next generation of Nathan Bupp skeptics—the activists and leaders of Skepticism 2.0—will forge paths ahead. Henry Huber IN QUIRY ME DIA PRO DUC TIONS Thom as Flynn DI RECT OR OF LI BRAR IES —BENJAMIN RADFORD, guest editor Tim o thy S. Binga ONLINE EXTRA! To see a longer version of this The SKEP TI CAL IN QUIR ER is the of fi cial jour nal of the Commit tee for Skeptical Inquiry, issue’s Editor’s Note, visit www.csicop.org/SIExtras. an in ter na tion al or gan i za tion. “...promotes science and scientific inquiry, critical thinking, science education, and the use of reason in examining important issues.” COMMITTEE FOR SKEPTICAL INQUIRY.

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