Bay Area Skeptics is a non-profit
educational organization, founded in June 1982
to encourage critical thinking, and accuracy in the media and in
our schools. We encourage rational thought by using and promoting
scientific methods to analyze data. We are particularly
interested in such topics as the paranormal, pseudoscience,
fraud, and untested and poorly tested medical and
psychotherapeutic practices.
Bay Area Skeptics events are always free and are open to
everyone. We feel strongly that there should be no charge to be a
Bay Area Skeptic, and we welcome everybody at our events.
As one means of promoting critical thinking, we sponsor a monthly
lecture series that, as always, is free and open to all. In the
last several months, we have had, among many excellent speakers,
Dr. Margaret Singer and Ms. Patricia Ryan (former Chair of Cult
Awareness Network) discuss cults and the Jonestown massacre, Dr.
Wallace Sampson of Stanford University discuss homeopathy,
magician and author Mr. Bob Steiner demonstrate street cons, Dr.
Eugenie Scott of the National Center for Science Education
discuss the public school teaching of evolution, and poet and
scholar Dr. Philip Appleman read from his poetry and talk about
Darwin.
Another means by which we promote the scientific process is
through our newsletter, BASIS. We finance Bay Area Skeptics
activities through subscriptions to BASIS. BASIS
is published bimonthly, and each issue contains book and lecture
reviews, editorial comment, letters, and items of local and
national interest. A subscription to BASIS is $18.00 per year.
Policy on Faith-Based Claims
People in Bay Area Skeptics come from diverse backgrounds and
professions, and represent all age groups. The interest that we
share is a realization that rational thought and reason are of
paramount importance in these times, and that we can ill afford
to discount the marvels of the scientific process.
One of our basic tenets holds that we're concerned only with
what's testable. We're absolutely not a religious or
antireligious group. We respect the religious and nonreligious beliefs of
others, and recognize that spirituality is based on faith and is not
testable.
Consequently, spirituality in itself is of no interest to Bay
Area Skeptics, and we welcome people who identify themselves
as spiritual. If, however, a spiritual leader or spiritual group
makes a testable claim, then that claim ceases to be a
matter of faith and, as such, might be an area of interest to Bay
Area Skeptics.
To Contact Us
You can submit articles, letters, and reviews for BASIS
by e-mail directly to Bay Area Skeptics.
In Addition, you can write to us at at
Bay Area Sleptics
The Bay Area Skeptics web site will continue to evolve. We find
it refreshing and reassuring to find other fine organizations and
groups throughout the world and throughout this country that are
concerned, as we are, with critical thinking and rational
thought. We have provided links to several that are on the
Internet. If you have not done so already, we at BAS recommend
that you search the Net, with a skeptical eye, to find many other
fine resources that are not included on our links.
1218 Milvia
Berkeley, CA 94709-1933
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