FORMER ECSO EVENTS
2005 --- 12th European Skeptics Congress
October 13-16, 2005
Brussels, Belgium
Programme "Alternative medicine & the Media" click here
2004 --- 3rd ECSO Symposium
Saturday, September 4th, Sunday, September 5th 2004
Rossdorf, Germany
Programme:
(not online)
2003 --- 11th ECSO Congress
Friday September 5th, Saturday September 6th, Sunday September 7th
London, UK
Organised by ASKE (in collabaration with ECSO and CSICOP)
Info: http://www.aske.org.uk/congress/
2002 --- 2nd ECSO Symposium: Investigating Paranormal Claims
Saturday, October 5th - Sunday, October 6th 2002
Rosdorf, Germany
Programme Saturday, 5 October 2002
13:30 - 15:00 Registration
14:00 - 14:45 Joe Nickell: Investigating Paranormal Claims
14:45 - 15:00 Discussion
15:00 - 15:30 Coffee Break
15:30 - 16:15 Joe Nickell: Investigative highlights
16:15 - 16:30 Discussion
17:00 - 19:00 ECSO Annual meeting (for members only)
19:30 Dinner Buffet
Programme Sunday, 6 October 2002
09:00 - 09:35 Jan Willem Nienhuys: The fun of investigating together
09:35 - 09:45 Discussion
09:45 - 10:20 Jochen Bergmann: Testing dowsers in Würzburg
10:20 - 10:30 Discussion
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break
Extra (science - pseudoscience - parascience)
11:00 - 11:45 Martin Mahner: Demarcating science from pseudoscience. But what, if anything, is parascience?
11:45 - 11:55 Discussion
11:55 - 12:20 Amardeo Sarma: Dealing with fringe-science claims
12:20 - 12:30 Discussion
12:30 - 13:30 Lunch Buffet
2001 --- 10th ECSO Congress
Organised by the Czech Skeptics Club SISYFOS that was entrusted by the European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ECSO).
Academy of Science of the Czech Republic on Narodni Avenue, Prague, Czech Republic.
The three-day programme of the congress will be distributed into three thematic areas:
DAY 1. Paranormal Scene in Europe – comparison between post-communist and western countries
After the collapse of the iron curtain, in the early 1990s, post-communist countries experienced a rapid increase in various paranormal activities, in particular those not based on critical thinking. The range of problems, which these activities cause may be different in the individual eastern European countries and when compared to the more stabilised situation in western countries. Therefore, at this congress, lectures should be focused to comparing the paranormal scene in the eastern European countries with that in western Europe. Hence, we are requesting lectures by participants from the various eastern European countries and from countries of western Europe as well.
DAY 2. Alternative Medicine
A typical example of paranormal activity is alternative medicine, the development of which represents major risks for the population. This topic is also of current interest because some bodies of the European Union consider methods of alternative medicine to be more than positive. Accordingly, this issue will be discussed at the Congress of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) in Sydney. The expansion of alternative medicine will be the topic of the first thematic discussion at the Prague congress. The second day's programme will focus on analysing methods of alternative medicine with an emphasis on its principles, effectiveness, or ineffectiveness and associated risks. Apart from this, the evaluation should also be concerned with ways to restrict the influence and propagation of alternative medicine. Special attention should be paid to evaluation of the official attitudes of the European Union and other multinational and national bodies to the methods of alternative medicine. We also expect to receive a summary report of the world congress CSICOP.
DAY 3. Miscellaneous
This part of the programme should include reviews from various fields of interest and should present the full breadth of critical interests of skeptical organisations. The selection will be made on the basis of the received contributions for this thematic area.
The congress will be held in the centre of Prague in the administrative building of Academy of Science. The programme will include a sightseeing tour of Prague and an outdoor dinner.
2000 ---1st ECSO Symposium: Scientific Meeting and Inauguration
Saturday, September 2nd - Sunday, September 3rd
Rossdorf, Germany
Programme Saturday, 2 Sept. 2000
13:45 Coffee
14:00 W. Betz: Legislation of alternative medicine in Europe; the role of the European Union
14:40 B. Beyerstein: title not available yet
15:20 J. van Noordwijk & C.J. van Noordwijk-van Veen: Science, socio-biology and skepticism; a map, a motor and a goal for human behaviour independent of religion.
16:00 T. Trachet: Remarks on the relation between science and religion.
16:30 Inauguration of the Center for Inquiry-Europe (reception)
17:30 Council meeting (open only to members)
20:00 Dinner (after dinner: a performance by M. Polidoro)
Programme Sunday, 3 Sept. 2000
09:00 M. Polidoro: Table tippers, magnetic people and other investigations
09:40 J. de Boer: The Chernobyl disaster; the great confusion
10:20 Coffee Break
10:50 S. F. Singer: From Rio to Kyoto to The Hague
11:30 H. Priem: Climate change; the human influence analyzed
12:10 P. Dietze: The International Climate Panel’s most essential model errors
12:35 C. de Jager: Global warming by solar effects
13:00 Lunch
In the course of this meeting the Center for Inquiry (Zentrum für Wissenschaft und kritisches Denken), which has been opened last year, will be inaugurated as a European facility and introduced to our members.
ECSO is a non-profit organisation.