Fifty Years of the Modern Skeptical Movement by James E. Alcock

James E. Alcock recounts the cultural explosion of paranormal belief in the 1960s and 1970s and explains why that climate made the founding of CSICOP an urgent and necessary response. Reflecting on fifty years of achievements, he argues that today's challenges—direct attacks on science, reason, and democratic institutions—make the skeptical movement more vital than ever. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/12/fifty-years-of-the-modern-skeptical-movement/ About the Author: James E. Alcock is professor of psychology at York University, Toronto, Canada. He is author of Parapsychology: Science or Magic? and co-editor of Psi Wars: Getting to Grips with the Paranor- mal. He is a member of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry's executive council and of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER editorial board. He may be reached via e-mail at [email protected]. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/