The Missing Catalyst

In the third of a multipart series, Massimo Polidoro recounts the behind-the-scenes struggle to create what would eventually become the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, showing how years of false starts, disagreements, and organizational uncertainty nearly derailed the modern skeptical movement. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/06/the-missing-catalyst/ About the Author: Massimo Polidoro is an investigator of the paranormal, author, lecturer, and co-founder and head of CICAP, the Italian skeptics group. His website is at www.massimopolidoro.com. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/