Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal

E1117

learned society nonprofit organization scientific skepticism organization

The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal was an organization of scientists, scholars, and skeptics dedicated to critically examining paranormal and pseudoscientific claims using scientific methods.

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All labels observed (11)

Label	Occurrences
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry	30
Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal canonical	11
CSICOP	5
CSICOP Fellowship	1
Comitato Italiano per il Controllo delle Affermazioni sul Paranormale	1
Comitato Italiano per il Controllo delle Affermazioni sulle Pseudoscienze	1
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry board or leadership	1
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry researchers	1
Fellowship in the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry	1
Italian Committee for the Investigation of Claims of the Pseudosciences	1
One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T4794 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
Context triple: [Carl Sagan, memberOf, Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal]

A. Universities Research Association
Universities Research Association is a consortium of research universities that collaborates to manage and support major scientific facilities and high-energy physics research programs in the United States.
B. Stanford Research Institute
Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International) is a prominent independent nonprofit research and innovation center known for pioneering advances in computing, artificial intelligence, and other cutting-edge technologies.
C. Bolt Beranek and Newman
Bolt Beranek and Newman was a pioneering American research and engineering firm best known for its foundational role in developing the ARPANET, a precursor to the modern internet.
D. Augmentation Research Center
The Augmentation Research Center was a pioneering research group at SRI International led by Douglas Engelbart, known for groundbreaking work in interactive computing, including the development of the oN-Line System (NLS), the computer mouse, and early hypertext.
E. Carnegie Institution of Washington
The Carnegie Institution of Washington is a private, nonprofit scientific research organization founded by Andrew Carnegie that supports advanced research across fields such as astronomy, biology, and earth sciences.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
Target entity description: The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal was an organization of scientists, scholars, and skeptics dedicated to critically examining paranormal and pseudoscientific claims using scientific methods.

A. Universities Research Association
Universities Research Association is a consortium of research universities that collaborates to manage and support major scientific facilities and high-energy physics research programs in the United States.
B. Stanford Research Institute
Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International) is a prominent independent nonprofit research and innovation center known for pioneering advances in computing, artificial intelligence, and other cutting-edge technologies.
C. Bolt Beranek and Newman
Bolt Beranek and Newman was a pioneering American research and engineering firm best known for its foundational role in developing the ARPANET, a precursor to the modern internet.
D. Augmentation Research Center
The Augmentation Research Center was a pioneering research group at SRI International led by Douglas Engelbart, known for groundbreaking work in interactive computing, including the development of the oN-Line System (NLS), the computer mouse, and early hypertext.
E. Carnegie Institution of Washington
The Carnegie Institution of Washington is a private, nonprofit scientific research organization founded by Andrew Carnegie that supports advanced research across fields such as astronomy, biology, and earth sciences.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	learned society ⓘ nonprofit organization ⓘ scientific skepticism organization ⓘ
activity	critical examination of paranormal claims ⓘ organization of conferences ⓘ public outreach ⓘ publication of investigative reports ⓘ
country	United States ⓘ linked to: United States of America
dissolutionReason	reorganization and renaming as Committee for Skeptical Inquiry ⓘ
dissolved	2006 ⓘ
fieldOfWork	critical thinking ⓘ paranormal investigation ⓘ pseudoscience ⓘ scientific skepticism ⓘ
formerHeadquartersLocation	Amherst, New York ⓘ linked to: Amherst, New York, United States
foundedBy	Carl Sagan ⓘ Isaac Asimov ⓘ James Randi ⓘ Marcello Truzzi ⓘ Martin Gardner ⓘ Paul Kurtz ⓘ Ray Hyman ⓘ
hasAbbreviation	CSICOP ⓘ linked to: Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
headquartersLocation	Buffalo, New York ⓘ linked to: Buffalo
ideology	secular humanism ⓘ
inception	1976 ⓘ
language	English ⓘ
mainOrgan	Skeptical Inquirer ⓘ
methodUsed	scientific method ⓘ
notableMember	Carl Sagan ⓘ Isaac Asimov ⓘ James Randi ⓘ Joe Nickell ⓘ Kendrick Frazier ⓘ Martin Gardner ⓘ Paul Kurtz ⓘ Philip J. Klass ⓘ linked to: Joe Nickell Ray Hyman ⓘ Susan Blackmore ⓘ
parentOrganization	Center for Inquiry ⓘ
publication	Skeptical Inquirer ⓘ
purpose	investigation of paranormal claims ⓘ promotion of scientific skepticism ⓘ public education about pseudoscience ⓘ
renamedAs	Committee for Skeptical Inquiry ⓘ linked to: Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
shortName	CSICOP ⓘ linked to: Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
successor	Committee for Skeptical Inquiry ⓘ linked to: Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
website	https://csicop.org ⓘ

How these facts were elicited