European Skeptics Congress

European Skeptics Congresses (ESCs) – a series of congresses now supported by the European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ECSO), in which skeptical organisations from many different European countries participate. They have been held ever since 1989. The conferences are often held in the month of September, and may last from two up to four days. The ECSO was formed at the 6th ESC on 25 September 1994 in Ostend, Belgium. Since its foundation, the ECSO co-ordinates in the organisation of new ESCs that take place (on average) every other year, and is hosted by a different member organisation each time. Skeptical organisations that are non-ECSO members may also send their delegations. Past ESCs are enumerated below.

ESC 1, Germany 1989

Date: 5–7 May

Place: Bad Tölz

ESC 2, Belgium 1990

Date: 10–11 August

Place: Brussels

ESC 3, Netherlands 1991

Date: 4–5 October

Place: Amsterdam

ESC 4, Italy 1992

Date: 17–19 July

Place: Saint-Vincent

ESC 5, United Kingdom 1993

Date: 29–31 August

Place: Keele

Theme: "Science for Life: Health, Medicine and Well-Being". Organised by the UK Skeptics.

ESC 6, Belgium 1994

Date: 23–25 September

Place: Ostend

Theme: "Science, Pseudoscience and the Environment".

During this congress the European Council of Skeptical Organisations was formed.

ESC 7, Germany 1995

Date: 4–7 May

Place: Roßdorf

ESC 8, Spain 1997

Date: 4–7 September

Place: A Coruña

ESC 9, Netherlands 1999

Date: 17–19 September

Place: Maastricht

Hosted by Stichting Skepsis

ESC 10, Czech Republic 2001

Date: 7–9 September

Place: Prague

Theme: "Rise and Development of Paranormal Beliefs in Eastern Europe"

ESC 11, United Kingdom 2003

Date: 5–7 September

Place: London

ECSO Board and CSICOP members meeting at the 11th European Skeptics Congress in London

ESC 12, Belgium 2005

Date: 13–15 October

Place: Brussels

Theme: "Pseudoscience, Alternative Medicine and the Media"

ESC 13, Ireland 2007

Date: 7–9 September

Place: Dublin

Theme: "The Assault on Science: Constructing a Response" 100+ attendees.

ESC 14, Hungary 2010

Date: 17–19 September

Place: Budapest

Speakers at the 14th European Skeptics Congress in Budapest.
Front row, from left to right: Chris French, J. Beth Ciesielski, Michael Heap, György Kampis, Amardeo Sarma, István Vágó, Klára Sándor, Massimo Polidoro, Iván Almár, Luigi Garlaschelli.
Back row, from left to right: Gergely Röst, Andy Wilson, Wim Betz, Tomasz Witkowski, Attila Nyerges, Maciej Zatonski, Simon Singh, Gerald de Jong, Klaus Schmeh, Joe Nickell.

ESC 15, Sweden 2013

Date: 22–25 August

Place: Stockholm

Theme: "ESCape to Clarity!"

Tomasz Witkowski lecturing at the 15th European Skeptics Congress 2013

ESC 16, United Kingdom 2015

Date: 10–13 September

Place: London

Organised by Association for Skeptical Enquiry and Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit

Meeting of the representatives of ECSO member organisations at the European Skeptics Congress 2015 in London

ESC 17, Poland 2017

Date: 22–24 September

Place: Wrocław

Everyone gathered on stage at the 17th Congress.

Organised by Klub Sceptyków Polskich and Český klub skeptiků Sisyfos

The speakers:

  • Deborah Hyde – The Restless Ghost of Wroclaw
  • Diego Fontanive – Meta-Memetic Thinking and Skepticism as a Meme
  • Eran Segev – The Secrets of an Effective Skeptical Organization
  • Gerald Ostdiek – Believing in Biology: The Religious Imagination of Living Things (Including People)
  • Holm Gero Hümmler – Relative Quantum Nonsense: Don't be Fooled by False Physics!
  • Jakub Kroulik – Exorcism by Hypnosis
  • James Randi
  • Konrad Szołajski – The Battle with Satan in Poland
  • Konrad Talmont-Kamiński – Cognition and the Science/Religion Debate
  • Leo Igwe – "Robber Goat", "Bird Woman" and "Cat Woman": How Religion is Hampering Scientific Thinking in Africa
  • Marcin Rotkiewicz – Rational Thinking vs. Moral Disgust: Why the Discussion about GMOs Is So Hard and the Scientific Evidence Is Unable to Convince the Public
  • Mariusz Błochowiak – Rational justification for the existence of the devil and the exorcism
  • Mark Lynas – Why anti-GMO activists are the new climate deniers
  • Massimo Polidoro – An interview with James Randi
  • Ovidiu Covaciu – How the Romanian anti-vaccine movement threatens Europe
  • Petr Jan Vinš – A Priest's View
  • Scott Lilienfeld – Tunnel Vision: Confirmation Bias from Courtroom to Boardroom to Bedroom
  • Sofie Vanthournout – Talking about Evidence in the Post-Truth Era
  • Susan Blackmore – Positive Scepticism: The new science of out-of-body experiences
  • Susan Gerbic – We Marched for Science – Now What?
  • Tomáš Moravec – How Rational are the Fears of GMOs?
  • Zbynek Vybiral – Why Psychology Is Not Only in a Replication Crisis
Recordings of speeches during the 17th European Skeptics Congress

There were also free workshops organised for the public.

ESC 18, Belgium 2019

Date: 30 August – 1 September

Place: Ghent

  • Norbert Aust – Informationsnetzwerk Homöopathie
  • Mathijs Beckers – How skepticism helped me become pro-nuclear
  • Johan Braeckman – Con men in the art world
  • Vanessa Charland – Near-death experiences: actual considerations
  • Ovidiu Covaciu – The antivaccination activists, misinformation and the damage done
  • Edzard Ernst – The battle against SCAM. Are we winning?
  • Farah Focqaert – How con men operate
  • André Fougeroux – Is it still possible to rationally address modern agriculture?
  • Lieven Gheysen (Aka. Gili)
  • Michael Heap – Anomalistic Psychology in the Classroom
  • Inge Jeandarme – Dealing with psychopathy
  • Catherine de Jong – chairperson for the session The never-ending struggle against quackery
  • Michel Naud – Science and decision: towards restoring scientific integrity in policy making
  • Jan Willem Nienhuys – Descent into one’s own illusion
  • Geerdt Magiels – chairperson for the session on Anomalistic Psychology
  • Christine Mohr – When using magicians to study how paranormal beliefs come about
  • Iida Ruishalme – Energy and decarbonisation
  • Amardeo Sarma – chairperson for the session on Green Skepticism
  • Kavin Senapathy – GMOs, modern agriculture, and the People
  • Lukas Stalpers – Vitamin B12 clinics: An example of a hype that results in clinics with quackery
  • Tim Trachet – chairperson for the session on 30 Years of European Skepticism
  • Dirk Vogelaers – Lyme disease: An example of a real disease misused by quacks
  • Wietse Wiels – Co-chairing the session The never-ending struggle against quackery
  • David Zaruk – Reason has left the building: How the emotional need for certainty and safety has handcuffed research and technology
  • Sophie van der Zee – How con men operate in cyberspace

ESC 19, Austria 2022

Date: 9–11 September

Place: Billrothhaus, Vienna

  • Florian Aigner – Why we can trust in Science
  • David Badcock – The future – Rational European drug policies
  • Pontus Böckman – chairperson for the session Skepticism in the Classroom
  • Giulia Conforto – Making science-based decisions in politics (Panel)
  • Katalin Cseh – Making science-based decisions in politics (Panel)
  • Annika Harrison – The Skeptical Movement in Europe (Panel)
  • Alice Howarth – The Skeptical Movement in Europe (Panel)
  • Holm Hümmler – 5G mobile networks – the conspiracy myths and what they really do
  • Catherine de Jong – chairperson for the session Towards Rational European Drug Policies
  • Gábor Kemenesi – The strange relationship of humanity and pandemics in the 21st century
  • Claire Klingenberg – chairperson for the session The Skeptical Movement in Europe (Panel)
  • Johannes Kopton – “Natural” or sustainable? Agriculture Environmentalism at the Crossroads
  • Péter Krekó – The structure of pseudo-scientific revolutions
  • Stephen Law – How to raise moral citizens
  • Philippe Longchamps – Teacher competence and the combat against misinformation
  • Elisa Palazzi – Communicating uncertainty in the science of climate change
  • Kellie C. Payne – Making science-based decisions in politics (Panel)
  • Massimo Pigliucci – Skepticism as a way of life
  • András Gábor Pintér – chairperson for the session Making science-based decisions in politics (Panel)
  • Massimo Polidoro – The Skeptical Movement in Europe (Panel)
  • Claudia Preis – chairperson for Keynotes Why we can trust in Science and Skepticism as a way of life
  • Jan-Willem van Prooijen – Belief in conspiracy theories during a pandemic
  • Franck Ramus – What is evidence-based education?
  • Sergio Della Sala – The reliable uncertainty of science
  • Amardeo Sarma – chairperson for the session Conspiracy Theories
  • Ulrike Schiesser – Building bridges – how to talk to conspiracy believers
  • Anne Katrin Schlag – The truth about drugs: From misinformation to science
  • Georg Steinhauser – The hazards of radiation

See also