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76-687: NZ Skeptics is a New Zealand incorporated society created in 1986, with the aim of promoting critical thinking . The main areas of interest to the NZ Skeptics are claims of psychic abilities , alternative medicine , creationism and other pseudoscientific claims . At its founding in 1986, it was known as the New Zealand Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (NZCSICOP). In 2007

152-461: A critique ; it identifies the intellectual capacity and the means "of judging", "of judgement", "for judging", and of being "able to discern". The intellectual roots of critical thinking are as ancient as its etymology, traceable, ultimately, to the critical reasoning of the Presocractic philosophers, as well as the teaching practice and vision of Socrates 2,500 years ago who discovered by

228-637: A television appearance as "Convener of Skeptics in the Pub" on the BBC spoof show Shirley Ghostman , then led the group from 2003 to 2008. As of 2011, the London group was co-convened by Sid Rodrigues, who has co-organised events in several other cities around the world. This group has conducted experiments on the paranormal as part of James Randi's One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge and co-organised An Evening with James Randi & Friends . Some of

304-418: A definition analysis by Kompf & Bond (2001), critical thinking involves problem-solving, decision making, metacognition , rationality, rational thinking, reasoning , knowledge , intelligence and also a moral component such as reflective thinking. Critical thinkers therefore need to have reached a level of maturity in their development, possess a certain attitude as well as a set of taught skills. There

380-559: A desirable general thinking skill by the end of the 19th century and early 20th century. Traditionally, critical thinking has been variously defined as follows: Contemporary critical thinking scholars have expanded these traditional definitions to include qualities, concepts, and processes such as creativity, imagination, discovery, reflection, empathy, connecting knowing, feminist theory, subjectivity, ambiguity, and inconclusiveness. Some definitions of critical thinking exclude these subjective practices. The study of logical argumentation

456-984: A disappearance. In 1988 NZCSICOP member Trevor Reeves wrote a series of letters about psychic Shona Saxon and sent them to the editor of the Dunedin Star Midweek paper, to the Citizens Advice service, to the Dunedin police, and to social welfare. Saxon sued Reeves for malice, claiming embarrassment, humiliation and loss. According to Saxon, Reeves stated that she was "misleading people", "persuading people to go off their prescribed medications" and "upsetting disturbed people... on welfare benefits". The high court judge ruled in favor of Saxon. "[e]ssentially because he did not believe that Ms Saxon had deliberately set out to deceive clients". The judge held that Reeves' "statements were actuated by malice... by gratuitously attack[ing] Ms Saxon's personal integrity." Saxon

532-472: A high public profile who have provided food for thought, critical analysis and important information on topics of relevance to our interests." According to co-founder Bernard Howard, the Bravo award was meant to be a "carrot" to journalists to reward and encourage good critical thinking in their reporting. The Bent Spoon Award is "named in honour of Uri Geller ". Throughout the year, selections are considered for

608-588: A logo that incorporates a kiwi , koru and a question mark, and released a new website and journal. The website was updated in 2020, and around that time the journal was discontinued and replaced by an emailed newsletter and a fortnightly podcast (the Yeah... Nah! podcast). In 1989 after its first conference NZSI had 80 members; by 1999 there were over 500 members. Some notable skeptics such as James Randi , Richard Dawkins , Susan Blackmore , Ian Plimer and John Maddox had visited in that time. When people ask me who

684-677: A main A-level for admissions. Nevertheless, the AS is often useful in developing reasoning skills, and the full Advanced GCE is useful for degree courses in politics, philosophy, history or theology , providing the skills required for critical analysis that are useful, for example, in biblical study. There used to also be an Advanced Extension Award offered in Critical Thinking in the UK, open to any A-level student regardless of whether they have

760-659: A mass overdose , a protest against the selling of homeopathic remedies in pharmacies. The protest was in line with similar activities held on the same day by the 10:23 campaign in the UK. The first New Zealand SkeptiCamp was held at the Black Dog Brewery in Wellington . Skeptics in the Pub events are held throughout New Zealand in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Sensing Murder psychic Sue Nicholson spoke at

836-535: A method of probing questioning that people could not rationally justify their confident claims to knowledge . According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the exact term “critical thinking” first appeared in 1815, in the British literary journal The Critical Review , referring to critical analysis in the literary context. The meaning of "critical thinking" gradually evolved and expanded to mean

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912-518: A month at a public venue, most often a local pub . By 2012 there were more than 100 different "SitP" groups running around the world. The earliest and longest-running event is the award-winning London meeting, established by Australian philosophy professor Scott Campbell in 1999. Campbell based the idea around Philosophy in the Pub and Science in the Pub , two groups which had been running in Australia for some time. The inaugural speaker

988-464: A painter, sculptor, engineer, business person, etc. In other words, though critical-thinking principles are universal, their application to disciplines requires a process of reflective contextualization . Psychology offerings, for example, have included courses such as Critical Thinking about the Paranormal , in which students are subjected to a series of cold readings and tested on their belief of

1064-541: A sound rationale. In modern times, the phrase critical thinking was coined by Pragmatist philosopher John Dewey in his book How We Think. As a type of intellectualism , the development of critical thinking is a means of critical analysis that applies rationality to develop a critique of the subject matter. According to the Foundation for Critical Thinking, in 1987 the U.S. National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking defined critical thinking as

1140-477: A specific mental basis underpinning critical thinking. After undertaking research in schools, Edward M. Glaser proposed in 1941 that the ability to think critically involves three elements: Educational programs aimed at developing critical thinking in children and adult learners, individually or in group problem solving and decision making contexts, continue to address these same three central elements. The Critical Thinking project at Human Science Lab, London ,

1216-442: A strong way of critical thinking gives due consideration to establish for instance: In addition to possessing strong critical-thinking skills, one must be disposed to engage problems and decisions using those skills. Critical thinking employs not only logic but broad intellectual criteria such as clarity, credibility , accuracy , precision, relevance , depth, breadth , significance, and fairness. Critical thinking calls for

1292-401: Is a postulation by some writers that the tendencies from habits of mind should be thought as virtues to demonstrate the characteristics of a critical thinker. These intellectual virtues are ethical qualities that encourage motivation to think in particular ways towards specific circumstances. However, these virtues have also been criticized by skeptics who argue that the evidence is lacking for

1368-683: Is a reference to the psychic power claimed by Uri Geller . A founder of New Zealand Skeptics, Denis Dutton was a "thought-provoking, good-humoured and inspirational critical thinker" who the group decided to honour with a yearly prize... "to the skeptic who has had the most impact within New Zealand skepticism. The award comes with a year's free membership to NZ Skeptics and $ 100 prize money." Other former recipients have included: Mark Hanna, Daniel Ryan, Siouxsie Wiles , Helen Petousis-Harris , Lance O’Sullivan , and Jessica Macfarlane. New Zealand Skeptics recognises "media professionals and those with

1444-443: Is crucial. All students must do their own thinking, their own construction of knowledge. Good teachers recognize this and therefore focus on the questions, readings, activities that stimulate the mind to take ownership of key concepts and principles underlying the subject. Historically, the teaching of critical thinking focused only on logical procedures such as formal and informal logic. This emphasized to students that good thinking

1520-583: Is equivalent to logical thinking. However, a second wave of critical thinking, urges educators to value conventional techniques, meanwhile expanding what it means to be a critical thinker. In 1994, Kerry Walters compiled a conglomeration of sources surpassing this logical restriction to include many different authors' research regarding connected knowing, empathy, gender-sensitive ideals, collaboration, world views, intellectual autonomy, morality and enlightenment. These concepts invite students to incorporate their own perspectives and experiences into their thinking. In

1596-507: Is essential. But so is the ability to be flexible and consider non-traditional alternatives and perspectives. These complementary functions are what allow for critical thinking to be a practice encompassing imagination and intuition in cooperation with traditional modes of deductive inquiry. The list of core critical thinking skills includes observation, interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation, explanation, and metacognition . According to Reynolds (2011), an individual or group engaged in

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1672-447: Is involved in the scientific study of all major educational systems in prevalence today to assess how the systems are working to promote or impede critical thinking. Contemporary cognitive psychology regards human reasoning as a complex process that is both reactive and reflective. This presents a problem that is detailed as a division of a critical mind in juxtaposition to sensory data and memory. The psychological theory disposes of

1748-405: Is not testable unless the supporter makes a specific claim. The founders felt that people with religious beliefs could also be skeptical of claims of the paranormal and did not want to exclude them. Due to a concern that the word "skeptic" was being confused by the public and media with respect to climate change NZSI made the following statement in 2014: The New Zealand Skeptics Society supports

1824-414: Is relevant to the study of critical thinking. Logic is concerned with the analysis of arguments, including the appraisal of their correctness or incorrectness. In the field of epistemology , critical thinking is considered to be logically correct thinking, which allows for differentiation between logically true and logically false statements. In "First wave" logical thinking, the thinker is removed from

1900-591: Is the California Measure of Mental Motivation and the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory. The Critical Thinking Toolkit is an alternative measure that examines student beliefs and attitudes about critical thinking. John Dewey is one of many educational leaders who recognized that a curriculum aimed at building thinking skills would benefit the individual learner, the community, and

1976-796: The Downer Group to use dowsing to find buried water pipes in early 2019. The City Council and a Downer Group representative both stated they were satisfied their work despite complaints by the NZ Skeptics. The Wellington City Council and the Downer Group were co-awarded the Bent Spoon Award for 2019. The annual NZ Skeptics Conference hosts a wide range of local and international speakers. The location usually alternates between Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Hamilton, but has also been held in Rotorua and Queenstown. In 2019,

2052-669: The LNAT , the UKCAT , the BioMedical Admissions Test and the Thinking Skills Assessment . In Qatar , critical thinking was offered by Al-Bairaq - an outreach, non-traditional educational program that targeted high school students and focussed on a curriculum based on STEM fields . The idea behind this was to offer high school students the opportunity to connect with the research environment in

2128-466: The "calculus of justification" but also considers " cognitive acts such as imagination , conceptual creativity, intuition and insight". These "functions" are focused on discovery, on more abstract processes instead of linear, rules-based approaches to problem-solving. The linear and non-sequential mind must both be engaged in the rational mind . The ability to critically analyze an argument — to dissect structure and components, thesis and reasons —

2204-418: The "intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action." In the term critical thinking , the word critical , (Grk. κριτικός = kritikos = "critic") derives from the word critic and implies

2280-868: The "psychic", who is eventually announced to be a fake. Critical thinking is considered important in the academic fields for enabling one to analyze, evaluate, explain, and restructure thinking, thereby ensuring the act of thinking without false belief. However, even with knowledge of the methods of logical inquiry and reasoning, mistakes occur, and due to a thinker's inability to apply the methodology consistently, and because of overruling character traits such as egocentrism . Critical thinking includes identification of prejudice , bias , propaganda, self-deception, distortion, misinformation , etc. Given research in cognitive psychology , some educators believe that schools should focus on teaching their students critical-thinking skills and cultivation of intellectual traits. Critical-thinking skills can be used to help nurses during

2356-417: The 2013 Wellington conference about her 21 years of experiences as a psychic medium. Organiser Vicki Hyde applauded Nicholson's willingness to speak at the conference, saying "many people working in this profession are very reluctant to expose themselves to any critical scrutiny." Hyde is quick to add that "critical" in this case "involves a spirit of genuine interest and inquiry", even if proof of spirits from

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2432-703: The Bent Spoon award. Ideas are sent to the officers who gather and retain all ideas until the committee reviews candidates. Those considered "truly ridiculous", along with selections from outside New Zealand, are not usually considered. Typically, a dozen nominees are selected and voted on by the executive officers. The announcement is usually made in the few weeks leading into the annual conference in order to "help boost interest". Candidates considered must be "important enough to deserve attention", people who "should know better", and be "wilfully misleading with intent to profit." According to Chair-entityship Vicki Hyde in 1996,

2508-465: The Center for Advanced Materials (CAM) at Qatar University. Faculty members train and mentor the students and help develop and enhance their critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. In 1995, a meta-analysis of the literature on teaching effectiveness in higher education was undertaken. The study noted concerns from higher education , politicians , and business that higher education

2584-574: The Critical Thinking A-level. Cambridge International Examinations have an A-level in Thinking Skills. From 2008, Assessment and Qualifications Alliance has also been offering an A-level Critical Thinking specification. OCR exam board have also modified theirs for 2008. Many examinations for university entrance set by universities, on top of A-level examinations, also include a critical-thinking component, such as

2660-967: The English and Welsh school systems, Critical Thinking is offered as a subject that 16- to 18-year-olds can take as an A-Level . Under the OCR exam board , students can sit two exam papers for the AS: "Credibility of Evidence" and "Assessing and Developing Argument". The full Advanced GCE is now available: in addition to the two AS units, candidates sit the two papers "Resolution of Dilemmas" and "Critical Reasoning". The A-level tests candidates on their ability to think critically about, and analyze, arguments on their deductive or inductive validity, as well as producing their own arguments. It also tests their ability to analyze certain related topics such as credibility and ethical decision-making. However, due to its comparative lack of subject content, many universities do not accept it as

2736-526: The Pub Skeptics in the Pub (abbreviated SITP ) is an informal social event designed to promote fellowship and social networking among skeptics , critical thinkers , freethinkers , rationalists and other like-minded individuals. It provides an opportunity for skeptics to talk, share ideas and have fun in a casual atmosphere, and discuss whatever topical issues come to mind, while promoting skepticism , science , and rationality . "Skeptics in

2812-512: The Pub" is not a protected term, anyone can set one up. There also is no formal procedure to organising an event; organisers can fill in activities as they see fit. There are, however, some common approaches across the world in hosting such events that make them more successful. The usual format of meetings includes an invited speaker who gives a talk on a specific topic, followed by a question-and-answer session. Other meet-ups are informal socials, with no fixed agenda. The groups usually meet once

2888-581: The Pub" would later serve as the template for other skeptical, rationalist, and atheist meet-ups around the globe, including The James Randi Educational Foundation 's "The Amazing Meeting", Drinking Skeptically, The Brights , and the British Humanist Association social gatherings. Since 2010 Edinburgh Skeptics in the Pub has extended the Skeptics in the Pub concept over the whole Edinburgh International Festival Fringe , under

2964-568: The Skeptics are, I reply "We're the guys that say the Emperor's not wearing any clothes and how come no-one else has noticed". NZ Skeptics holds an annual conference during the New Zealand summer. Conferences generally alternate between the three major New Zealand cities of Auckland , Wellington and Christchurch , with other cities hosting as and when there is sufficient interest. On 30 January 2010, members in Christchurch participated in

3040-528: The US and more than 40 in the UK. In 2009, D. J. Grothe described the rise of Skeptics in the Pub across cities in North America and elsewhere as a prominent example of "Skepticism 2.0". SITPs were often founded outside the realm of existing skeptical organisations (mostly centred around magazines ), with some successful meetings growing out to become fully-fledged membership organisations. "Skeptics in

3116-495: The ability to: In sum: "A persistent effort to examine any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the evidence that supports or refutes it and the further conclusions to which it tends." The habits of mind that characterize a person strongly disposed toward critical thinking include a desire to follow reason and evidence wherever they may lead, a systematic approach to problem-solving, inquisitiveness , even-handedness, and confidence in reasoning . According to

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3192-433: The absolute nature of the rational mind, in reference to conditions, abstract problems and discursive limitations. Where the relationship between critical-thinking skills and critical-thinking dispositions is an empirical question, the ability to attain causal domination exists, for which Socrates was known to be largely disposed against as the practice of Sophistry . Accounting for a measure of "critical-thinking dispositions"

3268-520: The after-life continues to be elusive. Nicholson talked about her life history as a psychic for 18 minutes and opened up the lecture for questions. Despite being skeptical, the audience remained respectful and questioning. Nicholson stated that her friends told her not to attend the conference, but she said, "I believe in healthy discussion, and we all have our opinions and that's great. I'm not here to prove anything. I'm not here to convince you. We all have our thoughts, we all have our ideas and that's how

3344-517: The amount and quality of critical thinking in a course (relative to face-to-face communication). There is some evidence to suggest a fourth, more nuanced possibility: that CMC may promote some aspects of critical thinking but hinder others. For example, Guiller et al. (2008) found that, relative to face-to-face discourse, online discourse featured more justifications, while face-to-face discourse featured more instances of students expanding on what others had said. The increase in justifications may be due to

3420-420: The assessment process. Through the use of critical thinking, nurses can question, evaluate, and reconstruct the nursing care process by challenging the established theory and practice. Critical-thinking skills can help nurses problem solve, reflect, and make a conclusive decision about the current situation they face. Critical thinking creates "new possibilities for the development of the nursing knowledge". Due to

3496-449: The asynchronous nature of online discussions, while the increase in expanding comments may be due to the spontaneity of 'real-time' discussion. Newman et al. (1995) showed similar differential effects. They found that while CMC boasted more important statements and linking of ideas, it lacked novelty. The authors suggest that this may be due to difficulties participating in a brainstorming-style activity in an asynchronous environment. Rather,

3572-864: The asynchrony may promote users to put forth "considered, thought out contributions". Researchers assessing critical thinking in online discussion forums often employ a technique called Content Analysis, where the text of online discourse (or the transcription of face-to-face discourse) is systematically coded for different kinds of statements relating to critical thinking. For example, a statement might be coded as "Discuss ambiguities to clear them up" or "Welcoming outside knowledge" as positive indicators of critical thinking. Conversely, statements reflecting poor critical thinking may be labeled as "Sticking to prejudice or assumptions" or "Squashing attempts to bring in outside knowledge". The frequency of these codes in CMC and face-to-face discourse can be compared to draw conclusions about

3648-577: The college. Critical thinking is also considered important for human rights education for toleration . The Declaration of Principles on Tolerance adopted by UNESCO in 1995 affirms that "education for tolerance could aim at countering factors that lead to fear and exclusion of others, and could help young people to develop capacities for independent judgement, critical thinking and ethical reasoning ". The advent and rising popularity of online courses have prompted some to ask if computer-mediated communication (CMC) promotes, hinders, or has no effect on

3724-521: The conference was held at the Christchurch Arts Centre / Te Matatiki Toi Ora from 29 November to 1 December. International guests have raised New Zealand's general awareness of skepticism. In July 1993 James Randi toured New Zealand, visiting Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington. "However, those unable to see him in person had plenty of opportunity to see him on TV, hear him on radio and read about him in newspapers and magazines. He

3800-534: The differential credibility and expertise of individuals. Further evidence for the impact of social experience on the development of critical-thinking skills comes from work that found that 6- to 7-year-olds from China have similar levels of skepticism to 10- and 11-year-olds in the United States. If the development of critical-thinking skills was solely due to maturation, it is unlikely we would see such dramatic differences across cultures. Skeptics in

3876-455: The earliest records of what today is called critical thinking. In an early dialogue by Plato, the philosopher Socrates debates several speakers about the ethical matter of the rightness or wrongness of Socrates escaping from prison. Upon consideration, Plato concluded that to escape prison would violate everything he believes to be greater than himself: the laws of Athens and the guiding voice that Socrates claims to hear. Socrates established

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3952-604: The entire democracy. Critical thinking is significant in the learning process of internalization , in the construction of basic ideas, principles, and theories inherent in content. And critical thinking is significant in the learning process of application, whereby those ideas, principles, and theories are implemented effectively as they become relevant in learners' lives. Each discipline adapts its use of critical-thinking concepts and principles. The core concepts are always there, but they are embedded in subject-specific content. For students to learn content, intellectual engagement

4028-731: The framework of scientific skepticism , the process of critical thinking involves the careful acquisition and interpretation of information and use of it to reach a well-justified conclusion. The concepts and principles of critical thinking can be applied to any context or case but only by reflecting upon the nature of that application. Critical thinking forms, therefore, a system of related, and overlapping, modes of thought such as anthropological thinking, sociological thinking, historical thinking, political thinking, psychological thinking, philosophical thinking, mathematical thinking, chemical thinking, biological thinking, ecological thinking, legal thinking, ethical thinking, musical thinking, thinking like

4104-445: The good thinker necessarily aims for styles of examination and appraisal that are analytical, abstract, universal, and objective. This model of thinking has become so entrenched in conventional academic wisdom that many educators accept it as canon". Such principles are concomitant with the increasing dependence on a quantitative understanding of the world. In the 'second wave' of critical thinking, authors consciously moved away from

4180-427: The group saw an increase in calls from the media which begin with '"We don't want to get the Bent Spoon so we thought we'd better check with you guys…"' It is gratifying to note that such calls have increased over the past four years." Critical thinking In the classical period (5th c.–4th c. BC) of Ancient Greece, the philosopher Plato (428–347 BC) indicated that the teachings of Socrates (470–399 BC) are

4256-452: The implications of thought and action . As a form of co-operative argumentation , Socratic questioning requires the comparative judgment of facts, which answers then would reveal the person's irrational thinking and lack of verifiable knowledge. Socrates also demonstrated that Authority does not ensure accurate, verifiable knowledge; thus, Socratic questioning analyses beliefs, assumptions, and presumptions, by relying upon evidence and

4332-400: The importance of encouraging open dialogue within a supportive environment. Effective strategies for teaching critical thinking are thought to be possible in a wide variety of educational settings. One attempt to assess the humanities ' role in teaching critical thinking and reducing belief in pseudoscientific claims was made at North Carolina State University . Some success was noted and

4408-815: The logocentric mode of critical thinking characteristic of the 'first wave'. Although many scholars began to take a less exclusive view of what constitutes critical thinking, rationality and logic remain widely accepted as essential bases for critical thinking. Walters argues that exclusive logicism in the first wave sense is based on "the unwarranted assumption that good thinking is reducible to logical thinking". There are three types of logical reasoning . Informally, two kinds of logical reasoning can be distinguished in addition to formal deduction , which are induction and abduction . Kerry S. Walters , an emeritus philosophy professor from Gettysburg College , argues that rationality demands more than just logical or traditional methods of problem solving and analysis or what he calls

4484-567: The name was formally changed to NZ Skeptics Incorporated. NZ Skeptics was co-founded (as the New Zealand Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal) by David Marks , Denis Dutton , Bernard Howard, Gordon Hewitt, Jim Woolnough, Ray Carr and Kerry Chamberlain in 1986. Other similar organisations exist in the USA ( Committee for Skeptical Inquiry ), Australia ( Australian Skeptics ) and India ( Indian CSICOP ). Denis Dutton

4560-418: The outcome variable. The authors describe the various methodological approaches and attempt to categorize differing assessment tools, which include standardized tests (and second-source measures), tests developed by teachers, tests developed by researchers, and tests developed by teachers who also serve the role as the researcher . The results emphasized the need for exposing students to real-world problems and

4636-500: The quality of critical thinking. Searching for evidence of critical thinking in discourse has roots in a definition of critical thinking put forth by Kuhn (1991), which emphasizes the social nature of discussion and knowledge construction. There is limited research on the role of social experience in critical thinking development, but there is some evidence to suggest it is an important factor. For example, research has shown that three- to four-year-old children can discern, to some extent,

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4712-527: The researchers emphasized the value of the humanities in providing the skills to evaluate current events and qualitative data in context. Scott Lilienfeld notes that there is some evidence to suggest that basic critical-thinking skills might be successfully taught to children at a younger age than previously thought. Critical thinking is an important element of all professional fields and academic disciplines (by referencing their respective sets of permissible questions, evidence sources, criteria, etc.). Within

4788-440: The scientific consensus on Climate Change. There is an abundance of evidence demonstrating global mean temperatures are rising, and that humans have had a considerable impact on the natural rate of change. The Society will adjust its position with the scientific consensus. Shortly after its inception in 1986, the society produced a quarterly journal, The New Zealand Skeptic , which they sent out to all members. In 2015 NZSI adopted

4864-562: The society as a media spokesperson. The English spelling of the word "skeptic" was chosen over the British spelling "sceptic" to more closely associate with the American organisation, and to avoid negative connotations of "being cynical and negative". In 2007 the committee decided to formally change the name to NZ Skeptics Incorporated (NZSI). The society does not address the topic of religion, not only because there are other organisations better equipped to deal with it, but also because religion

4940-512: The society into disrepute. Reeves left NZCSICOP shortly after the judgment was made. The case is recorded as Saxon v Reeves High Court Dunedin A39/87. NZ Skeptics has been vocal in the fight against the government use of the pseudoscience of dowsing in New Zealand. The Carterton District Council uses dowsing to find underground pipes and cables despite the NZ Skeptics evidence that dowsing has been discredited. The Wellington City Council paid

5016-751: The sociocultural, environmental, and political issues that are affecting healthcare delivery, it would be helpful to embody new techniques in nursing. Nurses can also engage their critical-thinking skills through the Socratic method of dialogue and reflection. This practice standard is even part of some regulatory organizations such as the College of Nurses of Ontario's Professional Standards for Continuing Competencies (2006). It requires nurses to engage in Reflective Practice and keep records of this continued professional development for possible review by

5092-404: The speakers at London Skeptics in the Pub have been Simon Singh , Victor Stenger , Jon Ronson , Phil Plait , David Colquhoun , Richard J. Evans , S. Fred Singer , Ben Goldacre , David Nutt , and Mark Stevenson . The ease of use of the internet, via social networking sites and content management systems, has led to more than 100 active chapters around the world, including more than 30 in

5168-503: The train of thought, and the analysis of connections between concepts or points in thought is ostensibly free of any bias. In his essay Beyond Logicism in Critical Thinking Kerry S. Walters describes this ideology thus: "A logistic approach to critical thinking conveys the message to students that thinking is legitimate only when it conforms to the procedures of informal (and, to a lesser extent, formal) logic and that

5244-407: The unreliability of Authority and of authority figures to possess knowledge and consequent insight; that for an individual man or woman to lead a good life that is worth living, that person must ask critical questions and possess an interrogative soul, which seeks evidence and then closely examines the available facts, and then follows the implications of the statement under analysis, thereby tracing

5320-623: The world goes around." 3 News attended Nicholson's lecture and wrote, "But despite a colourful performance from Ms Nicholson, this lot remains unconvinced." Nicholson agreed to talk at the conference with the stipulation that the $ 500 speakers fee would be donated to a Women's Refuge." The organisation has remained critical of psychics such as Nicholson. In 2018, NZ Skeptics denounced those who claim they can help locate missing persons, contacting families with information. Referring to one such case, NZ Skeptics Society chair Craig Shearer insisted those "grief vampires" never actually helped police solve

5396-550: Was Wendy M. Grossman , the editor and founder of The Skeptic magazine, in February 1999; this first talk attracted 30 attendees. The London group claims to be the "World's largest regular pub meeting," with 200 to 400 people in attendance at each meeting. Campbell ran the London group for three years while there on a teaching sabbatical, and was succeeded after his return to Australia by two sci-fi fans and skeptics, Robert Newman and Marc LaChappelle. Nick Pullar, who made

5472-539: Was awarded a total of $ 12,000 damages, $ 6,000 against Reeves and $ 6,000 against Allied Press Ltd. Reeves appealed to the High Court and the damages awarded against him were reduced to $ 4,500. Because of the way the NZCSICOP public statements were worded, they were not a party to this action, and escaped what could have been a crippling penalty. The constitution provides suspension or expulsion of any member who brings

5548-476: Was failing to meet society's requirements for well-educated citizens. It concluded that although faculty may aspire to develop students' thinking skills, in practice they have tended to aim at facts and concepts utilizing lowest levels of cognition , rather than developing intellect or values . In a more recent meta-analysis, researchers reviewed 341 quasi- or true-experimental studies, all of which used some form of standardized critical-thinking measure to assess

5624-525: Was limited to twelve, and tickets were auctioned in a blind auction on the NZ skeptic website. A number of awards are presented at the annual conference dinner, notably the 'Bravo Award' for "critical thinking in the public arena", the 'Bent Spoon Award' for "the most gullible or naive reporting in the paranormal or pseudo-science area" and the 'Skeptic of the Year Award' (created in 2014). The name "Bent Spoon"

5700-490: Was the first chair. Vicki Hyde took over as the first chair-entity (a title devised by Hugh Young both to be all-inclusive and to parody inclusiveness) from 1997 to 2010. Gold (his only name), who founded the New Zealand Skeptics in the Pub , was chair-entity from 2010 to 2014. Mark Honeychurch was chairperson between 2014 and 2017. As of 2024, Bronwyn Rideout is the current chairperson. Vicki Hyde continues in

5776-535: Was tireless in submitting himself to the punishing round of interviews, etc, arranged by our enthusiastic Media Representative. Every interviewer wanted to see him bend spoons, and he left behind him a trail of bent and broken cutlery, the bill for which was not negligible." George Hrab travelled to the North Island on 1 December 2014, stopping over in Wellington for a special skeptics dinner event. Seating

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