The organization of skeptic groups after the political changes in Hungary seemed to be nonexistent, with interest in such things rapidly waning. In the mean time, pseudo-sciences, superstitions and esoteric ideals spread, being incorporated into our everyday lives.
In the second half of 2006, we began to bring together those critically-thinking individuals and small groups who frequently shared their ideas, usually publishing their work on the internet or other channels. On December 15, 2006, with 19 participants, we agreed on the bylaws and the Hungarian Skeptic Society was born.
"Skepticism" is a term used to mean a theoretical concept and way of thinking that uses logic and scientific evidence as its tenet to understand the world around us, rather than aspiring to authority, customs or dogma which cloud rational thinking. The Hungarian Skeptic Society professes to a naturalist philosophy and world view, and that the scientific method is the best way to discover the world. The premise of naturalism is that there exists but one, purely physical world of which we are a part.
The Skeptical Society's first and foremost goal is the propagation of rational thinking and the achievements of science, as well as the critique of irrational and pseudo-scientific concepts and religion. Skepticism - as rational doubtfulness - is the cornerstone of the scientific method, and the demonstration of this takes precedence over everything else.
Among our other high-priority tasks is the presentation and explanation of the Theory of Evolution, which is perhaps the most important pillar of the naturalist world view.
One of our immediate goals is the creation of a web portal, the development of the Skeptic's dictionary, and the publishing of a quarterly e-zine which introduces general and current naturalist topics supported by national and international sources. We feel it is of great importance to bring naturalist values to the attention of the media. Besides passively informing, we would also like to get members of the media to turn to our group or our experts concerning these matters. For this reason we are planning an internet-based skeptical news agency.
Hungarian web pages run by members of the Skeptic Society:
