Amy at Skepchick.org posted a story yesterday titled “What You’re Doing Is Important”. It was a nice little reminder that we do actually win sometimes even it doesn’t seem like it. I thought I would follow her lead and remind us why all of this matters. You may find this post corny, naive, and reeking of personal bias and you are probably right. It just seems like skepticism can use a little cheer-leading every now and then and what better time than on the heels of TAM.
For those of us who attended The Amazing Meeting 8, some time is likely being spent reflecting on the previous week. I know that I have been doing that. For some, this reflection will lead to the “what now?” question. We no longer have the lectures, the workshops, The Del Mar Lounge, the late-night conversations, the parties, our celebrities, or the friends we either met or were reunited with there. We spend time and money to be part of TAM so that we can learn, network, be entertained, and socialize with people who see skepticism as something worthwhile and meaningful. Of course its easy to feel that skepticism is meaningful when we are all there patting each other on the back.
Amy beat me to the punch so I will quote her - “Sometimes being a skeptic can be difficult.” I think about this often. Pull out an old issue of Skeptical Inquirer from the early days of modern skepticism. You will be depressed to see that the articles will be familiar to us all after 20 or 25 years. Immediately you will recognize that the pseudoscientific and paranormal beliefs put to task on those pages as being just as widespread now as they were back then. We have had few victories against James Randi’s “unsinkable rubber ducks”. The quacks continue to get rich, creationists continue to endanger the legitimacy of science classes, and psychics are still exploiting the vulnerable. They likely always will.
We also suffer from an identity crisis that has us expending so much mental energy explaining to others why we identify ourselves as skeptics. I spend at least as much time describing what skepticism isn’t as I do talking about what it is. We’re often not even sure what we are talking about we use the word skepticism. Sure, it’s an epistemological position and the foundation of a scientific worldview, but its also something else bigger. Skepticism is a community, and to a growing extent, it’s feeling like a movement, a movement that is extending its reach slowly through activism, education, and outreach.
We learned a lot at TAM, we enjoyed our time together, and we made new friends. The most valuable thing we take away is something a little less tangible though. We leave Las Vegas with the energy and fervor that could only come from something like TAM. 1400 people is an undetectable blip on the social landscape. We are the tiniest of voices and have a difficult idea to sell. Last week was a reminder that this idea matters.
Our small numbers and nuanced message will continue to make advancing our views a serious challenge. Still, I am coming home from Las Vegas bursting at the seams with ideas and enthusiasm. I want to use that to energize others and to find innovative ways to make an impact, no matter how small. I think we can all take the passion and sincerity that define the skeptical community and build on the momentum of TAM in profound ways. Let's find some optimism for our message and work to bring it back to our communities. I was very encouraged by the number of teachers (over 100) at TAM committed to bringing skepticism and critical thinking into their classrooms. I was exhilarated by the room full of people at the grassroots workshop exchanging ideas for starting or growing skeptical organizations in their own cities. I was equally invigorated by meeting the podcasters, bloggers, and artists who are using their unique voices to inform people and challenge stubborn ideas.
This would all be more than enough to accomplish the mission of The Amazing Meeting but it still fails to recognize TAM’s point of inspiration that stands above all others. You are free to accuse me of partisanship, and I won’t resist. For me, however, the most powerful part of TAM is the spirit of James Randi. Randi has lived a life defined by an unflinching commitment to the truth. His brilliant insights into the dangers of pseudoscience allow him to stand alongside some of America’s greatest thinkers. He is a central figure to the world of conjuring, and a giant to scientific skepticism. If anyone has the right to coast on his several lifetimes worth of accomplishments and spend his days reveling in the accolades of his peers and admirers, it would be Randi. Nobody would give it a second thought. Randi is doing anything but coasting. At an event like TAM, which is becoming increasingly youthful and vibrant, Randi’s fierce passion for the message of scientific skepticism remains unmatched and undiminished.
We explored his storied relationship with Carson as well as the origins of the Million Dollar Challenge. Randi’s rich history and pioneering work are to be marveled at, but they never feel obscured by nostalgia. That’s because he is as relevant as he has ever been and maybe even more. I just hope we can take the spirit of Randi and his Amazing Meeting home with us and find our own ways to poke holes in rubber ducks.