CICAP


CICAP is an Italian, non-profit, skeptic educational organization, founded in 1989. CICAP's main goal is to promote a scientific and critical investigation of pseudosciences, the paranormal, the mysteries and the unusual, with the aim of spreading the scientific attitude and critical thinking.
It is a member of the European Council of Skeptical Organisations.

History

CICAP was started by the Italian science journalist Piero Angela together with a group of scientists including Margherita Hack, Tullio Regge and Sergio Della Sala. The first attempt at creating an organization that investigates alleged paranormal phenomena in Italy dates back to 1978, only two years after the founding of CSICOP, when following Piero Angela's television show Indagine sulla parapsicologia, 22 scientists and researchers of various disciplines released a common declaration calling for the establishment of a committee for the examination of alleged paranormal phenomena.
, national convention of CICAP
The initiative did not come into being until 1987-1988, when Piero Angela organized numerous meetings amongst the Italian subscribers of Skeptical Inquirer magazine that terminated with a meeting in Turin on October 9, 1988. During the meeting, the association's goals and objectives were defined along with the name for the committee: Comitato italiano per il controllo delle affermazioni sul paranormale, chosen because the acronym “CICAP” resembled “check-up” in English.
The Committee was formalized on June 12, 1989. Steno Ferluga was appointed president, Lorenzo Montali secretary and Massimo Polidoro the director of the association's magazine. Two Nobel Prize laureates are or have been members: Carlo Rubbia and Rita Levi Montalcini. Other notable members included the philosopher, semiotician and novelist Umberto Eco.
In the beginning, CICAP was primarily concerned with parapsychology. With time, CICAP began branching out into other areas of pseudoscience, both historical and above all, contemporary legends. The rise in popularity of other pseudoscientific phenomena prompted the organization to change its name. In September 2013, CICAP announced a change in its name altering the P of the acronym from paranormale to pseudoscienze. The new name includes not only supernatural phenomena, but also pseudoscientific ideas and claims regarding treatments whose efficacy is not scientifically proven, conspiracy theories, urban legends and historical falsifications.
A short list of CICAP investigations during its history includes verifying astrological predictions, powers of magicians, dowsers, healers and fakirs, UFOs, the blood of St.Januarius and contacts with the afterlife.
CICAP also deals with verifying astrological predictions. In fact, every December, it collects a sample of astrological predictions made by astrologers and clairvoyants during the year and publishes a year-end report on the outcomes of the predictions. Since 2009, CICAP organizes an annual “Anti-Superstition” day in various cities during a Friday the 17th.
The organization has always worked closely with Italian media to help ensure accurate coverage of paranormal topics.
In the early 2000s CICAP purchased its current headquarters in Padua, with the proceeds of a fundraising campaign called “Progetto CICAP 2000”.
In October 2004, CICAP and the CSI co-sponsored a World Skeptics Congress in Italy.
CICAP features several local volunteer groups who organize activities such as conferences, investigations and courses for journalists and teachers. The first local group was created in 1994;, sixteen local groups are present.
In 2011 CICAP became Associazione di Promozione Sociale, a form of nonprofit organization that allowed it to claim donations from income tax forms and enabled members to become more involved in the decisions of the association.
In 2015 the "thematic groups" have been created, composed of people who work together from all of Italy and abroad on a specific project, such as educational activities for schools.
In May 2016, Italian science journalist Piero Angela was appointed "honorary president" of CICAP..
Since 2018, CICAP has been acknowledged by the Ministry of Education, University and Research for the training of school staff pursuant to the MIUR 170/2016 Directive..
, the president of CICAP is Italian neuroscientist Sergio Della Sala
CICAP's logo is based on the grid illusion. Designed in 1992 by Franco Ramaccini, was amended in 2009 with the inclusion of the words, "Comitato Italiano per il Controllo delle Affermazioni sul Paranormale".

Scope

The subject matters investigated by CICAP can be divided into three categories:
CICAP applies rational skepticism in its activities. This posits that every empirical statement can only be accepted after experimental verification. CICAP applies the scientific method to its investigations. CICAP often employs the collaboration of magicians in its investigations to ascertain the possible use of tricks. For example, Silvan is a CICAP sympathizer and has collaborated with CICAP in some of its initiatives.

Limits

CICAP does not cover metaphysics, in particular religion and faith, because these phenomena cannot be studied scientifically. CICAP investigates religious claims regarding material manifestations such as relics or the St. Janarius blood miracle in Naples because these phenomena are subject to scientific examination. CICAP is interested in informing the public. Its members have different religious and political beliefs, but they all agree that alleged pseudoscientific phenomena must be investigated and the results publicized.

Organization

The association is self-financed : the main sources of income are registration fees, donations and revenues from publications and courses. Curious, given that his fortune was based on the artistic and literary paranormal, was the adhesion of Tiziano Sclavi, who contributed five million lire. Sclavi is in fact a supporter of CICAP and declared that the occult and paranormal are great in fiction but that reality is a whole other thing.
The national headquarters is located in Padua. Most regions have local groups or chapters with their own CICAP branches. Currently, there are local groups in Abruzzo-Molise, Aosta Valley, Apulia, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto. Furthermore, there is a local group in Canton Ticino, Switzerland.

Associative bodies

According to the internal statute, the main associative bodies are the assembly, the executive council, the president and the vice-president.
The executive council, whose offices are carried out on a voluntary basis, manages the association. The executive council appoints from among its members a president and a vice president and, optionally, one or more national coordinators., the members of the executive council are Sergio Della Sala, Lorenzo Montali, Andrea Ferrero, Marta Annunziata, Francesca Guizzo.
The coordinators of the local groups are elected by the active members of the respective regions or provinces, while the effective members are chosen by the board of directors, upon written request by the applicant.
The ordinary assembly, composed of effective members and coordinators of the local groups, approves the budget of the association, appoints and revokes the members of the executive council and other corporate bodies, and deliberates on the general guidelines of the association.
The extraordinary assembly, composed of full members only, deliberates on decisions of particular importance such as changes to the statute and the transformation or dissolution of the association.

Local groups

CICAP activities are organized within local groups and present on most of the territory., local groups are present in the following regions: Abruzzo-Molise, Apulia, Aosta Valley, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont, Sicily, Tuscany, Veneto. There is also a local group in Ticino, Switzerland.
Each local group is managed by a coordinator, elected by the active members of his area, and approved by the Executive Council. The coordinators of all local groups, together with the effective members, take part to the Ordinary Assembly and to the election of the Executive Council.

Thematic groups

Thematic groups were officially born in 2015, although some of them were already active previously. They are composed of volunteers from all of Italy who collaborate to realize activities on specific topics.
The following thematic groups are active:

Conventions

Since its foundation CICAP organizes, generally every two years, a national convention where internal and external speakers of the Committee meet to discuss a topic related to the paranormal or pseudosciences. The conventions are open to members and the public but require a participation fee to finance the group's activities.

National Conventions

The XIV national conference in Cesena was also the trial edition of a new annual event, CICAP Fest, in which CICAP offers meetings, workshops and shows in line with the principles of the association. The conference is held altogether in Italian, but usually accommodates English speaking speakers with simultaneous interpretation, to enable international participation in panels and talks. The general direction of the event is by Massimo Polidoro.
In 2018 the conference focused on magic. Speakers included James Randi, Susan Gerbic, Carlo Faggi, Max Vellucci, Gianfranco Preverino, Pino Rolle, Francesco Busani, Marco Aimone and Alex Rusconi as well as popular TV personalities.

Other events

Since 2009, CICAP has been organizing every year on Friday 17th an "Anti-Superstition Day", with the aim of making the general public reflect, on the absurdity of superstition. Usually, in various cities of Italy, CICAP local groups organize various types of events: meetings, conferences, debates and "practical" demonstrations.
CICAP takes part regularly, with information points and with the organization of scientific dissemination meetings, in events such as the Turin International Book Fair and Lucca Comics & Games.

Investigations

The organization has investigated a number of paranormal phenomena including:
In September 2005, National Geographic Channel's program Is It Real? asked for a demonstration of "Knockout" Chi, during which instructor Leon Jay was unable to knock-out Luigi Garlaschelli, an investigator from CICAP.

Publications

CICAP continues its dissemination activities through conferences and public lectures, radio and television appearances, through the publication of Query a quarterly magazine, books and articles regarding these topics, through the conservation of a library and an archive of articles. Additional material, both on CICAP own research as well as foreigner skeptical and scientific papers translated into Italia, is published on , the online version of the printed magazine.
In 2020 CICAP launched on its Youtube channel "CICAP Live", a section of live video interviews with protagonists of science and culture with the aim of scrutinizing specific topics related to science and rationality.
The main publications are: