Föreningen Vetenskap och Folkbildning


Vetenskap och Folkbildning or The Swedish Skeptics' Association, abbreviated as VoF, is a Swedish skeptics' association. It was founded in 1982 with the purpose to raise the general public's awareness of scientific methods and results. The association publishes the quarterly journal Folkvett and organises lectures on themes related to science and pseudoscience. Since 1987 the association has annually awarded prizes for ":sv:Årets folkbildare|Enlightener of the Year" and ":sv:Årets förvillare|Misleader of the Year".

Activities

In 2010 the association had a membership above 2600. The current chairman is Pontus Böckman, while Lina Hedman acts as vice-president. Other prominent members are professor of philosophy Sven Ove Hansson, professor of molecular cell biology Dan Larhammar and ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang.
VoF is part of an international network of skeptics' associations, the largest of which is the American Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Founded six years prior to VoF, CSI served as a model for the Swedish organisation.

Criticism

People whose activities has been labeled “pseudoscience” and “deceptions” by VoF and skeptics in general, have been critical of the organisation.
In academia the association enjoys quite high esteem. Several Swedish universities offer courses utilising publications by its members. Many members are scientists and teachers.
Some criticism has however also been voiced by academics. Philosopher Martin Gustafsson at the University of Stockholm argues that VoF exaggerates the threats against rationality and science, and that its representatives erroneously depict themselves as underdogs in a war on widespread superstition. He has also maintained that the Enlightenment's ideal of free thought clashes with the respect for scientific authority that VoF espouses. Per-Anders Forstorp at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, suggests that VoF represents positivism and institutionalised intolerance.
Sven Ove Hansson has commented on this kind of criticism:
”The way I see it, VoF and the general skeptical movement is not characterised by any particular view of science. … Just like members of Amnesty International can have different ideas about the limits of free speech, there is room in VoF for divergent opinions in questions about science and the philosophy of science. ”