One Week until CSICon 2026; Free Inquiry Ponders America at 250; ScienceSaves Announces Winners; Caribbean Exploration with Richard Dawkins; and more

[Center for Inquiry]

Cause & Effect is the biweekly newsletter of the Center for Inquiry.

"CSICon 2026 Kicks Off Next Week!"   Cause & Effect No. 294: June 3, 2026 Cause & Effect is the biweekly newsletter of the Center for Inquiry community, covering a wide range of work that you help make possible. Become a member today!  TOP STORIES The Final Countdown to CSICon 2026   We’re just a week away from the official start of CSICon 2026 (June 11–14) in Buffalo, New York! We’re looking forward to celebrating fifty years of advocating for science, skepticism, and critical thinking—and you still have time to join us! Hear from Emmy-winning science communicator Bill Nye, best-selling author Mary Roach, and Science under Siege coauthors Michael E. Mann and Peter Hotez as they receive illustrious awards from the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI). Enjoy presentations from an array of famed scientists and skeptics, including illusionist Banachek, the hosts of The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe podcast (Steven Novella, Jay Novella, Cara Santa Maria, Bob Novella, and Evan Bernstein), Brian Brushwood of the World’s Greatest Con podcast, Andrea Love, Rina Raphael, Richard Saunders, Richard Wiseman, and many more. Meet and mingle with notable figures from CSI’s five decades of history, including CSI Executive Director Stephen Hupp, CFI President and CEO Robyn Blumner, CFI Investigations Group founder Jim Underdown, CSI Chief Investigator Kenny Biddle, James Alcock, Barry Karr, Benjamin Radford, and more! Learn More Free Inquiry Looks to America’s Founding Principles as Guideposts for the Future   With the 250th anniversary of America’s independence just around the corner, the June/July 2026 issue of Free Inquiry takes a timely look at “The U.S.: Where It's Been, Where It Is, Where It Should Go.”  Free Inquiry Editor Ronald Lindsay highlights the role the Enlightenment played in America’s true, secular foundation, while Steven Pinker and Marian L. Tupy reject the increasingly popular call among some on the Right for America to adopt a form of “Medieval Christendom” and “end the democratic experiment.” Nigerian Humanist Leo Igwe asks, “Can Humanism Help End Witch Hunts in Africa?” while Steve Grumette opines on “Secular Approaches to Moral Education: Building Character without Commandments.” Richard Dawkins elaborates on his 2024 description of himself as a “cultural Christian,” writing, “I, an atheist, may be a cultural Christian. The pity is that so many who call themselves believers haven’t the faintest understanding of the religion they profess.” Read the New Issue ScienceSaves Unveils 2026 Video Scholarship Contest Winners   Congratulations to the winners of this year’s ScienceSaves Video Scholarship competition, who were officially announced last week. First-place winner Elyssa Vazquez of Cape Coral, Florida, received a $10,000 cash scholarship for her winning video and was profiled by her local PBS station.  CFI Education Director Bertha Vazquez praised all of this year’s videos, saying, “To be able to pack so much inspiration and information into thirty seconds isn’t easy, but all of this year’s entries did an outstanding job.” You can watch all nine of this year’s winning videos now on the ScienceSaves website. Learn More Journey the Southern Caribbean with Richard Dawkins   CFI is pleased to present a new opportunity to travel with Richard Dawkins from Curaçao to Panama February 8–17, 2027. The trip will take place aboard the superb, 136-guest vessel Sea Cloud Spirit and explore some of the most captivating destinations in the Caribbean and Central America: the Netherlands Antilles, Colombia, and Panama. In addition to the captivating journey, travelers will have the chance to meet and mingle with Richard Dawkins, who will present special lectures and reflections on his expansive career as the trip’s Distinguished Guest Lecturer. A portion of each booking will be converted into a tax-deductible donation to the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. Learn More NEW VIDEO: Sam Harris Receives the 2026 Richard Dawkins Award In April, Richard Dawkins presented the 2026 Richard Dawkins Award to famed neuroscientist, philosopher, author, and Making Sense host Sam Harris. The award presentation was followed by a scintillating one-on-one conversation touching on the future of the humanities in the era of AI, Donald Trump as a “stress test” for democracy, and more. The full-length video of the event is now available to watch on the CFI YouTube Channel.  Watch Now Louisiana Passes Theocratic Bills Opposed by CFI’s Office of Public Policy Following up on an item from our last newsletter: CFI Director of Government Affairs and Policy Azhar Majeed reports that despite opposition from CFI and its supporters, the Louisiana House passed both SB 112 (a “release time” bill) and SB 307 (authorizing the display of the Ten Commandments on the state Capitol grounds). Both bills have been sent to the governor's office, and Majeed expects them to be signed into law. CFI’s Office of Public Policy remains undeterred and continues to oppose similar theocratic proposals in states across the United States. Sign Up for Action Alerts Skeptical Inquirer Examines ‘The Failure of Facilitated Communication’ with Janyce Boynton In a new video interview, Skeptical Inquirer contributor Rob Palmer interviews Janyce Boynton, “a former facilitator in the pseudoscientific practice of facilitated communication (FC)” who has now “devoted herself to educating the public about the proven harm inherent in FC and all its contemporary reimaginings.” Watch Now VOX gives a shout-out to CFI’s Generation Skeptics and quotes Education Director Bertha Vazquez in a new feature on how Gen Z influencers are becoming the new face of the MAHA movement. READ NOW CSI Fellow Timothy Caulfield was quoted in a New York Times feature that asks, “Should You Trust Your Health to a Chiropractor?” READ NOW The fiftieth anniversary of Richard Dawkins’s groundbreaking book, The Selfish Gene, is the focus of a New Scientist feature by Rowan Hooper, who argues “There is a strong case that The Selfish Gene has had the biggest influence on our understanding of evolution of any book since Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species.” READ NOW CFI Ambassador Susan Gerbic recaps the Monterey SkeptiCamp 2026 and reminds readers why such community-building events are crucial to strengthening the support for science advocacy and the skeptical community at large. READ NOW Want to connect with fellow skeptics, freethinkers, and nonbelievers? Check out our Find a Group Map to find CFI-affiliated groups in your area!   CFI Transnational June 11–14: CSICon 2026 in Buffalo, New York   CFI West (Los Angeles)  June 17: Skeptics Book Club: Micromégas by François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire). Virtual attendees, join us on Google Meet. Use this link: https://meet.google.com/sqd-ujpn-nhf.   CFI Indiana June 21: Humanist Study of Religion June 27: What'll We Do with All the Churches? An evening with Steve Perron August 30: CFI Indiana Annual Picnic   CFI New York City June 5: Drinking Inquisitively June 14: Food for Thought (F4T) June 17: The Radical Duke behind the American Revolution (FREE! at NYPL)   CFI Portland June 6: Happy Hour Gresham Migration Brewing June 14: CFI - Vancouver Secular Conversation Group   CFI Western New York June 9: Online Café Inquiry Discussion Group June 14: Online Secular Sunday June 16: Café Inquiry Discussion Group - Hamburg June 20: CFI WNY Summer Solstice Picnic June 23: Café Inquiry Discussion Group - Tonawanda Thank you! Everything we do at CFI is made possible by you and your support. Let’s keep working together for science, reason, and secular values! DONATE TODAY   Center for Inquiry PO Box 741 Amherst, NY 14226 United States If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe.