Camp Inquiry '10
Let's Face Reality.
Kids today navigate through a reality that previous generations could never have imagined. Popular culture, whether in the form of entertainment, chatrooms, or pseudoscience, is a turbulent and unpredictable sea. Too often, what seem to be beacons of light are nothing more than illusions: quick-fixes and easy answers just don’t hold up. What does?
Photos captured at Camp Inquiry 2008 in Holland, New York. Camp Inquiry is sponsored by the Center for Inquiry. Learn more at www.campinquiry.org.
How do we begin to address these questions that seem so unprecedented? Consider first that they are at root as old as time: who am I? Where do I fit in? How can I be a good friend, a good member of my community? How can I live with respect for the natural world?
In short, kids today are asking how to live a good life.
Too much for kids? We don’t think so. In fact, we think kids are uniquely situated to enjoy a new “Age of Discovery.” Where others may see turbulent seas and dangerous impasses, we see opportunities—to create, to forge new paths, to open new communications, to tell new stories. And the best part is, the tools have been around for ages: science, reason, and skepticism remain the best means by which to navigate these unpredictable waters.
Hear and read about the upcoming Camp Inquiry 2010 and Camp Inquiry 2008 from National Public Radio.
Listen to D.J. Grothe's interview with Camp Director Angie McQuaig on Point of Inquiry.
Camp Inquiry 2010's special guests
Jennifer Michael Hecht writes across the fields of philosophy, history, and poetry. Her books include Doubt: A History; The End of the Soul: Scientific Modernity, Atheism and Anthropology; The Next Ancient World; Funny; and The Happiness Myth. A current resident of Brooklyn, Hecht earned her Ph.D. in the History of Science and European Cultural History from Columbia University in 1995 and now teaches at The New School University. Visit Jennifer’s website at http://www.jennifermichaelhecht.com/.
Dale McGowan edited and co-authored Parenting Beyond Belief and Raising Freethinkers, the first comprehensive resources for nonreligious parents. He writes the secular parenting blog The Meming of Life, teaches nonreligious parenting seminars across the United States, and serves as executive director of Foundation Beyond Belief, a humanist charitable and educational foundation. Visit Dale’s website at http://www.parentingbeyondbelief.com/.
Ben Radford has written hundreds of articles on urban legends, the paranormal, critical thinking, film, and media literacy. His books include Hoaxes, Myths, and Manias: Why We Need Critical Thinking; Media Mythmakers: How Journalists, Activists, and Advertisers Mislead Us; and Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World's Most Elusive Creatures. Radford is a columnist for Skeptical Inquirer as well as the Bad Science columnist for LiveScience.com. Visit Ben’s website at http://www.radfordbooks.com/.
James Randi has an international reputation as a magician and escape artist, but today he is best known as the world's most tireless investigator and demystifier of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including a Fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 1986. In 1996, the James Randi Education Foundation was established to further Randi's work. Visit the James Randi Education Foundation website at http://www.randi.org/.
