Föreningen Vetenskap och Folkbildning
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| Abbreviation | VoF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1982 |
| Type | Nonprofit organisation |
| Purpose | Raise public awareness of scientific methods and results; combat inaccurate views on issues that can be resolved scientifically |
| Headquarters | |
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Region served
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Sweden |
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Membership
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2700 |
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Chairwoman
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Linda Strand Lundberg |
| Website | vof.se |
Vetenskap och Folkbildning (Swedish: Science and Popular Enlightenment) 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 "" and "".
In 2010 the association had a membership above 2600. The current chairman is Linda Strand Lundberg. Other prominent members are professor of philosophy Sven Ove Hansson (chairman 1982-88), professor of molecular cell biology Dan Larhammar (chairman 1998-2004) 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 (CSI). Founded six years prior to VoF, CSI served as a model for the Swedish organisation.
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 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 , suggests that VoF represents positivism and institutionalised intolerance.
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