Shall we play a mind game? Albert Einstein called these “thought experiments,” and in his case, they helped him imagine revolutionary new concepts in physics. In our case, let’s rewind the clock to around 1976—fifty years ago when CSICOP was formed—and imagine a world without the advent of the modern skeptical movement.

No one to challenge the claims of Uri Geller.

No one to investigate the truth behind the UFO phenomenon.

No one to oppose young-earth creationists worming their way into classrooms.

No one to speak out against quackery in all its forms.

No trusted voices for the media to turn to when covering hauntings or poltergeist claims.

No one to counter the endless conspiracy theories, from the moon landings to John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

The list goes on and on.

What would the world, what would our society, look like in 2026 under those conditions?

It’s reasonable to assume that some pseudoscientific claims might have faded over time, but without doubt, many would have been emboldened. In this alternative 2026, most, if not all, public schools might be teaching biblical creationism as part of the core curriculum. Mystic healing clinics could be more widespread than they already are. Government agencies might be spending vast sums of taxpayer money on psychic research programs in a misguided effort to keep ahead of “the other side.”

Every huckster, charlatan, con artist, and grifter promoting free energy machines and similar nonsense would have a near-free license to exploit their victims.

And that’s just the beginning. This thought experiment can imagine much more.

When we look at our real 2026, we see that science and reason haven’t conquered all, far from it. But I like to think what we have is far more preferable than that alternate 2026: the one in which James Randi, Carl Sagan, Paul Kurtz, and others like them sat back and did nothing.