# The Missing Catalyst

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/skeptical-inquirer-audio-edition-7055829/the-missing-catalyst
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/skeptical-inquirer-audio-edition-7055829/the-missing-catalyst.md
Podcast: [Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition](https://stenobird.com/podcast/skeptical-inquirer-audio-edition-7055829)
Published: 2026-07-08T16:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://3e64cc12-0a9b-49a7-be84-de7d280b7a8c.libsyn.com/the-missing-catalyst
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/3e64cc12-0a9b-49a7-be84-de7d280b7a8c/Massimo_Polidoro_-_The_Missing_Catalyst_-_Read_by_AI_Oscar_en_v1.mp3?dest-id=4375028
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/skeptical-inquirer-audio-edition-7055829/episodes/the-missing-catalyst
Duration seconds: 553

## Resource

In the third of a multipart series, Massimo Polidoro recounts the behind-the-scenes struggle to create what would eventually become the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal , showing how years of false starts, disagreements, and organizational uncertainty nearly derailed the modern skeptical movement. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/06/the-missing-catalyst/ About the Author: Massimo Polidoro is an investigator of the paranormal, author, lecturer, and co-founder and head of CICAP, the Italian skeptics group. His website is at www.massimopolidoro.com . Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/skeptical-inquirer-audio-edition-7055829/episodes/the-missing-catalyst/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/skeptical-inquirer-audio-edition-7055829/the-missing-catalyst.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.