Jan Willem Nienhuys | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 16 April 1942 |
| Alma mater | Utrecht University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematician |
| Institutions | Eindhoven University of Technology |
Jan Willem Nienhuys (born 16 April 1942) is a Dutch mathematician, book translator and skeptic. He taught mathematics at the Eindhoven University of Technology. He is also a board member and secretary of Stichting Skepsis and an editor of its magazine Skepter . [1]
Nienhuys studied mathematics in the Netherlands, and in 1966/67 at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he met his future wife. On 14 September 1970, he earned his doctorate in mathematics at Utrecht University under guidance of his promotor Hans Freudenthal. [2] His dissertation was published the same year in the journal Indagationes Mathematicae (Proceedings). [3] He then taught mathematics for two years at the National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan. Since 1973, Nienhuys taught mathematics at the Eindhoven University of Technology. He also assisted several writers in completing their books, and translated books to Dutch.
Nienhuys married and had two sons with Cheng Shan-Hwei. Born in Sichuan during the Second Sino-Japanese War, she was raised in Taiwan where she also studied mathematics, finishing her studies in the United States. She went on to teach informatics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and become the director of the Chinese School Eindhoven. The couple published an article together in 1979, Onwaar versus onzinnig in the Dutch journal Euclides, and co-authored a book about China, China: Geschiedenis, Cultuur, Wetenschap, Kunst En Politiek (2007). [4]
Nienhuys is a prolific skeptic. Amongst other things he has written several articles on pseudoscience, mainly about quackery such as homeopathy and the anti-vaccination movement. Since the late 1980s he has served as a board member, and since 2003 secretary of, Stichting Skepsis. Nienhuys also writes articles as an editorial staff member of the magazine Skepter . From July 2008 until 6 November 2010, he was editor-in-chief of the Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij website. [5]
In 1983, Nienhuys criticised the confluence model of Robert B. Zajonc and Gregory B. Markus. This mathematical model would serve as proof that a connection existed between the order of birth and intelligence to the advantage of the firstborn, as Lillian Belmont and Francis A. Marolla concluded in 1973 from a registration of the Dutch armed forces. This record consisted of the data of nearly 400,000 19-year-old men born in the period 1944–1947, originally collected to investigate the effects of the Hunger Winter (1944–1945) on mental and physical development. [6] [7] [8] According to Nienhuys, Zajonc and Markus's model contained errors in the logic, calculations and methodology used. [9]
Since 2010, Nienhuys has been a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. [10] He often lectures at skeptical conferences such as Skepsis congresses and SKEPP conventions. [11] [12] On 4 October 2014, Nienhuys received the Gebroeders Bruinsma Erepenning, an award of the Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij. [13] The society praised Nienhuys for his "enormous engagement, an amazing ability to quickly master certain issues, an enormous productivity and an unparalleled accuracy." [14]
Nienhuys has translated many popular science books to Dutch, including:
Philips Sport Vereniging, abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven, is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, which has played in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football, since its inception in 1956. Along with Ajax and Feyenoord, PSV is one of the country's "big three" clubs that have dominated the Eredivisie.
FC Eindhoven is a Dutch football club based in Eindhoven, North Brabant. They currently play in the Eerste Divisie, and are one of two professional clubs which are based in the city of Eindhoven, the other one being PSV Eindhoven.
Nicolaas Govert (Dick) de Bruijn was a Dutch mathematician, noted for his many contributions in the fields of analysis, number theory, combinatorics and logic.
Stichting Skepsis is a Dutch organisation dedicated to the promotion and practice of scientific skepticism. It is a member of the European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ECSO).
The Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij or VtdK is a Dutch organisation that investigates the claims of alternative medicine and opposes quackery.
Hans Vandekerckhove is a Belgian painter, living and working in Ghent. From 1975 to 1997 Vandekerckhove studied Art History at University Ghent, where he wrote his graduation thesis on David Hockney.
Alfred Vogel was a Swiss herbalist, naturopath and writer.
SKEPP is an independent Belgian organization which promotes scientific skepticism. The organization’s name is a backronym for Studiekring voor de Kritische Evaluatie van Pseudowetenschap en het Paranormale.
The European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ECSO) is an umbrella of skeptical organisations in Europe.
Skepter is a popular science magazine of the Dutch skeptical foundation Stichting Skepsis. It describes paranormal or controversial theories and methods from a skeptical perspective.
Tim Trachet is a Belgian writer, publicist, journalist and skeptic. He studied mathematics, astronomy and philosophy at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and is a reporter at the VRT, where he produces history television documentaries.
European Skeptics Congresses (ESCs) – a series of congresses now supported by the European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ECSO), in which skeptical organisations from many different European countries participate. They have been held ever since 1989. The conferences are often held in the month of September, and may last from two up to four days. The ECSO was formed at the 6th ESC on 25 September 1994 in Ostend, Belgium. Since its foundation, the ECSO co-ordinates in the organisation of new ESCs that take place every other year, and is hosted by a different member organisation each time. Skeptical organisations that are non-ECSO members may also send their delegations. Past ESCs are enumerated below.
Catharina Jantina (Catherine) de Jong is a Dutch anesthesiologist, drug rehab physician, intensivist, since 2009 board member of the Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij (VtdK), between 2011–2015 as chair, and board member of the European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ECSO).
Roelof Hendrik "Rob" Nanninga was a Dutch skeptic, writer, board member of Stichting Skepsis and editor of its magazine Skepter. He became known for his critical writings about sects, alternative healers and therapists, paranormal claims and pseudoscientific trainings and courses.
Vrijdenkersvereniging De Vrije Gedachte (DVG) (English: Freethinkers association The Free Thought), is a Dutch atheist–humanist association of freethinkers. It was founded in 1856 and known by the name De Dageraad ("The Dawn") before assuming its present name in 1957. De Vrije Gedachte strives to use reason, natural science and logic to liberate humanity from prejudices, clerical paternalism, dogmas and false truths.
Paul Bernard Cliteur is a Dutch professor of jurisprudence at Leiden University, as well as a politician, philosopher, writer, publicist and columnist. He is known for his conservative perspective, his atheism, his republicanism, and his dislike of Islam. He is a member of De Vrije Gedachte. Since 2015, Cliteur is a member of the Dutch political party Forum voor Democratie, where he is chairman of the advisory board and the party's official think tank. In 2019 he was elected to be parliamentary group leader for Forum voor Democratie in the Dutch Senate.
Pepijn van Erp is a Dutch mathematician and skeptical activist.
Cornelis Nicolaas Maria "Cees" Renckens is a Dutch Doctor of Medicine, gynaecologist, and a well-known skeptical activist against quackery. From 1988 to 2011, he was president of the Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij, which has been actively opposed to all non-science-based medicine since its foundation in 1881. Renckens has written several books about alternative medicine, pseudoscience and quackery.
