Welcome to Glasgow Skeptics in the Pub.
Skeptics in the Pub was founded by Dr Scott Campbell in 1999, for all those interested in the bizarre and the rational approach to extraordinary claims.
A speaker is invited each month to present a topic of interest, which is followed by a discussion in a relaxed and friendly pub atmosphere.
Please, join the Facebook group here and the Meetup group here. These will make organising events significantly easier, and allow for discussions and debates, whilst building a sense of community.
We hope to see you there.
When?
Tuesday, February 9 at 6:00PM
Where?
Who?
Simon Singh
What's the talk about?
Summary
Prince Charles is a staunch defender and millions of people swear by it; most UK doctors consider it to be little more than superstition and a waste of money. But how do you know which treatments really heal and which are potentially harmful? Simon Singh and his co-author Professor Edzard Ernst investigated the evidence for and against alternative therapies and published their conclusions in “Trick or Treatment?”, an honest, impartial and hard-hitting examination and judgement of more than 30 of the most popular treatments. Singh, who has also authored “Fermat’s Last Theorem” and “Big Bang”, will discuss how and why he got involved in writing about alternative medicine. In particular, he will discuss the origins, philosophy and testing of acupuncture and homeopathy, two of the most popular forms of alternative medicine. Singh, who is currently being sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association, will also comment on his ongoing legal battle, the impact of libel laws on scientific journalism and campaign for libel reform (www.libelreform.org/sign) .
Biography
After completing a PhD in particle physics, Simon Singh MBE joined the BBC and worked as a director and producer on programmes such as Tomorrow’s World and Horizon. He has also presented programmes on Radio 4, BBC4 and Channel 4. He is best known as the author of Fermat’s Last Theorem, The Code Book, Big Bang and Trick or Treatment?. His website is www.simonsingh.net
IMPORTANT: Due to the earlier start, which we realize may be inconvenient for some, latecomers will be welcome.
When?
Tuesday, March 9 at 7:00PM
Where?
Who?
John C Brown
What's the talk about?
Summary
John will be ad-libbing the talk he gives to us, on topics such as:
- Science as a belief system and its limitations
- The roles of ego and funding among scientists
- Scientific (quantum, observational and statistical) limitations on our understanding of the cosmos
- What do we mean by "understanding"
- How testable (ie scientific) are ideas like cosmic inflation versus
pseudoscientific creationism?
- What drives atheist fanatics? Why are they driven to 'save' us from belief ?
- Some unsolved puzzles in astronomy
When?
Tuesday, May 11 at 7:00PM
Where?
Who?
Chris French
What's the talk about?
Chris French is a psychologist and vocal skeptic specialising in the psychology of paranormal beliefs and experiences, cognition and emotion.
He is currently Professor of psychology at Goldsmiths College, University of London, is head of their Anomalistic psychology Research Unit which he founded in the year 2000, and is the co-editor of The Skeptic (UK) magazine with Lindsay Kallis.
His main current area of research is the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences. In addition to academic activities, such as conference presentations and invited talks in other departments, he frequently appears on radio and television casting a sceptical eye over paranormal claims.
Chris is a regular science news contributor in the Guardian exploring skepticism and anomalistic psychology.