Flattening the Curve of the Infodemic
Now more than ever, people need to hear from the voices of reason, science, and skepticism, but too often they are drowned out by the noise of misinformation, pseudoscience, and conspiracy theories, especially online.
That’s why Skeptical Inquirer, the magazine of science and reason, is going to turn up the volume.
Introducing Skeptical Inquirer Presents, live online presentations from leading experts in science, skepticism, medicine, media, activism, and advocacy, all devoted to the cause of advancing science over pseudoscience, media literacy over conspiracy theories, and critical thinking over magical thinking.
Every two weeks, Skeptical Inquirer Presents will bring you a new live event, emceed by the brilliant and hilarious comedian Leighann Lord, co-host of the Point of Inquiry podcast.
And it’s all happening from the comfort of your laptop (or any other screen), wherever you are in the world, because even though so much has been closed down, big ideas can’t be contained in conference halls.
It’s time to flatten the curve of the infodemic. Free registration is required for these online lectures. See below for details and registration, and check back for additional events.
If you have an interesting topic to present pertaining to science or skepticism for Skeptical Inquirer Presents, let us know: bkarr@centerforinquiry.org.
Schedule
Our next Skeptical Inquirer Presents talk will take place on December 9th at 7pm ET. Stay tuned as we announce our speakers and other future events. Get notified about this talk and all of our upcoming talks by joining our newsletter.
Past Events
David Copperfield’s History of Magic
Featuring: David Copperfield and Richard Wiseman
Thursday, November 11th – 1:00 PM ET
In this personal journey through a unique and remarkable performing art, David Copperfield profiles twenty-eight of the world’s most groundbreaking magicians. From the 16th-century magistrate who wrote the first book on conjuring to the roaring twenties and the man who fooled Houdini, to the woman who levitated, vanished, and caught bullets in her teeth, David Copperfield’s History of Magic takes you on a wild journey through the remarkable feats of the greatest magicians in history.
David Copperfield has been hailed by audiences and critics alike as the greatest magician in the world. David has been featured on the cover of Vanity Fair, Esquire, Forbes, and Architectural Digest. The word “Copperfield” has become a part of popular culture, in a manner quite apart from anything envisioned by Dickens. In today’s literature and media, to “do a David Copperfield” or to “be the David Copperfield of” something has come to mean doing something magical or achieving the impossible. David’s proudest achievement, however, is Project Magic, a program that uses magic as therapy in a thousand hospitals in 30 countries worldwide. This medically-certified program motivates patients to regain their dexterity, coordination and cognitive skills by learning simple magic and sleight of hand.
Professor Richard Wiseman has been described by a Scientific American columnist as ‘…one of the most interesting and innovative experimental psychologists in the world today.’ His books (including The Luck Factor, 59 Seconds and Paranormality) have sold over 3 million copies and he regularly appears on the media. Richard also presents keynote talks to organisations across the world, including The Swiss Economic Forum, Google and Amazon. He holds Britain’s only Professorship in the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, is one of the most followed psychologists on Twitter, and the Independent On Sunday chose him as one of the top 100 people who make Britain a better place to live. Richard is a Member of the Inner Magic Circle, a Director of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and has created psychology-based YouTube videos that have attracted over 500 million views. He has published over 100 academic papers and articles, and also acts as a creative consultant, including work with Derren Brown, The Twilight Zone and the hit television show, Brain Games.
Can Science be Saved?
Featuring: Naomi Oreskes
Thursday, October 28th – 7:00 PM ET
Many people believe that science is in crisis. In fact, the weight of evidence suggests that the scientific enterprise in America is alive and well and thriving. However, in recent years, public debates about the validity of scientific findings and the value of science have intensified, as some Americans have actively resisted and even denied the legitimacy of scientific guidance about how to address disease. What are the social and psychological drivers of public skepticism about science? How can scientific skeptics be convinced otherwise? How do we evaluate the role of facts, of political affinity, and of personal identity in the rejection of scientific advice? Most people who reject science won’t be persuaded with more technical facts. They deny scientific findings because they do not like the implications of their veracity—what Oreskes terms “implicatory denial.” However, addressing those perceived implications—and answering the concerns or fear involved—can help us to make progress. This holds true in a range of domains, from Covid-19 denial to climate change.
Naomi Oreskes is professor of the history of science and affiliated professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Harvard University. Her books include The Collapse of Western Civilization: A View from the Future and Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming. Twitter @NaomiOreskes
How to Talk to a Science Denier
Featuring: Lee McIntyre
Thursday, October 14th – 7:00 PM ET
A generation ago, the flat-earther at the end of the bar or the anti-evolutionist in front of a congregation could be ignored. But today’s science deniers—climate change skeptics and Covid anti-vaxxers—threaten all of us: solutions to both global catastrophes require the public’s collective buy-in. Drawing on the latest academic research and his own experience speaking with those doubtful of established facts—including at a recent Flat Earth convention in Denver—McIntyre outlines the common themes and psychological roots of science denialism, illustrating a throughline from the disinformation campaigns created by tobacco companies in the 1950s to today’s climate deniers, anti-vaxxers and Covid-deniers. Importantly, he also offers tools, techniques, and reasoning strategies that are effective in mitigating the effects of scientific disinformation. When science denial becomes a public health threat, all of us—laypeople and experts alike—have a responsibility to help combat it.
Lee McIntyre is a Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University. He is the author of Dark Ages: The Case for a Science of Human Behavior, Post-Truth, and The Scientific Attitude: Defending Science from Denial, Fraud, and Pseudoscience, all published by MIT Press.
Forces of Nature, The Women Who Changed Science
Featuring: Anna Reser & Leila McNeill
Thursday, September 30th – 7:00 PM ET
Meet Anna Reser and Leila McNeill, the authors of Forces of Nature and co-editor-in-chiefs of Lady Science Magazine.
From the ancient world to the present women have been critical to the progress of science, yet their importance is overlooked, their stories lost, distorted, or actively suppressed. Forces of Nature sets the record straight and charts the fascinating history of women’s discoveries in science.
In the ancient and medieval world, women served as royal physicians and nurses, taught mathematics, studied the stars, and practiced midwifery. As natural philosophers, physicists, anatomists, and botanists, they were central to the great intellectual flourishing of the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment. More recently women have been crucially involved in the Manhattan Project, pioneering space missions and much more. Despite their record of illustrious achievements, even today very few women win Nobel Prizes in science.
Anna Reser is an American historian of science and technology. She holds a PhD in the history of science, technology, and medicine from the University of Oklahoma. She is the co-founder co-editor in chief of Lady Science magazine, and her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Real Life, StarTrek.com, Technology’s Stories and more.
Leila McNeill is an American writer, editor, and historian of science. She is an Affiliate Fellow in the History of Science at the University of Oklahoma and the co-founder and co-editor-in-chief of Lady Science magazine. She has been a columnist for Smithsonian.com and BBC Future, and she has been published by The Atlantic, The Baffler, JSTOR Daily, amongst others.
Science and Pseudoscience in Sport and Exercise
Featuring: Nick Tiller
Thursday, September 16th – 7:00 PM ET
If you’ve ever tried a diet or a supplement, been to the gym or a spinning class, had physiotherapy or acupuncture, then you’re a consumer in the worldwide health and wellness industry worth an estimated $4 trillion.
Exercise and physical activity improve health and prolong life, but lax regulations on the products and practices we’re sold have led to an industry founded on strong claims and weak evidence. Science has become subordinate to marketing campaigns that exploit our scientific ignorance and ingrained biases and, as a result, the health and wellness industry is a breeding ground for pseudoscience. This may have profound implications for science-based medicine and population health.
In this talk, Dr. Nick Tiller lifts the lid on the commercial health and wellness industry and reframes it through the lens of scientific skepticism. From cupping to k-tape, Tiller confronts commercial health claims and points the spotlight on athletes who are pioneering mainstream trends in alternative medicine while the general population becomes increasingly obese. Tiller also discusses the erroneous processes by which we make our health and fitness decisions and what we can do about them.
Nick Tiller is a researcher in Applied Physiology at Harbor-UCLA and author of ‘The Skeptic’s Guide to Sports Science: confronting myths of the health and fitness industry’ which was reviewed in the May/June 2021 issue of Skeptical Inquirer. In his two decades as a physiologist, Tiller has supported Olympic performance programs in the UK and taught kinesiology and critical thinking as an Associate Professor. He is a science writer and skeptical activist with work featured in The Washington Post, BBC News, and Inside Science, among others.
There Is No Planet B
Featuring: Carolyn Porco
Thursday, September 2nd – 7:00 PM ET
We have entered the era of New Space … when commercial interests, long eager for access to space, have been given the green light and are finally making headway.
This raises the question: Will the routine use of space by commercial enterprise be what it is currently advertised to be? Will mining asteroids save the Earth? Will moving human civilization to Earth-orbiting space colonies or terraforming and colonizing Mars avoid human extinction from natural disaster? And what of space tourism, or the 60,000+ internet satellites that are currently planned for low Earth orbit? Is any of it even realistic?
What will all this mean for humanity?
Tune in to hear our speaker, a long-time, award-winning veteran of solar system exploration describe her take on recent developments in space exploration and what it means for human existence, now and in the future.
Carolyn Porco is a planetary scientist and explorer, and a popular public spokesperson on science, planetary exploration, and the future of humanity. She was the leader of the imaging science team on the Cassini mission at Saturn from 2004 to 2017, and an imaging scientist on the celebrated Voyager mission to the outer solar system in the 1980s. Asteroid Porco 7231 is named in her honor.
She has co-authored over 130 scientific papers in planetary science and her popular science writings and Op-Eds have been published in such distinguished publications as the London Sunday Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Houston Chronicle, Guardian, New Statesman, Arizona Daily Star, Scientific American, American Scientist, and the PBS and BBC websites. Over the years she’s earned the titles of “Fifteen People the Next President of the United States Should Listen To” (Wired), “50 People Who Matter Today” (New Statesman), and “25 Most Influential People in Space” (TIME).
The Captivating Power of Reality
Featuring: Guy P. Harrison
Thursday, August 19th – 7:00 PM ET
Author Guy P. Harrison will present a lively talk entitled “The Captivating Power of Reality”. Guy believes that skepticism/critical thinking skills are so vital to the wellbeing of individuals and societies that we have a moral obligation to call out irrational beliefs and faulty thinking wherever present. But how best to do it? Guy believes a scorched-earth policy of condemnation and name-calling will never work as well as nudging and cajoling believers toward paths of passion and fascination for science and history. Fill as many heads as possible with the wonders of the universe and the thrills of real history and prehistory, he claims, and then maybe there won’t be so much available real estate for nonsense.
Author Guy P. Harrison is a passionate advocate for science and reason. He describes critical thinking as a moral issue and points to the neglect of good thinking skills and basic science education as humankind’s “great unrecognized crisis”. Guy aggressively promotes a constructive, optimistic, and humble brand of skepticism. “We all believe silly things,” he says. “What matters is how silly and how many.”
As a journalist, Guy won the Commonwealth Award for Excellence in Journalism and the World Health Organization’s National Award for Health Reporting. Guy has interviewed many leading scientists and significant historical figures and writes about many diverse topics, including poverty, conservation, religion, racism, gender discrimination, space exploration, and human origins. He has written articles and essays for Skeptical Inquirer, Skeptic, Free Inquiry, and Reader’s Digest.
The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything
Featuring: Mike Rothschild
Thursday, August 5th – 7:00 PM ET
Mike Rothschild explains the background conspiracies and cults that fed the Q phenomenon, from its embrace by right-wing media and Donald Trump, through the rending of families as loved ones became addicted to Q’s increasingly violent rhetoric, to the storming of the Capitol, and on.
And as the phenomenon shows no sign of calming despite Trump’s loss of the presidency—with everyone from Baby Boomers to Millennial moms proving susceptible to its messaging—and politicians starting to openly espouse its ideology, Rothschild makes a compelling case that mocking the seeming madness of QAnon will get us nowhere. Rather, his impassioned reportage makes clear it’s time to figure out what QAnon really is — because QAnon and its relentlessly dark theory of everything isn’t done yet.
Mike Rothschild, author of The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything, is a journalist focused on the intersections between internet culture and politics as seen through the dark glass of conspiracy theories. Since 2018, he has specialized in examining the QAnon conspiracy cult, and is one of the first journalists to reveal its connections to past conspiracy theories and scams. Rothschild’s expertise has led to his becoming a leading commentator on the subject for The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, the BBC, and elsewhere.
Superstition: The Full Story
Featuring: Stuart Vyse
Thursday, July 22nd – 7:00 PM ET
People have believed in things unseen since the beginning of time, and in many cases, they have endured ridicule and much worse. In the middle ages, thousands of women were burned at the stake for allegedly engaging in witchcraft, which was considered a superstition in Christian Europe. Being superstitious is still something of a taboo, yet millions of people believe in astrology, fear the evil eye, and avoid the number 13. Even Barack Obama admits to having an election day superstition. Now that we live in a scientific age that does not include magical forces, why do so many people believe? Stuart Vyse will address these and other questions about the persistent attraction of superstitious thinking.
Stuart Vyse is a behavioral scientist, teacher, and writer. He is a contributing editor for Skeptical Inquirer magazine, for which he writes the “Behavior & Belief” column. The first edition of his book Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition (Oxford) won the William James Book Award of the American Psychological Association and was translated into Japanese, German, and Romanian. An updated edition was published in 2014. His book Superstition: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford) was published in 2020. As an expert on superstition and irrational behavior, Vyse has been quoted in many news outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, CNN International, the PBS NewsHour, and NPR’s Science Friday. He holds a PhD in psychology and BA and MA degrees in English Literature and is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
Why Look for E.T. Light-Years Away If He’s Already In Our Airspace?
Featuring: Seth Shostak
Thursday, July 8th – 7:00 PM ET
Two-thirds of the American populace believes that the Galaxy houses other intelligent beings. And one-third believe that clever creatures are piloting their spacecraft through our atmosphere, occasionally making themselves visible to Navy Pilots. Meanwhile, a tiny group of scientists is trying to find proof of intelligence that could be situated dozens or thousands of light-years away. Why bother with doing the latter if the former is true? We consider how the UFO phenomenon differs in fundamental respects from science’s search for E.T. And what is the big elephant in the room when it comes to UFOs, anyway?
Seth Shostak is Senior Astronomer and Institute Fellow at the SETI Institute. With degrees in physics and astronomy from Princeton University and Caltech, he has a long history of research in radio astronomy and in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI. Seth has written more than 600 popular articles on science and technology, and hosts the weekly science radio show “Big Picture Science.” He has authored four books.
Situation Critical
Featuring: David Robert Grimes
Thursday, June 24th – 7:00 PM ET
It may seem a big claim, but knowing how to think clearly and critically has literally helped save the world. In September 1983, at the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union’s early warning system showed five US missiles heading towards the country. Stanislaw Petrov knew his duty: to inform Moscow that nuclear war had begun so that they could launch an immediate and devastating response. Thankfully for all of us alive today, he instead assessed the situation and reasoned -correctly- that an error was more likely than a limited attack. We may not have to save the planet from nuclear annihilation, of course, but our ability to think critically has never been more important. In a world where fake news, mistrust of experts, prejudice, and ignorance all too often hold sway, we can all too easily be misled over issues such as vaccinations, climate change, or conspiracy theories. We live in an era where access to all the knowledge in the world is at our fingertips, yet that also means misinformation and falsehoods can spread further and faster than ever before. But fortunately, we can learn from our mistakes, and by critical thinking and the scientific method we can discover how to apply these techniques to everything, from deciding what insurance to buy, to averting global disaster.
David is a physicist, cancer researcher, and author. His work encompasses everything from how tumors use oxygen to the impact of disinformation and conspiracy theory on public understanding. He has a strong focus on public understanding of science and medicine, contributing to BBC, RTE, The New York Times, Scientific American, The Guardian, The Irish Times, and PBS. He received the 2014 Maddox prize for communicating science.
A journey through Vaccine education during a global pandemic
Featuring: Krishana Sankar
Thursday, June 10th – 7:00 PM ET
Dr. Sankar is the Science Advisor for ScienceUpFirst, a national anti-misinformation campaign in Canada that aims to combat misinformation around COVID-19. She is also the Science Communication lead for COVID-19 resources Canada, leading a COVID-19 discussion initiative.
Dr. Sankar is passionate about countering misinformation and has been dispelling misconceptions around healthcare issues for several years. Currently, she has been sharing scientifically accurate information on COVID-19 with communities in Canada and Guyana. She has shared her expertise on national news outlets in Canada and Guyana and has been quoted in publications like Reuters, the Huffington Post & Global Citizen.
Dr. Krishana Sankar is an award winning & published researcher. She completed her Hons. BSc. in Cellular and Molecular Biology and Human Physiology at the University of Toronto. She then completed her PhD at the University of Toronto in the Faculty of Medicine. She has expertise in Cellular & Molecular Biology with over 10 years of scientific research experience. Dr. Sankar is a sought after speaker and science communicator having presented at over 50 national and international events.
Exploring the Mind of Neil deGrasse Tyson
Thursday, May 27th – 7:00 PM ET
Leighann Lord goes inside the mind of Neil deGrasse Tyson, exploring his views on the colonization of the Moon and mars, commercial space travel, and life here on earth.
Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, planetary scientist, and science communicator. A former advisor to NASA and author of 15 books, Tyson was most recently the host and narrator of the Emmy award-winning show, Cosmos. Tyson is the head of the world-renowned Hayden Planetarium in New York City and a research associate of the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History.
Please note, this talk will not be recorded – join us live!
Virus: Vaccinations, the CDC, and the Hijacking of America’s Response to the Pandemic
Featuring: Nina Burleigh
Thursday, May 13th – 7:00 PM ET
A few months before the virus slammed the world, global public health experts declared the United States the most prepared for a possible pandemic. Instead, the world watched as the disease killed half a million and counting, and brought the nation to its knees. A stunned nation has been too busy with grieving and damage control to ask why, or to even start to understand that much of what passed for error and chaos in the pandemic response was actually deliberate or entirely predictable. Nina Burleigh, in her book VIRUS, provides some shocking answers.
Nina Burleigh is a reporter and author of six prior books, including most recently The Trump Women: Part of the Deal and the New York Times bestseller The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Italian Trials of Amanda Knox, of which Tim Egan wrote: “Clear-eyed, sweeping, honest and tough… sets a standard that any of the other chroniclers of this tale have yet to meet. This is what long-form journalism is all about.” She most recently covered America under Donald Trump as national politics correspondent at Newsweek. She got her start in journalism covering the Illinois Statehouse in Springfield, Illinois and is a fellow of the Explorers Club who has covered stories on six continents.
Burleigh’s writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Time, New York, The New York Times Magazine, Slate and Bustle. She has appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher, Good Morning America, Nightline, The Today Show, 48 Hours, on MSNBC, CNN and C-Span, NPR, in numerous documentaries, podcasts, and radio programs. A former judge for the J. Anthony Lukas prize for nonfiction, Burleigh is an adjunct professor at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. Her work has been cited in hundreds of scholarly articles.
Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Help Your Conspiracy Theorist Friend
Featuring: Mick West
Thursday, April 29th – 7:00 PM ET
Communicating with a believer of conspiracy theories presents many challenges and may seem like an impossible task. How do you get through to someone who rejects conflicting evidence and thinks that you are part of the problem? Conspiracy Theory Expert Mick West presents a selection of time-tested tools and techniques for understanding and helping a friend lost down the rabbit hole.
Mick West is a writer, investigator, and debunker who enjoys looking into the evidence behind conspiracy theories and strange phenomena and then explaining what is actually going on. He runs the Metabunk forum and is the author of the book “Escaping the Rabbit Hole”.
How Your Brain Understands the World and Why It Sometimes Gets It Wrong
Featuring: Jeff Hawkins
Thursday, April 15th – 7:00 PM ET
How do we understand the world? The brain receives a constant stream of input from our sensors and from this creates a model of the world. What we perceive, our thoughts and experiences, are based on the brain’s model. Unfortunately, the model of the world in our head can be fooled, causing us to believe things that are not true. I lead a team of scientists who study how the brain does this. In this talk, I will give an overview of what we have learned, explain the neuroscience behind false beliefs, and suggest what we might do about it.
Jeff Hawkins is a well-known scientist and entrepreneur, considered one of the most successful and highly regarded computer architects in Silicon Valley. He is widely known for founding Palm Computing and Handspring Inc. and for being the architect of many successful handheld computers. He is often credited with starting the entire handheld computing industry.
Despite his successes as a technology entrepreneur, Hawkins’ primary passion and occupation has been neuroscience. From 2002 to 2005, Hawkins directed the Redwood Neuroscience Institute, now located at U.C. Berkeley. He is currently co-founder and chief scientist at Numenta, a research company focused on neocortical theory.
Gamification to Counter Science Misinformation?
Featuring: John Cook
Thursday, April 1st – 7:00 PM ET
A number of psychological challenges hinder the countering of misinformation and science denial. Polarization on issues such as climate change and COVID-19 results in some segments of the population being more resistant to refutation strategies. Inoculation theory offers a solution to polarization, with experimental studies finding that inoculating messages neutralize the polarizing influence of misinformation on issues like climate change. Inoculation theory applies the idea of vaccination to knowledge—we build immunity to misinformation by exposing people to a weakened form of misinformation. Gamification offers a unique opportunity, by incorporating interactive inoculating exercises into a game, players are incentivized to repeatedly practice misinformation detection tasks, thus converting effortful critical thinking tasks into quicker, easier heuristics. In this presentation, John Cook will outline how he applied psychological and critical thinking research into inoculation, using gamification and cartoons to overcome some of the psychological hurdles facing scientists and educators as they respond to misinformation.
John Cook is a researcher at the Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub at Monash University. His research focus is understanding and countering misinformation about climate change, with an emphasis on using critical thinking to build resilience. He founded Skeptical Science, authored the book Cranky Uncle vs. Climate Change, and developed the smartphone game Cranky Uncle, combining climate science, critical thinking, and cartoons to explain and counter climate misinformation. He also co-authored the college textbooks Climate Change: Examining the Facts and Climate Change Science: A Modern Synthesis and the book Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand.
Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think
Featuring: Andy Norman
Thursday, March 18th – 7:00 PM ET
Why are ideologies poisoning public discourse? Why is extremism on the rise? How did we get here, and what can we do about it? It turns out some influential assumptions are suppressing our culture’s “immune response” to dangerous ideas. These assumptions prevent us from normalizing critical thinking, and leave us vulnerable to mind-parasites.
Fortunately, there’s a cure. In this talk, philosopher Andy Norman will isolate an idea with a long history of inoculating people against the worst forms of ideological contagion, and argue that we can fashion it into a mind vaccine.
Andy Norman directs the Humanism Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University. He studies how ideologies short-circuit minds and corrupt moral understanding. Then he develops tools that help people reason together in more fruitful ways. In his book Mental Immunity, he lays out the conceptual foundations of cognitive immunology—the emerging science of mental immune health.
You can learn more about Andy and his new book, Mental Immunity at his website https://andynorman.org/
SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines: Where Do We Stand?
Featuring: Paul Offit
Thursday, March 4th – 7:00 PM ET
Paul A. Offit, MD, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq, answers your questions and common concerns raised about the COVID-19 Vaccines. Join this free webinar and submit your questions live!
The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet
Featuring: Michael Mann
Thursday, February 18th – 7:00 PM ET
Climate scientist Michael E. Mann shows how fossil fuel companies have waged a thirty-year campaign to deflect blame and responsibility and delay action on climate change, and offers a battle plan for how we can save the planet.
Michael E. Mann is Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State, with joint appointments in the Department of Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute. He received the Award for Public Engagement with Science from the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2018 and the Climate Communication Prize from the American Geophysical Union in 2018. In 2019 he received the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. In 2020 he was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of numerous books, including Dire Predictions: Understanding Climate Change, The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines, and The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial is Threatening our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy. He lives in State College, Pennsylvania.
If you’re interested in Michael Mann’s book, you can learn more about it here: https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/michael-e-mann/the-new-climate-war/9781541758230/
QAnon: Blood Libel for the Digital Age
Featuring: Stephanie Kemmerer
Thursday, February 4th – 7:00 PM ET
QAnon, the ultimate baseless conspiracy theory, first emerged in 2017 as a rehashing of the equally ridiculous PizzaGate conspiracy from 2016. But its true origins – and in fact – the true origin of most conspiracy theories is much older than that. Long before the Satanic Panic of the West Memphis Three, the McMartin Preschool Trial, the Martinsville Nightmare and the abduction of paperboy Johnny Gosch – with its possible ties to the Franklin Community Federal Credit Union in Omaha; lies the medieval source of QAnon: The Blood Libel Myth. The popularity of QAnon, PizzaGate and WayfairGate demonstrates the ability of dangerous ideas to persist through the ages. QAnon not only updates this myth for the modern age, but it has also utilized modern technology to proliferate; spreading like a virus, damaging lives and destroying Democracy. With its unique blend of online riddles contained in Nostradamus-like posts and its usage of Trump as the ultimate hero, QAnon has tested our society – and in fact the world – in ways no other modern conspiracy theory has. Its followers manifest symptoms of what could only be described as ‘collective schizophrenia.’ Calling themselves ‘Digital Soldiers,’ members of the QAnon cult wage ‘meme wars’ from behind their computers; and recently several have emerged from beyond their computers, committing dangerous crimes in real life. (IRL) This discussion will focus on the origin of QAnon and demonstrate how destructive it is and ultimately, that it must not be taken lightly or ignored.
Stephanie Kemmerer is a researcher and writer for the podcast, Even the Podcast Is Afraid and an occasional contributor for the Southern Oddities podcast, both owned by Ordis Studios. She currently resides in Sunnyvale, California, and is interested in true crime, the paranormal, politics and conspiracy culture. The podcast is available on all streaming services. The website is https://www.ordisstudios.com/ Her Twitter handle is @mcpasteface
The Biggest Bluff: How I learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
Featuring: Maria Konnikova
Thursday, January 21st – 7:00 PM ET
From the New York Times bestselling author of Mastermind and The Confidence Game, a journey into the world of high-stakes poker – and questions of what role luck plays in our lives, and what it truly means to take control of our own destinies.
The Biggest Bluff is Maria’s third New York Times bestseller. It follows Maria’s immersion in the world of poker, from novice to professional, under the tutelage of one of the greatest players in the game, Erik Seidel. But this is not a book about poker. It is, rather, an exploration of the role chance plays in our lives, and how we can learn to play our best game even in the face of mounting odds. How do the skills learned at the poker table translate to the skills required to live a better, more thoughtful and, ultimately, successful life? The Biggest Bluff isn’t about how to play poker. It’s about how to play the world.
While researching The Biggest Bluff, Maria became an international poker champion and the winner of over $300,000 in tournament earnings—and inadvertently turned into a professional poker player.
Disparities in the Midst of COVID-19: Education, Health, and Race
Featuring: Odaelys Walwyn-Pollard
Thursday, January 7th – 7:00 PM ET
The COVID-19 Pandemic has undeniably made the year 2020 one for the books. We’ve seen how the pandemic has affected everyone, but it has undeniably been exacerbated for certain groups. We will discuss how COVID-19 shined a light on a broken system, with special emphasis on education in New York City, the largest school district in the United States. We will also highlight how socioeconomic status, a determinant of health, has led to the disparities seen in COVID-19 infection rates and how it ties to certain racial/ethnic groups. Can we fix the system and what will it take to pick up the broken pieces?
Dr. Odaelys Walwyn-Pollard, a native of St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, left the tropics and migrated to the Northeast to pursue her PhD research in Microbiology and Immunology at New York Medical College. Odaelys is a self-proclaimed lover of all things science (especially microbes) and an experienced educator. She is particularly passionate about teaching and mentoring students of all backgrounds, especially those underrepresented in the STEM fields, in ways that foster their love for science and research. She is now part of RockEDU Science Outreach at the Rockefeller University and is actively involved in the many programs for high school students, teachers, and scientists.
The Infodemic: Debunking Works (Let’s Get To It!)
Featuring: Timothy Caulfield
Thursday, December 17th – 7:00 PM ET
The spread of conspiracy theories and harmful misinformation is a defining characteristic of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has led to deaths, financial loss, increased stigma, health policy challenges, and added to the chaotic information environment. We must counter this “infodemic” with evidence-based communication strategies. Despite concerns about the “backfire effect” debunking does work, if done well! In this presentation, Caulfield will look at what the science says about fighting misinformation and how we can all get involved in the battle against bunk.
Timothy Caulfield is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta.
A Series of Fortunate Events: Chance and the Making of the Planet, Life, and You
Featuring: Sean B. Carroll
Thursday, December 3rd – 7:00 PM ET
From acclaimed writer and biologist Sean B. Carroll, a rollicking, awe-inspiring
story of the surprising power of chance in our lives and the world.
“Fascinating and exhilarating—Sean B. Carroll at his very best.”
—Bill Bryson,
author of The Body: A Guide for Occupants
Sean B. Carroll is an award-winning scientist, writer, educator, and film producer. He is Vice President for Science Education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Balo-Simon Chair of Biology at the University of Maryland. His books include The Serengeti Rules (Princeton), Brave Genius, and Remarkable Creatures, which was a finalist for the National Book Award. He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Twitter @SeanBiolCarroll
Combating Fortunetelling Fraud (aka Psychic Fraud)
Featuring: Bob Nygaard
Thursday, November 19th – 7:00 PM ET
Fortunetelling fraud (aka Psychic Fraud) is a prevalent problem in the world. It is a certain species of fraud whereby self-proclaimed psychics emotionally abuse and financially exploit vulnerable people who are experiencing problems in their lives, bilking them out of billions of dollars each year under the guise of providing assistance. The victims are of any age and background and the problems that the victims are experiencing fall into three general categories; love, money, and health. The crime can be committed in one short operation but is usually committed over a longer period of time, during which, the self-proclaimed psychic convinces the victim to provide greater sums of money in furtherance of the alleged work, culminating with the victim being left emotionally broken and penniless.
Bob Nygaard, a private investigator, builds a criminal case against self-proclaimed psychics who commit fortunetelling fraud in order to cause these con artists to be arrested, charged, and successfully prosecuted. Additionally, he enumerates the impediments that often exist when trying to bring self-proclaimed psychics to justice and the strategies employed in his efforts to protect society and make victims whole.
Persuasive Bullshitters and the Insidious Bullshit Hypothesis
Featuring: John Petrocelli
Thursday, November 5th – 7:00 PM ET
Our beliefs, what we believe to be true, are the most fundamental things to our decisions. Why then are so many beliefs based on bullshit rather than on truth, facts, data, evidence, or established knowledge? I will discuss how lying and bullshitting are distinct behaviors with unique antecedents and unique consequences for beliefs. With a particular focus on memory, I will discuss why it is imperative to understand how bullshit can be more persuasive than lies.
John V. Petrocelli is currently the Scott Family Faculty Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychology at Wake Forest University. His primary research interests and contributions are in the areas of bullshitting, counterfactual thinking, metacognition, attitude strength, and persuasion.
Rituals for Non-believers
Featuring: Sasha Sagan
Thursday, October 8th – 7:00 PM ET
How do we as skeptics navigate life’s rites of passage? How do we celebrate and mourn without the infrastructure of religion? Sasha Sagan, author of For Small Creatures Such As We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World explores these questions, and highlights the astronomical and biological roots of many human traditions.
Sasha Sagan has worked as a television producer, filmmaker, editor, writer, and speaker in the U.S. and abroad. She regularly speaks on ways science can inform our celebrations and how we mark the passage of time, inspired in part by the work of her parents, Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan.
Evolution Only Breaks Things: The Science Denial at the Heart of Intelligent Design
Featuring: Nathan Lents
Thursday, September 24th – 7:00 PM ET
The pseudoscientific movement known as Intelligent Design (ID) does not offer a consistent or cohesive theory of life. Instead, it is a loose collection of criticisms of the supposed shortcomings of modern evolutionary theory. One such criticism is that the natural forces of evolution can serve only to weaken, damage, or destroy molecular functioning, thereby implying that the creative innovation we see in living things can only come about through intentional and supernatural actions. However, a rich body of scientific work detailing how complexity and innovation has emerged through mutation and molecular tinkering followed by natural selection, forcing ID proponents to either ignore or deny this evidence, or retreat to the unassailable, and therefore unscientific position that science cannot prove that mutations were not guided by a supernatural force.
Nathan H. Lents is Professor of Biology at John Jay College, of the City University of New York, and the author of Not So Different: Finding Human Nature in Animals and Human Errors: A Panorama of our Glitches from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes.
Viral BS: Medical Myths and Why We Fall For Them
Featuring: Seema Yasmin
Thursday, September 10th – 7:00 PM ET
Can your zip code predict when you will die? Will testosterone supplements boost your libido? Should you space out childhood vaccines? Does talcum powder cause cancer? Why do some doctors recommend e-cigarettes while other doctors recommend you stay away from them? Health information―and misinformation―is all around us, and it can be hard to separate the two. A long history of unethical medical experiments and medical mistakes, along with a host of celebrities spewing anti-science beliefs, has left many wary of science and the scientists who say they should be trusted. How do we stay sane while unraveling the knots of fact and fiction to find out what we should really be concerned about, and what we can laugh off?
Seema Yasmin is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, medical doctor, author, and Director of the Stanford Health Communication Initiative.
The Role of Cognitive Dissonance in the Pandemic
Featuring: Carol Tavris
Thursday, August 27th – 7:00 PM ET
Cognitive Dissonance is the motivational mechanism that underlies the profoundly human reluctance to admit mistakes or accept unwelcome scientific findings—even when those findings can save our lives. Because of the intense polarization in our country, a great many Americans now see the life-and-death decisions they must make in living in the time of the pandemic as political choices rather than medical ones. This dynamic is playing out among the many people who refuse to wear masks or practice social distancing. While the evidence shows that these methods are the best we have at present to slow and control Covid-19, some people, convinced that the virus is a hoax or that masks impair their breathing or their freedom, would sooner jeopardize their health and everyone else’s than accept that evidence — or admit to being wrong.
Carol Tavris is a social psychologist and writer. Her books include Anger; The Mismeasure of Woman; and (with Avrum Bluming) Estrogen Matters. She has written for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Skeptic, the TLS, and many other publications. She lives in Los Angeles.
Developing a SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine: Is Warp Speed Too Fast?
Featuring: Paul Offit
Thursday, August 13th – 7:00 PM ET
We’ll discuss the path to developing a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine with an understanding that most research and development programs for vaccines take about 15-20 years. The expectation, however, is that this vaccine will be developed in 12-18 months. Given that this would undoubtedly mean that steps along the path will be compressed or skipped, will this make for a less safe or less effective vaccine?
Conspiracy Theories and COVID-19
Featuring: Joseph Uscinski
Thursday, July 30th – 7:00 PM ET
Using a wealth of recent survey data, Professor Joseph Uscinski will show just how popular conspiracy theories about COVID-19 are, and why they are so dangerous to our health. Uscinski will then look at another set of dangers facing us today: those associated with misunderstanding the causes of conspiracy theories. Smashing down some of the most common myths about conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists, Uscinski will show that conspiracy theories are not a product of the internet, social media, or even our modern age.
Joseph Uscinski is associate professor of political science at University of Miami and co-author of American Conspiracy Theories (Oxford, 2014).