Event Listing
Heresy, Sorcery, Royalty and a Witch – The Life and Death of Margery Jourdemayne – Deborah Hyde
In 1441, Margery Jourdemayne was burned alive at Smithfield. She was a commoner cunning-woman – or witch – yet her social group contained the highest in the land. Join us as we put aside our expectations to uncover the politics, religion, social classes, law and context of Margery’s fifteenth century life and death.
This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.
May Social
Casual chatting over drinks and optional food. Likely topics are Science, current affairs, movies, woo, politics, history. Turn up and leave as you feel. A few of us will have the pies, maybe dessert. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and soft drinks are available as ale, etc.
The Grand Unified Theory of Bullshit – Tom Curry & Cecil Cicirello
The Grand Unified Theory of Bullshit suggests that no matter where it’s from, all bullshit smells the same. In their new book, Cecil and Tom describe not only the harms of a variety of commonly held forms of grift and bullshit, but also offer a plan on what steps need to be taken in real terms to reduce your susceptibility to bullshit.
This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.
Beyond the Hype: The Inside Story of Science’s Biggest Media Controversies - Fiona Fox
Some stories hit the headlines for the wrong reasons – Frankenfoods, Climategate and more – but over the last two decades more scientists have engaged openly with the press and how this has helped transform the way science is reported. But not everything has moved in the right direction, resulting in a worrying blurring of lines between scientific data and government ‘messaging’.
This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.
April Social
Casual chatting, chilling, mingling. Topics will probably veer from Skeptical and science, to things like movies and humorous current affairs.
Hate thy Neighbour: Economic inequality, status, and violent crime – Jaye McLaughlin
Whilst the association between inequality and violence has been replicated many times, the underlying mechanisms for the association have not previously been investigated. This talk will discuss the idea of violence as an adaptation; as well as how inequality may affect your cognition, and lead to an increased likelihood of violence.
This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.
Off The Edge: Flat earthers, conspiracy culture, and why people will believe anything – Kelly Weill
Since 2015, the long-running conspiracy theory of a flat Earth has increasingly gained a foothold in the mainstream. What was once a concept on the fringes of society is now a widespread idea held by millions, including politicians, media personalities, athletes, and celebrities. Where did this theory come from and why is it suddenly everywhere?
This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.
March Social
Chats and laughs. Tell us the latest science news you've heard, vent about your aunt buying into "alternative medicine", or review the last movie you saw.
Racing Green: How Motorsport Science Can Save the World – Kit Chapman
Racing Green explores how science in motorsport and the efforts of engineers to go a hundredth of a second faster ripple into our daily lives. We use the aerodynamics of a Formula 1 car to keep our food cool in the supermarket and stop skyscrapers wreaking havoc; crash helmets and rear view mirrors keep us safe; and the cutting edge of our future – from electric and autonomous vehicles, 3D printing and virtual reality – began on the track.
This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.
How ideas clash on social media – Imran Ahmed
Social media is not an even playing field. Algorithms promote the most engaging content over all else, which often means false claims and inflammatory rhetoric are given undue prominence. Bad actors understand this, and have weaponised these platforms to do great harm over the course of the pandemic. The only viable solutions start with holding Big Tech accountable for this state of affairs.
This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.