Skeptics in the Pub began in London in 1999. It provided an opportunity for rational thinkers to meet and discuss all things skeptical as well as have a monthly presentation by a renowned skeptic or even believer followed by a Q&A. There are over a dozen Skeptics in the Pub in England, but this is only one of two groups in Scotland (The other being Glasgow).
The talks take place at The Bongo Club, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh
Currently, our socials are held irregularly, but join our mailing list to be kept informed of when and where.
Coming along to a Skeptics in the Pub social is free, though on the nights of guest speakers we appreciate a donation of £2.50 to cover the speakers expenses.
We also stage talks on the first Sunday of each month at 2pm called "The Sunday Sermon".
For more details feel free to contact us, or just pop along to the next night.
When?
Thursday, September 16 at 8:00PM
Where?
Who?
Dr. Stuart Wilson
What's the talk about?
Is it hard to be a skeptic? Does it take more effort to disbelieve than it does to believe? Why is belief in strange things so pervasive? Is it something to do with the way we are hard-wired? What do the answers to these questions tell us about our minds? In this talk, Stuart Wilson will discuss these questions and how they relate to a variety of strange beliefs, from religion to the paranormal.
When?
Thursday, October 21 at 8:00PM
Where?
Who?
Andy Lewis
What's the talk about?
The late eighteenth century was a very creative time for inventing new forms of quackery and many became quite wealthy on the back on their invention. Of these creations, it is perhaps only homeopathy that has survived virtually unchanged into the 21st century. The majority of alternative medicines available today have been invented and developed within living memory, despite claims of their origins in antiquity.
What makes an alternative medicine successful? Why should homeopathy survive when the very popular tractors of Perkins have long since been forgotten? Could you have predicted this in 1800? Today, we have a new industry of quack devices protecting us from mobile phones. Should you invest in such enterprises?
In this talk, Andy will look at the factors that make pseudo-medicines thrive and why consumers and practitioners latch onto them. Importantly, we shall explore the implications of these views for regulation and protecting the public from delusional or fraudulent claims.
When?
Thursday, November 18 at 8:00PM
Where?
Who?
Robin Dunbar
What's the talk about?
Professor Dunbar is a British anthropologist and evolutionary biologist, specialising in primate behaviour. He is best known for formulating Dunbar's number, roughly 150, a measurement of the "cognitive limit to the number of individuals with whom any one person can maintain stable relationships".
Dunbar, son of an engineer, received his early education at Northamptonshire, then Magdalen College, Oxford, where his teachers included Nico Tinbergen. He spent two years as a freelance science writer.
Dunbar's academic and research career includes the University of Bristol, University of Cambridge from 1977 until 1982, and University College London from 1987 until 1994. In 1994, Dunbar became Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at University of Liverpool, but he left Liverpool in 2007 to take up the post of Director of the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford.
Professor Dunbar is a director of the British Academy Centenary Research Project (BACRP) "From Lucy to Language: The Archaeology of the Social Brain" and is involved in the planned BACRP "Identifying the Universal Religious Repertoire".
Digital versions of selected published articles authored or co-authored by him are available from the University of Liverpool Evolutionary Psychology and Behavioural Ecology Research Group.
When?
Thursday, December 16 at 8:00PM
Where?
Who?
Chimaera Productions
What's the talk about?
A celebration of the Nativity as seen through skeptical eyes. A children's Christmas Nativity goes a little skew-wiff when a skeptic takes the role of Narrator and insists on historical accuracy throughout- this may not end well for the Messiah...
Written & Directed by Ash Pryce