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 four Skeptics in the Pub in England (Five if you include the Merseyside Skeptics), but this is the first in Scotland.
The talks take place at The Newsrooms, Leith Street, opposite the St James Centre where we have the stylish basement bar and a buffet included.
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 (£2 students) to cover the speakers expenses.
For more details feel free to contact us, or just pop along to the next night.
When?
Thursday, February 18 at 8:00PM
Where?
Who?
Dr. Charles Paxton
What's the talk about?
More information to follow.
The Sunday Sermon 5
When?
Sunday, March 7 at 2:00PM
Where?
Who?
Sean McHugh
What's the talk about?
Sean will explain features of Hinduism and Indian thought, and go through some arguments for a transcendent plane that eliminates the distinction between an atheistic and theistic realities by including both.
He will then go on to discuss personal gods and fundamental non-rational meaning as issuing from the interface between the relative world and the transcendent or absolute.
We welcome him to the SITP stage.
When?
Thursday, March 18 at 8:00PM
Where?
Who?
Dr. Ciaran O'Keefe
What's the talk about?
Dr. Ciaran O'Keefe is best known as the resident skeptic on televisions Most Haunted. He is a parapsychologist who studied under Professor Richard Wiseman.
Tonight however, Ciaran leaves his supernatural shenanigans behind him as he addresses the topic that is his main outlet back home in France- Forensic Psychology.
The Sunday Sermon 6
When?
Sunday, April 4 at 2:00PM
Where?
Who?
Peter Harrison
What's the talk about?
A growing number of magicians and mentalists are appearing in the skeptic community, and an obvious connection is emerging between the art and the skeptic movement. However, audiences are not joining the magicians in their jump to skepticism. Magicians are in a unique position that should allow powerful promotion of skepticism to the general public, but the message does not seem to be getting across on a large scale. Many have tried and failed. What is the problem? What is the history behind it? As a tool to promote skepticism, is it possible that magic is doomed to fail from the very beginning? Is there a practical solution?
Peter Harrison is a skeptic and professional creator of award-winning magic, with his material appearing on television specials and a client-list that reads like a who's who of corporate Scotland. Peter is also a Scottish biologist, and the Volunteer Coordinator for registered charity "The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science".
When?
Thursday, April 15 at 8:00PM
Where?
Who?
Professor David Colquhoun
What's the talk about?
Quacks not only deceive (and sometimes harm) patients but the culture of managerialism that tolerates them in universities has a more serious consequence, the corruption of real science.
Professor D Colquhoun, FRS held the established (A.J. Clark) chair of Pharmacology at UCL, and was the Hon. Director of the Wellcome Laboratory for Molecular Pharmacology. In October 2004, he became a Research Fellow. Like many previous holders of the chair (in particular, A.J. Clark, J.H. Gaddum, H.O. Schild and J.W. Black) his interests are in quantitative analysis of receptor mechanisms.
He graduated from Leeds with a BSc and then went to Edinburgh to work for a PhD. After doing research at University College from 1964-69 on immunological problems and completing a book on statistics, he went to Yale University to work on nerve conduction. After returning from the USA he eventually returned to the Pharmacology Department at UCL in 1979, and has worked on single ion channel mechanisms since then.
In 2004, he was made an Honorary Fellow of University College London.
When?
Saturday, May 1 at 12:00AM
Where?
Who?
Edinburgh Skeptics
What's the talk about?
We have been invited to partake in Mary King's Closes annual event the Ghost Fest and provide a skeptical eye. The exact dates and times as well as event details are still to be confirmed. But watch this space!
The Sunday Sermon 7
When?
Sunday, May 2 at 2:00PM
Where?
Who?
Stuart Ritchie
What's the talk about?
Stuart debated Dr Marc Surtess as part of our Darwin themed events in 2009. He returns for a solo outing as part of the Sunday Sermon.
More details to follow.
When?
Thursday, May 20 at 8:00PM
Where?
Who?
Gordon Rutter
What's the talk about?
Gordon Rutter is the founder of the Edinburgh Fortean Society as well as an author on paranormal happenings in Newcastle and Edinburgh.
Gordon has been involved in several high profile investigation into the Edinburgh paranormal including the 2001 South Bridge investigation and the 2009 Science of Ghosts event.
He joins us tonight after giving a brief reading of his latest book, Paranormal Edinburgh, at last years Skepticamp.
The Sunday Sermon 8
When?
Sunday, June 6 at 2:00PM
Where?
Who?
Paul Forbes
What's the talk about?
Prophecies about a cataclysmic end to the world as we know it have been a part of human history from ancient times, but in the modern era religious and New Age narratives have become mixed in with real scientific fears about the future of the planet. Hollywood seems equally fascinated by the subject - the movies Knowing and 2012 being recent examples.
This talk will present a brief overview of apocalyptic beliefs down the ages followed by a more detailed examination of Christian millennialism. What is the thinking behind such beliefs? And what are the political and environmental implications?
When?
Thursday, June 17 at 8:00PM
Where?
Who?
Mike Heap
What's the talk about?
The work of social psychologists has always emphasised the extent to which our behaviour, beliefs and experiences are shaped by the requirements of the various roles that we occupy in the course of everyday life. One important need for us is that the roles we occupy should be perceived as authentic or legitimate. We therefore strive to maintain the perceived authenticity of our role at any particular time. This can be seen as a mutual endeavour by participants in reciprocal role relationships such as doctor-patient or therapist-client interactions. I hope to demonstrate the usefulness of this way of thinking with reference to certain practices (orthodox, unorthodox and anomalous) and certain sexual crimes on which I have provided an opinion for the Courts. Michael Heap is a clinical forensic psychologist in private practice and at Wathwood Medium Secure Hospital in Rotherham. He is a founding member of the Association for Skeptical Enquiry (ASKE) and is its current Chairman and Secretary.
When?
Thursday, July 15 at 8:00PM
Where?
Who?
Ken Humphreys
What's the talk about?
Kenneth Humphreys holds post-graduate qualifications from two British universities and taught for many years in the UK, Turkey and Papua New Guinea, including a Senior Lecturership in Modern Languages. His career outside of academe included management in the software industry. Religion, and in particular the claims of Christianity, have been a life-long interest. He is now fully occupied as a writer, radio broadcaster and public speaker, and campaigns energetically against unreason. In Spring 2008 he debated The Resurrection - Fact or Fiction with Gary Habermas, Prof. of Apologetiics, at the McEwan Hall, Edinburgh.
The website Jesus Never Existed was launched in December 2001. It receives more than a million visitors per year and is currently being made available in nine languages.
The book Jesus Never Existed was published in 2005 by Iconoclast Press. It has been shipped to more than thirty countries.
An abridgment was republished in India in 2006 by Hindu Voice. A Spanish edition is likely in the near future.
A second volume The Improbable Paul will be published in 2010.
www.jesusneverexisted.com
When?
Wednesday, August 4 at 10:37AM
Where?
Who?
Edinburgh Skeptics
What's the talk about?
After last year's highly successful event, we bring you Skepticamp 2010. Skepticamp is an opportunity for members of the society to take to the stage and give a talk on a skeptical topic of their choice. There will also be discussions, music and videos throughout the night.
Date may be subject to change.
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?
TBC
What's the talk about?
After last years debate on Evolution vs Creation, we have decided to keep the Novemeber debate format in place. We will decide nearer the time the appropriate subject.
When?
Thursday, December 16 at 8:00PM
Where?
Who?
Jack Daniels and Abby Sinth
What's the talk about?
Format TBC