16th European Skeptics Congress

Though not a huge meeting by today’s standards, the 16^th European Skeptics Congress, co- organised by ASKE and APRU (the Anomalistic Research Unit at Goldsmiths College) was a highly successful meeting and feedback has been uniformly enthusiastic.  The congress website is still operating (http://euroscepticscon.org/) and post-congress information will appear in due course. Some audio recordings of talks will be online soon and Klaus Schmeh has a video of his talk on parascientific codes on YouTube at https://youtu.be/jS56Pe_nfsE.  Photographs of the congress may be viewed at https://flic.kr/p/yq4rw4 and a short video prepared by Mark Williams can be watched at https://youtu.be/_o1Rx-2QkEw.  A video recording of the debate on skepticism and medicine is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4erJFq1Ds0 and https://youtu.be/xyiuzE5fueo.

Latest on the 16th European Skeptics Congress

The three additional events at the European Skeptics Congress 2015 in September at Goldsmiths College  have now been finalised: 

·         Pre-congress event: ‘Codes, Coincidence and Chocolate Fountains: How Numbers Shape our Lives’. This is a fun Maths event with Simon Singh, Chris French, Helen Wilson and Rob Eastaway in the main congress lecture theatre,  Thursday September 10^th  2.30-5.00 p.m. Ticket £5.

·         Greenwich Skeptics in the Pub meeting: The Growth of Skepticism: the UK experience with Chris French, Wendy Grossman, Mike Heap, Mike Hutchinson, Deborah Hyde, Michael Marshall, Ian Ridpath and Richard Wiseman. Each will give a brief talk about the growth of skepticism in the UK. European colleagues are very welcome to share their experiences in their own countries. This meeting is in Goldsmith College's Students Union  on Thursday September 10th and the first speaker is scheduled from 7.30 p.m. onwards. Being a Skeptics in the Pub event, the atmosphere will be informal and there will of course be a bar!  Ticket £5

·         Greenwich Skeptics in the Pub meeting: 'The Science of Magic' by magician and psychologist Gustav Khun . This takes place in the Students Union on Friday September 11th starting at 19.30 hours.  Ticket £5

More details and the programme for the pre-congress Thursday event are available at http://euroscepticscon.org/node/56 (‘Other Events’).

Another reminder about the 16th European Skeptics Congress 2015: Promoting Science, reason and critical thinking

Promoting science, reason and critical thinking

http://euroscepticscon.org/

THE 16^th EUROPEAN SKEPTICS CONGRESS

September 11^th to 13^th 2015

Goldsmiths College, London

Speakers include Jim Al Khalili, Richard Wiseman, Edzard Ernst, Mark Lynas, Catherine de Jong, Chris French, Martin Mahner, Antonin Pavlicek, Stephen Law, Klaus Schmeh and many more.  Saturday is devoted to research at the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit of Goldsmiths College and the Koestler Parapsychology Unit of Edinburgh University, and testing claims of paranormal ability in Germany and the Czech Republic.  Details of affordable accommodation for delegates are provided on the congress website.

The 16th European Skeptics Congress, September 11-13, 2015

The 16^th European Skeptics Congress

September 11-13, 2015

At the time of writing, the programme for the above conference at Goldsmiths College is all but complete and the registration page is open (congress fee £135 including refreshment and lunches). The programme consists of the following:

·        Keynote lecture by Jim Al-Khalili

·        A whole day (Saturday) on investigating unusual experiences and claims.  Several of Chris French’s postgrad students from APRU will be presenting the results of their research and Martin Mahner from Germany and Antonin Pavlicek from the Czech Republic will be talking about their experiences testing people who claim to have paranormal abilities.  Carolyn Watt will talk about research into paranormal abilities that has been conducted at Edinburgh’s Koestler Parapsychology Unit (http://www.koestler-parapsychology.psy.ed.ac.uk/index.html) which this year is marking its 30th anniversary.

·        Mark Lynas on science and environmental issues

·        Edzard Ernst on integrative medicine, followed by a debate on medicine and skepticism; participants will include a representative from HealthWatch

·        A panel and audience debate on skepticism and religion with Stephen Law (tbc), Andrew Copson, Rabbi Pete Tobias and Prof. Adam Dinham

·        An Ask for Evidence session by Sense about Science

·        Richard Wiseman on ‘Spreading Skepticism by YouTube’

·         resentations by Deborah Hyde, Mark Newbrook and Klaus Schmeh

·        A special Skeptics in the Pub event on Friday evening with psychologist and magician Gustav Khun

Visit the congress website for further details and registration at:

http://euroscepticscon.org/