Skeptics in the Pub is about getting people to come together, whatever their background, to have a relaxed and enjoyable evening, hopefully leaving with a little extra knowledge! We'll hear talks given by experts in their fields and explore a wide range of topics finishing with all the weird, wonderful and somewhat revealing questions that pop into our heads.
Come on, we'd all rather be in a pub than a lecture theatre, right?
Join Us
When?
Usually, the last Tuesday of every month.
Where?
The Blue Moon, Norfolk Street, Cambridge, CB1 2LF.
What Time?
Talks start promptly at 7:30pm, finishing between 9:15 - 9:30pm.
Do I Have To Be A Member?
Nope. Any member of the public is free to come along. Just turn up.
How Much?
Tickets are usually £3.00 in advance (+ booking fee) or £4.00 on the door. Occasionally we run special events, so please check event details for information.
Skeptic or Cynic?
So what is it with the skepticism? No, we're not negative or cynical people, quite the opposite! We're just asking questions to build a better understanding of the world. What better way to do that then ask the experts themselves?
If you want to more, you can read our more in-depth explaination here.
Whatever you believe, whether you consider yourself a skeptic, or think that skeptics are close-minded invididuals, you are more than welcome to come and join the discussion and fuel the debate!
Upcoming Events
A Few More Ways In Which Your Brain Will Trick You If You Let It
When?
Tuesday, August 22 2017 at 7:30PM
Download iCalendar file
(e.g. import to Outlook or Google Calendar)
Where?
The Blue Moon
2 Norfolk Street
Cambridge
CB1 2LF
Who?
Andrew Dart
What's the talk about?
Tickets: £3.00 advance / £4.00 on the door
Box Office: http://buytickets.at/cambridgeskeptics/108743
Back by popular demand for the next installment, following our busiest talk of 2016!
Your brain still hates you. This is the only conclusion I can come to given how many tricks it will play on you if you let it. This talk will cover more of the many, many ways in which our brains try to deceive us on an almost constant basis. Drawing on the extensive psychological literature on these topics and presenting a number of worrying, and often humorous, real world examples of what happens when people fall for these tricks, this talk will look at the biases we all have, the lies we tell ourselves, and the shortcuts our brains will take if we let them.
Andrew Dart has a master’s degree in Research Psychology and spent four years studying how pre-existing religious and paranormal beliefs literally affect the way we see the world around us. He is the author of a beginner's guide to skepticism and a science book for children and is currently working on a novel. He works as a support technician for a software company where he spends as much of his day combating bad logic as he does technical issues. When not doing this he can often be found wandering the byways of Cambridgeshire, reading books, watching philosophy videos on YouTube, and writing pointless computer programs.
--Building Your Skeptical Toolkit--
You can buy Andrew's book from here: http://amzn.eu/aq170uq
Around the world belief in the paranormal and pseudoscience is running rampant. 40% of people in the UK believe in haunted houses, governments employ dowsing devices to detect bombs and people give away all they have in the belief that the world is about to end…again. In this modern age it seems we need reason and critical thinking skills more than ever.
Building your Skeptical Toolkit will help equip you with the tools you will need to start exploring this amazing world of ours as it really is and accurately enable you to evaluate the claims of psychics, conspiracy theorists and everyone in between. It will help you to see behind the myths and trickery, the fake science and unfounded claims, that fill our modern lives and discover the amazing and beautiful reality that lies beyond.
“Dart has hit the bullseye. Everyone who reads this book will find new dimensions in the world around them, that previously seemed impenetrable and insoluble. It’s an amazing place, once Dart shows you how to see past the roadblocks put up by your own brain.”
Brian Dunning, Skeptoid.com
When?
Tuesday, September 26 2017 at 7:30PM
Download iCalendar file
(e.g. import to Outlook or Google Calendar)
Where?
The Blue Moon
2 Norfolk Street
Cambridge
CB1 2LF
Who?
Kevin Precious
What's the talk about?
Tickets: £3.00 advance / £4.00 on the door
Box Office: http://buytickets.at/cambridgeskeptics/108745
In between the various comedic activites, Kevin Precious attends his local humanist group - he's an agnostic, folks - where he loves a good old debate about the big questions in life.
Expect jokes and stories then, about his time as an RE teacher, being a humanist, the God-Shaped Hole, and the philosophy of religion... and you can ask him a few questions of your own afterwards, if you wish.
Kevin Precious is a former RE teacher turned stand-up comedian and promoter. Besides having played many of the top clubs in the land, he also promotes shows in arts centres and theatres under the Barnstormers Comedy banner. He has previously toured the country with a stand-up show entitled 'Not Appropriate', dedicated to the business of teaching.
When?
Tuesday, October 10 2017 at 7:30PM
Download iCalendar file
(e.g. import to Outlook or Google Calendar)
Where?
The Blue Moon
2 Norfolk Street
Cambridge
CB1 2LF
Who?
Professor Philip Moriarty
What's the talk about?
Tickets: £3.00 advance / £4.00 on the door
Box Office: http://buytickets.at/cambridgeskeptics/108747
There is no doubt that quantum physics embodies mind-blowing concepts that force us the question the very nature of reality. And if there’s a contender for our current best “theory of everything” then quantum mechanics wins hands down.
But, far too often, the word “quantum” signals the worst type of vacuous pseudoscientific gobbledegook. It’s exploited by those who are entirely clueless about the underlying physics — or, worse, should know better — to evoke a misplaced mysticism about the ‘holistic’ nature of the universe. Moreover, when consciousness and quantum collide, the nonsense factor goes through the roof…
Philip Moriarty will aim to tease out the science from the mysticism and show that while quantum physics certainly has its weird and wacky aspects, it’s at heart a theory of waves. That means we can very often easily interpret what’s happening at the quantum level in terms of the everyday world around us – he’ll take a look at what coffee cups, drums, and a SlinkyTM can tell us about the broader nature of the universe (and Deepak Chopra’s place in it).
Philip Moriarty is a professor of physics at the University of Nottingham. He tweets at @Moriarty2112 and blogs at www.muircheart.wordpress.com
When?
Tuesday, October 31 2017 at 7:30PM
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(e.g. import to Outlook or Google Calendar)
Where?
Who?
Hayley Stevens
What's the talk about?
Tickets: £3.00 advance / £4.00 on the door
Box Office: http://buytickets.at/cambridgeskeptics/100549
A Skeptic’s Guide to Ghost Hunting offers an entertaining, funny and at times scary introduction to the world of modern paranormal research. Audiences have laughed, gasped and even cried...
Lifting the lid on sham ghost-hunting claims, showcasing the latest not-so-amazing paranormal evidence, and exposing the tricks of the trade, Hayley Stevens will show how not all is what it seems when it comes to things that go bump in the night.
Described as ' ... the Scully end of the Mulder-Scully X-Files spectrum' by The Times, Hayley Stevens has been investigating ghosts and monsters cases for over a decade, ever since she was a teenager. She has entertained audiences all across Europe with her talks on the paranormal and her writing can be found in Skeptical Inquirer, The Skeptic, Paranormal Magazine and on her award-winning blog, 'Hayley is a Ghost'.
'Knows what [she] is talking about,' Dr Steven Novella.
When?
Tuesday, November 28 2017 at 7:30PM
Download iCalendar file
(e.g. import to Outlook or Google Calendar)
Where?
The Blue Moon
2 Norfolk Street
Cambridge
CB1 2LF
Who?
Paul Duncan McGarrity
What's the talk about?
Tickets: £3.00 advance / £4.00 on the door
Box Office: [open soon]
An archaeologist and comedian (same person, Paul Duncan McGarrity) sits in a room and answers your questions on any subject as honestly as possible. Could be rude, probably crude. Be prepared to talk candidly with the protection of context.
'Like a very tall, funny, excited child' (Scotsman)