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November 2018
Science & the role of ‘big data’
TOPIC CHANGED: What is 'big data' and how is affecting science? Is it making science more trustworthy? How much do we trust scientists anyway? Does the scientific method ever really fail to deliver the truth? If everyone attending could look into part of this NEW(ish) topic it will help enormously and make it a much more eclectic discussion (not just one person's view.) Please donate a gold coin to help cover the cost of the meetup site. Venue: Henry on…
Find out more »December 2018
End of year picnic
Let's relax at one Perth's loveliest picnic spots: Matilda Bay, Crawley. Bring your food & drink or get something from the cafe. Children welcome; and well-behaved dogs! We'll have a 'best example of woo' competition with a small prize awarded by popular consensus. The example can be an article, an item, a photo - or anything else you can think of. Please RSVP below with your full name and your email for a confirmation copy, then I'll give you my…
Find out more »January 2019
Conspiracy theories: what’s the attraction?
We'll look at conspiracy theories: what's the attraction and how can we help people out of 'the rabbit hole' in an effective, non-judgmental way? I'M LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO RESEARCH AND PRESENT THIS TOPIC. Possible books/sources: 'Escaping the rabbit hole' by Mick West; 'Why people believe weird things' Michael Shermer
Find out more »February 2019
Who’s your expert?
Who do we trust to tell us the truth about issues like climate change, vaccination, vitamin supplements and all the rest? It might not be as easy as we might think to tell a 'real' expert from a 'fake' or 'wanna-be' one. The good news is that we've found a new venue that has a quiet, private, upstairs room where we can get drinks and food delivered from downstairs in the hotel. We aim to combine with the Perth Atheists…
Find out more »March 2019
Skeptics book discussion: ‘Nonsense on stilts’
We'll have a discussion about the book 'Nonsense on Stilts: how to tell science from bunk' by Massimo Pigliucci. NB it's not mandatory to have read the book - everyone's welcome! Why do people believe bunk? And what causes them to embrace such pseudoscientific beliefs and practices as antivax, creationism and climate change denial? Noted skeptic Massimo Pigliucci sets out to separate the fact from the fantasy in this entertaining exploration of the nature of science, the borderlands of fringe…
Find out more »April 2019
The ‘tech singularity’ – real or not?
Neil has kindly agreed to talk to us about the so-called 'technological singularity' (or just singularity), which is the hypothesis that the invention of artificial superintelligence (ASI) will abruptly trigger runaway technological growth, resulting in unfathomable changes to human civilization. According to this hypothesis, an upgradable intelligent agent (such as a computer running software-based artificial general intelligence) would enter a "runaway reaction" of self-improvement cycles, with each new and more intelligent generation appearing more and more rapidly, causing an intelligence…
Find out more »May 2019
Holocaust denial
Holocaust deniers are people who contend that the Holocaust - the attempt by Nazi Germany to annihilate European Jewry during WWII - never happened. According to the deniers, the Nazis did not murder six million Jews, the notion of homicidal gas chambers is a myth, and any deaths of Jews that did occur under the Nazis were the result of wartime privations, not of systematic persecution and state-organised mass murder. Deniers dismiss all assertions that the Holocaust took place as…
Find out more »June 2019
‘Merchants of doubt’ screening
Why do so many political leaders cast doubt on the science of climate change? What’s the link between the tobacco industry and climate change denial? 'Merchants of Doubt' explores the spin and ideology behind climate change denial in the US. Filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the curtain on a secretive group of highly charismatic, silver-tongued pundits-for-hire who present themselves in the media as scientific authorities – yet have the contrary aim of spreading maximum confusion about well-studied public threats ranging from…
Find out more »Cryonics: wishful thinking or cold reality?
Skeptics member Michael Clark will take us through the topic of cryonics. He says: "When I die I plan get my head frozen and shipped to a facility to be put in liquid nitrogen. But on their popular sceptics show Pen and Teller say that cryonics is bull****. I would like you to examine my belief with your best sceptical techniques, for and against cryonics. I promise I won't be offended :). If cryonics is false, I want to believe…
Find out more »July 2019
Perception deception – why seeing should not be believing
From pareidolia (Jesus on a cheese toastie) to auditory apophenia (perceiving of patterns in sensory input and linking it with preconceived ideas) to failing to see a gorilla-suited person cross a stage, our senses are not as reliable as we may have been taught to believe. It's important for skeptics to understand this, so we can better evaluate the veracity of personal accounts. We could also have a discussion of some cognitive biases, which are kind of related to sensory…
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