Welcome to the home page of Skeptics in the Pub - Brighton: A group for those who enjoy listening & talking to, and sharing beverages with others of a skeptical nature.
Come all ye skeptics†, rationalists, scientists, naturalists‡, materialists‡, freethinkers, clearthinkers, atheists, agnostics and brights; drink ale with those similarly enlightened‡, and join us in our mission to promote and foster the use of reason and science to further lifekind, while drinking beer.
The venue for the events is The Caroline of Brunswick on Ditchling Road, opposite The Level.
Entry to the talks will cost £2 to cover speaker expenses, and is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Advance tickets are available @ £2 + 5-p P&P from the venue's website and include a voucher for £2 off any main meal in the pub on the day of the event.
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Check out other events in the Brighton Science Festival
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† and indeed sceptics
‡ in the philosophical sense
When?
Tuesday, September 14 at 8:00PM
Where?
Who?
Dr. Andy Russell
What's the talk about?
From natural cycles to global conspiracies, the climate change"sceptic" uses many arguments to challenge the scientific consensus on climate change. But how well do these arguments stand up and do these people merit the label of skeptics? In this talk we'll examine some of the most common arguments and assess the level of ?scepticism? at work.
Andrew is a weather and climate researcher at the University of Manchester. His work focuses on European extreme events and Antarctic climate change. He runs the North-West branch of the Royal Meteorological Society and often comments on weather and climate issues in the media.
You can read his blog at http://andyrussell.wordpress.com/ and follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dr_andy_russell.
When?
Tuesday, October 12 at 8:00PM
Where?
Who?
Profs Jonathan Bacon and Richard Robinson
What's the talk about?
ManagemAnt
Much of our professional life is deeply marinated in a culture of strong management, but would things improve if management were removed? Jonathan Bacon, Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, has found clues in recent research into ants - creatures which are management free, yet famously successful. 'Swarm intelligence' of the ant colony emerges as a result of interactions between each ant and its neighbours. Much human activity is also management-free, the result of multiple interactions. Examples come from the internet, Wikipedia, the growth of cities ... and networking events.
AntAgonism
But hold on; what's all this about ants? After years of bullying by scientists we have grudgingly accepted that we and apes have a lot in common, with our alpha males, arguments, cheating, freeloading, discord, grudges and generally most un-cooperative behaviour, unlike the image of the sweetly well-behaved ant. Richard Robinson, director of the Brighton Science Festival, suggests that even among the rampant apes, there are elements of the ant present. He gives examples from the world of work, where absence of management is an asset, and where too much management is ripe for our Ant-idote.
Entry £2.
Advance tickets available from the venue's website, and include a voucher giving £2 off any main meal in the pub on the day of the event. Here's the menu.
Nonsense on stilts – the holy pageant of Christmas sliced and diced, and served in a seasonal sauce!
When?
Tuesday, December 14 at 8:00PM
Where?
Who?
Kenneth 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. 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 with evangelical Gary Habermas, Professor of Apologetiics, at the McEwan Hall, Edinburgh. Ken has on several occasions been a guest on Premier Christian Radio and has also appeared on Sky TV.
The website Jesus Never Existed (www.jesusneverexisted.com) 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 planned for the near future.
A second volume The Improbable Paul will be published in 2010.
Entry £2.
Advance tickets available from the venue's website, and include a voucher giving £2 off any main meal in the pub on the day of the event. Here's the menu.