This is the podcast version of the Skeptics in the Pub Online live-streamed talks. We take the audio and give it to you in a nice easy podcast feed for you to listen at your pleasure. All of the talks are still available on our YouTube channel if you want to see any visuals/slides/etc. We release the live shows as we do them on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month and on weeks when there isn't a live show, we release an episode from the archive.
Podcast
Ethical realism in a universe without free will – Aaron Rabinowitz
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Skepticism and ethics are both essential features of a life of flourishing, but what should skeptics and critical thinkers know about ethics, and how should those beliefs motivate us to action? Philosopher Aaron Rabinowitz will put forward the case that skeptics should believe that ethics is real and free will is not, and will argue that adopting these two beliefs gives us the tools we need to improve the world through applied skepticism in a way that’s compassionate without being toothless.
Aaron Rabinowitz is a lecturer in philosophy at Rutgers University, and host of the Embrace The Void and Philosophers in Space podcast.
The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.
Mental Health Pseudoscience on Social Media – Carrie Poppy
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Trauma, gaslighting, narcs, multiple personalities, and the rest of the human mind. Where better to learn about these things than TikTok, Instagram and Twitter? Carrie Poppy (Oh No, Ross and Carrie) takes you on a tour of some of the most popular social media pseudoscience, how to spot it, and what you can say when you see it.
Carrie Poppy is an independent journalist who investigates fringe science, anomalous experiences, and psychology. She co-hosts Oh No Ross and Carrie, a podcast wherein she and her friend Ross try out all kinds of strange treatments, fringe theories, and secretive groups. Carrie’s bachelor’s degree is in philosophy (University of the Pacific) and her master’s degree is in journalism (University of Southern California). She is working toward her Topics in Human Behaviour graduate certificate from Harvard Extension School, where she is also a recurring guest lecturer in Pseudoscience and Mental Health. She is co-editing a psychology textbook for Routledge and for three years has been writing a deeply-reported, disturbing and occasionally hopeful book about the trauma industry.
The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.
How the sex trafficking panic leads to Qanon conspiracy theorists – Brooke Magnanti
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As the US Presidential election draws near, the world has become fascinated with the seemingly new phenomena of Qanon and other wide-ranging conspiracy theories taking over social media and mainstream politics. However, the genesis of these groups is years old and comes from a surprising place: the global anti-sex trafficking movement. Brooke Magnanti discusses what happens when well-meaning causes are sidelined by bad stats and bad faith actors seize the opportunity in the service of a more worrying trend.
Brooke Magnanti is a scientist and author. She is writer of the bestselling Belle de Jour series of books, which were adapted into the hit ITV show “Secret Diary of a Call Girl” starring Billie Piper. She is also the writer of crime thrillers The Turning Tide and You Don’t Know Me. Brooke was born in west central Florida in 1975. She earned a Ph.D. in the Forensic Pathology department there, specialising in human decomposition and postmortem identification. She has worked in forensic science, epidemiology, chemoinformatics and cancer research.
The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.
Ivermectin for COVID-19: A Tale of Science Gone Wrong? – Jack Lawrence
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The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a host of scientific triumphs but also numerous failures and declining reputations. One such example is the antiparasitic medication ivermectin, which had previously gained a reputation as a highly effective “wonder drug” but has since faced much controversy during the pandemic. Initially hailed as a potential miracle cure for COVID-19, further examination revealed that ivermectin had little effect on the disease.
Jack Lawrence, played an instrumental role in uncovering signs of research misconduct in several high-profile ivermectin for COVID-19 studies after stumbling upon fabricated data in a major ivermectin study during a university assignment. Following his discovery, Jack teamed up with a group of scientific data sleuths to examine further ivermectin studies. In his talk, Jack will outline the history of ivermectin and the lessons we can draw from its rise and fall as a potential COVID-19 cure. He will also take us behind the scenes of his journey into the world of scientific fraud and how he spotted what passed the notice of many.
Jack Lawrence obtained a Master’s degree from St George’s, University of London in July 2022. His research was focused on improving pancreatic cancer treatment options. He currently works on projects to improve research integrity and transparency. During the COVID-19 pandemic Jack discovered scientific misconduct and fraud in several influential papers purporting to show strong benefits for using ivermectin to treat COVID-19.
The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.
Confessions of a Former Fox News Christian – Seth Andrews
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Seth Andrews is best known as host of the popular website, podcast, and online community, The Thinking Atheist. He is a broadcaster, storyteller, author, activist, and public speaker.
However, rewind a few years and you’d meet a very different Seth Andrews. As a former evangelical Christian he was once a captive of right-wing media, and Fox News in particular. In his new book he examines the Fox News culture, its influence on public opinion, and how it fuels public outrage, bigotry, and fear.
Join us for an open discussion with Seth where we’ll dip our toes into this murky pond, and perhaps find out how he escaped. You can also take the opportunity to ask your own questions. To find out more about Seth: Website: https://www.sethandrews.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seth.andrews.31 Twitter: https://twitter.com/SethAndrewsTTA
The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.
Building bridges – how to talk to conspiracy believers – Ulrike Schiesser
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In the last two years conspiracy theories seemed to have spread like a different kind of virus even to people, we would never have expected to be susceptible. Discussions have been unavoidable and ugly, we lost friends, saw family members drifting away and experienced an increasing radicalization.
How to respond to conspiracy narratives? Why do people believe them in the first place? Are some more susceptible to it than others? What are good conversation strategies? Should you break off contact? What if it involves close relatives? How can we connect despite different world views?
Ulrike Schiesser is a psychologist and psychotherapist working at the Federal Office for Cult Affaires (Bundesstelle für Sektenfragen) an Austrian state-run office who who deals with cults and various problematic developments in the field of esotericism, personality cults, authoritarian and monopolizing group structures and conspiracy theories. She does counselling of family members of conspiracy affiliated persons and public stakeholders and accompanies people through rethinking and change processes.
The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.
Take the Redpill: Understanding the Allure of Conspiratorial Thinking among Proud Boys – Samantha Kutner
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Recent global events have led many to ask how far right groups like the Proud Boys are linked to Qanon, Lockdown Protests, Save The Children, and other disinformation vectors.
In “Take the Redpill” her latest publication with @GJIA_Online, Samantha Kutner answers a different question: How does the Proud Boys redpill entry into recruitment make them susceptible to conspiracy theories?
Samantha Kutner received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in communication studies from the University of Nevada, Reno. She studies violent extremism and the gender dynamics of radicalization. Her research has been published in the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism Studies in the Hague and Georgetown University’s Journal of International Affairs and referenced in Rolling Stone, Truth or Fiction, Miami New Times, The Daily Beast, and Nation of Change.
As an independent consultant, Samantha provides training presentations informed by her ethnographic research with Proud Boys and Antifascists. To learn more about Samantha, her research, and Glitterpill, visit proudboyswhisperer.com and follow her on Twitter: @ashkenaz89.
The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.
The Skeptics’ Guide to Vexillology – Dr Tom Williamson
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Flags! They’re everywhere, from battlefields to Pride marches to the World Cup. But what secrets and mysteries do flags hold? Why do some people get upset if you say Union Flag instead of Union Jack? Are remainers right when they say they want their star back? Why do the bad guys have such well-designed flags? And just what does it mean to fly at half mast?Tom Williamson, whose fascination with the subject began with investigating his grandfather’s souvenirs, will attempt to answer these questions and more in this taste of vexillology, the study of flags. Every aspect of this diverse field will be covered, so look forward to history, politics and design. Flags: not just colourful pieces of cloth!
Graduating with a PhD in Systems Biology from the University of Manchester, Tom Williamson has decided to do nothing with it whatsoever and instead spends his days designing tills for some of the UK’s biggest charities. When he’s not doing that, Tom is one half of the Retrospecticus podcast, a show that examines The Simpsons and the events in modern history that surround it. Outside of that, Tom developed the word salad generator Wisdom of Chopra, a website that was used to win an IgNobel prize.
The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.
RETRO: Suffragettes Vs Velociraptors – How two of the coolest things in history have been misunderstood – Iszi Lawrence
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The intriguing title of the talk pretty much speaks for itself, and absolves us of not knowing any more. However, if you’ve ever wondered which of them would win in a fight, then you’ll finally get an answer!Iszi Lawrence is the Author of The Unstoppable Letty Pegg (Bloomsbury), presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Making History, The British Museum Membercast, Terrible Lizards and The Z List Dead List Podcasts. She is also a comedian and voice of The Skeptics Guide To The Universe.
To find out more about Iszi:
Website: https://iszi.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iszi_lawrence
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iszi.lawrence/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iszi_lawrence/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKr5IYVneZl1SBVFInBL6wA
The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.
RETRO: Who really runs the internet? – James Ball
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If you believe the rumours, Mark Zuckerberg is about to take over the world, thanks to Facebook’s billions of users and the power of his algorithm. But Facebook is ultimately just one company and just one service – what about the actual internet: the servers, the routers, and the thousands of miles of fibre-optic cables that cross the world? Who controls them? And who makes the rules that govern how traffic flows, who can connect. and more – and why don’t we talk about it more often?
James Ball is the author of The System: Who Owns The Internet And How It Owns Us. He is the global editor of The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, where he oversees the not-for-profit’s international reporting projects. He also works as a freelance writer and broadcaster, and is a weekly columnist for The New European.
He was previously a special correspondent at BuzzFeed UK and special projects editor at The Guardian, where he played a key role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the NSA leaks by Edward Snowden, as well as the offshore leaks, HSBC Files, Reading the Riots and Keep it in the Ground projects.
At WikiLeaks he was closely involved in Cablegate – the publication of 250,000 classified US embassy cables in 2010 – as well as working on two documentaries based on the Iraq War Logs. He lives in London with two cats.
The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.