Board of Directors

Treasurer

Işil Arican
Yalansavar

Directors

Bill Patterson

Herb Masters
Bay Area Science, SciSchmooze Newsletter, ExplOratorium

Steven Newton
College of Marin

Josh Rosenau
Mountain Lion Foundation

Gwenn Olson

25 June – Virtual Skeptics in the Pub
26 June – Skeptical Inquirer Presents
8 July – Skeptics in a Real Pub
10 July – SkepTalk
22 August – Global Skeptics in the Pub
23 August – SkeptiCal 2025

Virtual Skeptics in the Pub

WHAT: Virtual Skeptics in the Pub

This is a casual night of socializing with fellow skeptics and with others inhabiting our oblate spheroidal planet.

Please join us! This is a free event brought to you by Bay Area Skeptics. All are welcome.

WHEN: Wednesday June 25, 7-9pm Pacific (GMT-7)

HOW: Online HERE. Passcode: 1023

Skeptical Inquirer Presents

Sander van der Linden

Psychological Inoculation Against Misinformation

Much like a viral contagion, misinformation can spread rapidly from one mind to another. Moreover, once lodged in memory, falsehoods are difficult to correct. Inoculation theory offers a natural basis for developing a psychological “vaccine” against the spread of fake news and misinformation. Is it possible to pre-emptively “immunize” millions of people against disinformation by pre-exposing them to severely weakened doses of the techniques that underlie its production?

PRESENTER: Sander van der Linden is a Dutch social psychologist and author who is Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Cambridge. He studies the psychology of social influence, risk, human judgment, and decision-making. [Wikipedia]

WHEN: Thursday 26 June at 4 PM Pacific

HOW: Free. Click HERE to register

Skeptics in a REAL Pub

WHAT: Skeptics in the Pub

Enjoy an evening of socializing and feasting with fellow Bay Area folk in an Irish Pub on the Peninsula.

Please join us! This is a free event brought to you by Bay Area Skeptics. All are welcome.

WHEN: Tuesday July 8, 7 – 9:30 PM

WHERE: Fiddlers Green, 333 El Camino Real, Millbrae. Accessible by Caltrain, BART, Bus, & Bicycle.

HOW: Click HERE if you can offer a ride or if you would like a ride to & from Fiddlers Green. Be prepared to pay another participant for drink & delectables: cash, check, Apple Pay, Venmo, Zelle, et al. [Our group will receive a single check from the Head Leprechaun.]

SkepTalk

Coleman Watts

Confessions of a Former Conspiracy Theorist

The list of individuals who have managed to escape the rabbit hole of conspiracism is short, but there is an even shorter list of individuals who have then gone on to become popular skeptical podcasters. Former conspiracy enthusiast Coleman Watts discusses why people fall for cults and cons, and how he managed to climb out of the rabbit hole. What’s the best way to talk to a conspiracy theorist to dissuade – and persuade – them from their views? Is misinformation taking over, and if so, why? Coleman Watts will talk about all of this and more in an engaging talk about his experiences debunking the views he used to embrace.

PRESENTER: Coleman Watts is the host of Think This Through on YouTube. He debunks cons, cults, and conspiracies with a humorous flair.

WHEN: 10 July at 6:30 PM Pacific

HOW: Click HERE to watch