Board of Directors

Treasurer

Işil Arican
Yalansavar

Directors

Bill Patterson

Herb Masters
Bay Area Science, SciSchmooze Newsletter, ExplOratorium

Steven Newton
College of Marin

15 July – Virtual Skeptics in the Pub
16 & 17 July – SkeptiCal 2022
11 August – SkepTalk – Online

Virtual Skeptics in the Pub

WHAT: Virtual Skeptics in the Pub
This is a casual night of socializing with fellow skeptics. We’ll have a number of breakout rooms for quieter conversations.

Please join us! This is a free event brought to you by Bay Area Skeptics. All are welcome, but please be respectful of others.

WHEN: Friday 15 July 6:30-9:00 PM PDT

HOW: Your free ticket to the Pub coming soon!

SkeptiCal 2022

WHAT: Annual Science & Skepticism Conference
In its 12th year, the SkeptiCal Conference brings stimulating and entertaining speakers to a nation-wide audience of science fans, critical thinkers, and, in the words of Carl Sagan, questioners of “extraordinary claims”. Join us for two stimulating days of speakers, interviews, and discussions. And – test your wits on a round of SkeptiCal trivia, and try your hand at SkeptiCal’s popular Skepardy! game.

WHO:

Kenny Biddle
John Cook
Emery Emery
Edzard Ernst
Susan Gerbic
Ian Harris
Alex Kasprak
Nick Little
Leighann Lord
Michael Marshall
Steven Novella
Bill Nye
Bill Patterson
Eugenie Scott
Celestia Ward
Mick West

Prizes from the following exhibitors will be raffled off during the conference:

GeeksBearingGifts
HouhaDesigns
LaunchPins
MontroseBiology
ShopMicrobi .

Click HERE to enjoy a preview of the Skeptical Metaverse.

More information & Tickets: HERE

HOW: SkeptiCal is sponsored by the Bay Area Skeptics, the Sacramento Area Skeptics, the Monterey County Skeptics, and the Center for Inquiry-San Francisco.

SkepTalk – Online

Jenny Rice, Ph.D.

WHAT: What Does Evidence Do?
When it comes to evaluating claims, skeptics tend to adopt the well-known Sagan Standard: “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” But what, exactly, is evidence? After all, conspiracy theorists and pseudoscientists often present a great deal of “evidence” for their claims. In fact, many conspiracy theorists themselves repeat Carl Sagan’s standard as a motto, believing that they do indeed possess extraordinary evidence. In this talk, I discuss different ways that the concept of evidence is used rhetorically in conspiracy claims. We will take a deep dive into what “evidence” means–and the work it does–for conspiracy theorists, as well as why “bad evidence” is often so persuasive.

WHO: Jenny Rice is Professor of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies at the University of Kentucky. She is the author of Awful Archives: Conspiracy Theory, Rhetoric, and Acts of Evidence. Her research focuses on public debates about “extraordinary claims,” including conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, and the paranormal.

WHEN: Thursday 11 August 7:30PM

WHERE: Online. Details to come.

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