As I’ve done for many years, I attended the Monterey County SkeptiCamp on the first weekend of the year. I find it to be a great opportunity to cleanse your skeptical palette and start a new year with new, rational ideas. Plus it’s a lot of fun.
A SkeptiCamp is a free, informal conference in which anyone, usually amateur skeptics, present on a subject in science and/or scientific skepticism. Speakers may want to explore a new topic, be deeply passionate experts, or just have a need to rant about irrationality in society. This year, subjects included a discussion of the social contagion around drones that is sweeping parts of the USA, medical claims around stem cells curing all disease, and rationally assessing risk with data.
A former teacher discussed creating constructive discussions with friends who believe things that are contradicted by science and evidence. Practical methods were given to avoid alienating them and potentially opening their eyes to rational thinking. In these deeply divided political times, I cannot think of a more constructive topic for rationalists to discuss. This was followed by an exercise to practice actually having those discussions.
The last talk of the day was about attending a national skeptical event for the first time. They discussed CSICON: an unusual weekend in Las Vegas that did not involve gambling and debauchery, but learning, entertainment, and riveting discussions that left them wanting more. OK, maybe a little debauchery. Vegas lends itself to at least a few late nights.
After the SkeptiCamp talks, most of us went out to a restaurant where conversation continued into the evening. Others made a weekend out of it, meeting at a pub the night before and going on a field trip the following day. It was fun and enlightening. I laughed and said “wow” a lot.
Susan Gerbic, aka the Wikipediatrician (she runs a team that adds science and evidence to Wikipedia pages), runs Monterey County Skeptics and has been doing these for a decade. She’s on a mission to have local skeptical groups around the country start their own informal, easy-to-run SkeptiCamps to build community and meet like-minded people.
This year she estimates there will be 10-12 SkeptiCamps around the country, each run by a local group. When I tell people about gatherings like the one in Monterey, they often remark on their interest in the discussions and express regret about not attending.
Fortunately, Bay Area Skeptics is planning a SkeptiCamp on February 9 in Mountain View and you should attend. Stay tuned for more details, and start getting your rational rants ready!
If you’d like to watch any of the talks from Monterey, you can catch them on Susan’s YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@AboutTimeProject/videos
Jay Diamond
Bay Area Skeptics