Skeptics 2011 Conference Schedule
Friday 26th August
Time Speaker Topic
6.00 – 9.00 pm registration
7.30 - 9.30 pm Quiz
Saturday 27th August
Time Speaker Topic
9.00 – 9.15 am Chair Entity +
housekeeping
9.15 – 10.15 am Martin Bridgestock Paranormal Belief in Queensland – now the truth can
be told!
10.15 – 10.45 am Morning tea
10.45 – 11.45 am Mark Quigley Standing strong on shaking ground: earth science in
the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes
11.45 – 12.45 pm Kylie Sturgess Token Skepticism - Adventures in Skeptical
Podcasting
12.45 – 1.45 pm Lunch
1.45– 2.30 pm Mark Ottley The Moral Landscape. Scientifically Determined
Human Values
2.30 – 3.15 pm Michael Edmonds Chemistry: An Antidote to Irrational Thinking?
3.15– 3.45 pm Afternoon tea
3.45 – 4.30 pm Harry Broad Are we poisoning paradise with 1080?
4.30 – 5.15 pm Alison Campbell Creationism, It Can Have Its Uses: Using
Pseudoscience to Teach Science
5.15 – 7.00pm Free time Catch up with old friends and make new ones.
Skeptic music videos and music playing in the TV
room.
7.30pm - Dinner Drinks from 7 pm
Sunday 28th August
Time Speaker Topic
9.00 – 9.30 am AGM
9.30– 10.15 am Stu Landsborough My Road to Skeptic Activism
10.15 – 11.00 am Simon Pollard Biology and Mortality: The Mysterious Fears of Our
Nature
11.00 – 11.45 am Brunch
11.45 – 12.30 pm Martin Bridge- Current developments and the future of scepticism?
stock/Kylie Sturgess
12.30 pm – Discussion Where should Skepticism in NZ be heading.
Abstracts
Paranormal Belief in Queensland – now the truth can be told!
Martin Bridgestock
Until recently, Queensland was regarded as the „hillbilly state‟ of Australia. It was dominated
by fundamentalism and flirted with bogus cancer cures and creation science. After
determined action by skeptics, and some major political convulsions, the state has changed
completely. Still, the question remains: how much of the early sentiments remain in
Queensland today?
In this presentation Martin Bridgstock and Kylie Sturgess tell of how they surveyed a
representative sample of over 1200 Queenslanders, to investigate their paranormal and related
beliefs. The results are quite startling, and give a comprehensive picture of exactly what
Queenslanders believe.
Standing strong on shaking ground: earth science in the aftermath of the Canterbury
earthquakes
M. Quigley
The Canterbury earthquake sequence, beginning with the Sept 2010 magnitude 7.1 Darfield
event and followed by the Feb 2011 M 6.3 Christchurch event, has provided remarkable
insights into earthquake geology. I will review the fundamental aspects of these earthquakes
and highlight some of the peculiarities of each. Some members of the scientific community
made a pronounced and sustained effort to educate the public following both events, and it is
arguable that the Christchurch community is now one of the best-educated publics in
earthquake science. Yet, when psuedo-scientific claims were elevated by media, some of the
public went running. Is knowledge power when it comes to presently unpredictable
phenomena such as earthquakes? Why can't scientists predict earthquakes, what can they do,
and what might the future bring?
Token Skepticism - Adventures in Skeptical Podcasting
Kylie Sturgess
Podcasting involves digital audio or video files that are episodic; downloadable; programme-
driven, mainly with a host and/or theme; and convenient, usually via an automated feed with
computer software. There are dozens of skeptical-content based shows on iTunes, across a
number of countries, with a steady increase in shows appearing since 2005. With over fifty
interviews conducted and more than a hundred episodes of podcasting and vodcasting
experience, Kylie Sturgess discusses the breadth of skeptical podcasting as it stands today
and its possible future.
The Moral Landscape. Scientifically Determined Human Values
Mark Ottley
Philosopher and neuroscientist Sam Harris‟s important 2010 book “The Moral Landscape”
describes how science can determine human values. Continuing from, and supportive of this
premise, I will describe how in clinical psychology and psychiatry we make continuous value
judgments about our patients and society based upon this principle of wellbeing, according to
a few essential and universal “pre-requisite values”.
Chemistry: an Antidote to Pseudoscientific Thinking?
Michael Edmonds
This year is the International Year of Chemistry, and chemists worldwide are taking the
opportunity to publicise and celebrate chemistry‟s many achievements and contributions to
humankind.
But does an understanding of chemistry help avoid pseudoscientific thinking?
In this talk I will describe how an understanding of basic principles of chemistry can help
identify and avoid pseudoscientific thinking, and contribute to a clearer understanding of
important public issues. However, I will also give examples which show that an
understanding of chemistry alone does not guarantee scientific thinking.
Are we poisoning paradise with 1080?
Harry Broad
"Are we poisoning paradise with 1080?"as the critics allege. What does the science say and
what do the facts tell us. Why do we use 1080 and where does it fit in the pest control tool
kit?.Why is there so much opposition to it? Why is there a difference in the public
mind between "natural toxins" and manufactured ones. Are you far more in danger from your
garden than ever you are with 1080.The mortality rates would certainly indicate that and it is
also true that hunters are much more in danger from each other than they are from 1080.The
only real problem with 1080 is that it doesn't last long enough!
Creationism, It Can Have Its Uses: Using Pseudoscience to Teach Science
Alison Campbell
At a time when we really need our children to be gaining a good understanding of the nature
of science, pseudoscience seems to be on the rise. Rather than ignore it, or lambast it in a
general way, a better approach may well be to make use of the teaching opportunities that
pseudoscience offers.
My Road to Skeptic Activism
Stu Landsborough
It started as a schoolboy by me not participating in the religious study classes. It then went on
to me making my first $50,000 challenge to psychics. Later this was increased to $100,000.
After that, I challenged the psychics of the TV program „Sensing Murder‟ - offering $300,000
to participate in experimental tests. Most recently, I went to „Sensing Murder‟s‟ psychic –
Kelvin Cruickshank‟s Wanaka show where Kelvin and I had an interesting conversation in
front of two hundred mostly adoring fans (his fans, not mine!)
Biology and Mortality: The Mysterious Fears of Our Nature
Simon Pollard
A belief in immortality and an afterlife is a very convenient way of dealing with our
inevitable biological mortality. This talk looks at burial monuments and how these reflect on
where the residents believed they were going. For skeptics and people sitting on the fence, it
may be best to take the advice of Woody Allen who said, „I do not believe in an afterlife,
although I am bringing a change of underwear, just in case.‟
Current Developments and the Future of Scepticism?
Martin Bridgestock & Kylie Sturgess
The skeptical movement is a loose network of people and organisations which stretches
around the world. Its members regard paranormal claims with a quizzical – and sometime
bilious – eye, but often disagree on almost everything else. There is no skeptical Pope or
Kremlin to keep everyone in line, which means that we have to pay special attention to
exactly what skepticism is, and what it is doing.
To make things more complicated, the skeptical movement is changing very fast. As mass of
younger people -- many of them women – are entering the movement. They act and
communicate in completely different ways from the older skeptics, and we need to be aware
of the differences.
Martin Bridgstock and Kylie Sturgess review these changes, and consider a number of key
issues which skeptics need to sort out. Can skepticism be applied to all aspects of human life,
or does it have limits? Are atheists and skeptics the same, or natural allies? What about
skepticism and religion? Martin presents possible answers to each of these topics. He does
not expect everyone to agree, but wants skeptical minds to be focused upon these key issues.
Biographies