Skepticism as a Scientific Virtue

Charles Darwin wrote that he felt within himself “an instinct for truth, knowledge, and discovery” that was of the same nature as “the instinct of virtue.”  Let’s follow that line of thought to consider what it means to understand science as a virtuous practice.  We’ll see how both philosophical analysis and empirical data support a special form of skepticism as a scientific virtue.

Robert Pennock

Robert T. Pennock is University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, where he is on the faculty of Lyman Briggs College, the Departments of Philosophy and Computer Science & Engineering, and the Ecology, Evolution and Behavior program.  His research involves both empirical and philosophical questions that relate to evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and the scientific character virtues.  He was an expert witness in the Kitzmiller v. Dover Intelligent Design creationism case, and he develops software to help students learn about evolution and the nature of science using digital organisms.  He is a co-founder of BEACON, an NSF Center for the Study of Evolution in Action and also directs the Vocational Virtues Project, which develops a virtue-based approach to understanding integrity and responsible conduct.   Pennock is a past President of Sigma Xi, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a National Associate of the National Academies of Science.  The author of over a hundred articles in philosophy, science, and education, his book Tower of Babel: The Evidence against the New Creationism was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.  His latest book is An Instinct for Truth: Curiosity and the Moral Structure of Science.

Lady Bits: Getting Past the Myths and Misconceptions

The female body has been misunderstood and maligned throughout human history, often with terrible consequences for women's rights and health. Science journalist Erika Engelhaupt will discuss the (relatively short) history of scientific study of women's sexual and reproductive health, and the sad state of education and knowledge about these topics today among the public and decision makers. 

Erika Engelhaupt

Erika Engelhaupt is a freelance science journalist, editor, and author. Her book GORY DETAILS: Adventures from the Dark Side of Science explores the truth behind the many strange science stories she has encountered in her career. She has written for and/or edited top science magazines, newspapers, and websites including National Geographic, NPR, Science News, and Popular Mechanics. She holds M.S. degrees in biology and environmental science, and is now working on her next book for National Geographic, called SUPERPOWERED, which will delve into the science behind real (not mythical) human superabilities. She lives in Washington, DC, and Knoxville, Tennessee.

Modern Vaccine Myths:
Everything Old is New Again

Many of the modern anti-vaccine myths that have gained wild popularity during the COVID-19 Pandemic, as popularized by influencers like Joe Rogan, have been pushed for decades by legacy conspiracists like RFK Jr., Del Bigtree, and others. Dr. Wilson will detail the rise and recycling of these “theories”, discussing why they are so difficult to stop but also techniques and messages that we should be using today.

Dan Wilson

At a young age, Dr. Dan Wilson got sucked into the world of conspiracy theories and pseudoscience as a believer. It took a long time, some great biology teachers, and challenging conversations for him to come out of the rabbit hole.

Now, as a Ph.D. molecular biologist (Carnegie Mellon University / 2020), he spends his spare time debunking anti-science misinformation on his YouTube channel, Debunk the Funk with Dr. Wilson. His channel began in early 2020, set out to debunk anti-vaccine misinformation, but quickly took on the task of debunking the avalanche of misinformation that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic. Having once believed in pseudoscientific ideas, he brings a unique perspective when using his expertise to communicate what the data and experts actually say about the seemingly never-ending false claims made in this field. He’s been featurd on several notable podcasts including This Week in Virology, Decoding the Gurus, Conspirituality, and The Majority Report. Dr. Wilson has also recorded conversations with anti-vaxxers, lab leak believers, and even people who think viruses don’t exist! “Debunk the Funk” has more than 40,000 subscribers.

Helen Arney

Songwriter, science presenter and ‘Voice of an Angle’ Helen Arney regularly features on TV, Radio and in theatres across the world with her unique mix of stand-up, songs and science. You might have seen her explaining physics while riding a rollercoaster for BBC2 Coast, electrifying Sandi Toksvig on QI, singing the periodic table on Channel 4, smashing a wine glass with the power of her voice live on Blue Peter or touring with science comedy phenomenon Festival of the Spoken Nerd. Helen is currently working on several full-length musical theatre projects about teenage jiu jitsu suffragettes, early women astronauts and everything Darwin got wrong about the female of the species.

George Hrab

As an accomplished drummer, guitarist, pianist, and songwriter, George Hrab has written and released eight albums: sic], Minutæ, Vitriol, Coelacanth, Interrobang, Trebuchet, 21812, and Terpsichore— plus a full-length, live concert film. His funny, clever, and often thought-provoking songs draw on a panoply of styles and influences ranging from Ellington's A-Train to Zappa's Zombie Woof. 

Best known in his home town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania as the longtime drummer for The Philadelphia Funk Authority, George is internationally beloved as the sparkling personality behind more than 870 episodes of The Geologic Podcast. Ranging in tone from incredibly serious to unbearably silly, his award-winning show features weekly musings about science, music, comedy, and life at large.

He currently performs both solo and with "The George HraBand," an exceptionally tight and talented ensemble that handles the ins and outs of his vast repertoire with aplomb... and even sometimes with a peach.

Scott Haskitt

Multi-Instrumentalist, songwriter and producer, Scott has done multiple tours in the US and Europe on guitar and drums. He also teaches instrumental music, production and music theory in the New Haven area.

A love of science, polyrhythms and indie rock bring a quirky edge to Scott’s original compositions, which have been released through his band Birds Over Arkansas, as well as on two of his solo albums. His songs “So Much Sky” and “Neptune & Haumea” were featured on the NECSS 2020 Conference Livestream.  Fueled by a long-term interest in skepticism and bias awareness, Scott’s YouTube channel has also earned a modest following among the music gear community through his guitar-mod comparison videos.

Joey Fabian

Joey is a San Francisco Bay Area bassist/multi-instrumentalist/vocalist, composer, producer/engineer/editor and bass/guitar instructor. His performance credits include critically acclaimed fusion unit The Bartron Tyler Group, BMA nominated blues singer Paula Harris, pop star Alana Davis and guitar hero Will Ray of The Hellecasters. He currently tours with The Stinkfoot Orchestra; a 14 piece tribute to Frank Zappa featuring alums like Napoleon Murphy Brock.

In 2011 he began performing songs of a skeptical nature via “The Skeptic’s Jukebox”. His studio “The Tomato Farm” is his base of operations for teaching bass and guitar, producing music and podcasts, editing audio, producing elements for a nationally syndicated radio show and more.

Melanie Trecek-King

Melanie Trecek-King is the creator of Thinking Is Power—a riff on ‘knowledge is power’—which empowers individuals with skills to make better decisions and protect themselves from misinformation. As an Associate Professor of Biology at Massasoit Community College, she teaches an award-winning science course that equips general-education students with critical thinking, information literacy, and science literacy skills. Trecek-King is the Education Director for the Mental Immunity Project and CIRCE (Cognitive Immunology Research Collaborative), and is a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.

Karl Kruszelnicki

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki just loves science to pieces, and has been spreading the word in print, on TV and radio, and online for more than thirty years. The author of 47 books (and counting) Dr Karl is a lifetime student with degrees in physics and mathematics, biomedical engineering and medicine and surgery. Since 1995, Dr Karl has been the Julius Sumner Miller Fellow at the University of Sydney. In 2019 he was awarded the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularisation of Science.

Erika Matthews

Erika Matthews is a 3rd year doctoral student in Biological Anthropology with a bachelor's degree in Pre-Professional Animal Science and a Master of Research in Primate Biology, Behavior, and Conservation. Erika operates the YouTube channel "Gutsick Gibbon" which focuses on science communication and combating pseudoscience such as creationism, spirit science, and climate change denialism. She has spoken at several Youtube conferences emphasizing skeptical thought, as well as humanist meetups such as FREEFLO. Erika's channel emphasizes science literacy and aims to inspire wonder and curiosity about our evolution and position on the great tree of life.

Carolyn Dougherty

Carolyn Dougherty is a retired teacher and a member of the SkeptiCal organizing committee. She is the founder and facilitator for Rational Roundtable, a new skeptic group in the Central Valley of California.

Darren Linvill

Dr. Linville is a professor in the Clemson University Department of Communication and co-director of the Watt Family Innovation Center's Media Forensics Hub at the same institution. He has written and researched extensively about the strategy and tactics of foreign influence operations, with a focus on the work China and Russia engage in through social media. He has partnered with organizations including CNN, NBC, NPR, ProPublica and the BBC to uncover foreign operations targeting the U.S. and the West. Beyond his academic work, Darren has written for outlets including The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Foreign Affairs, and Lawfare.

Sander van der Linden

Dr. van der Linden is Professor of Social Psychology in Society and Director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge. He has won numerous awards for his research on human judgment, communication, and decision-making, including the Rising Star Award from the Association for Psychological Science (APS). He co-developed the award-winning fake news game, Bad News and regularly advises governments, public health authorities, and social media companies on how to combat the spread of misinformation. His research is regularly covered in outlets such as the New York Times, BBC, NPR, and Rolling Stone. His book Foolproof: Why We Fall for Misinformation and How to Build Immunity, won the 2024 Harvard Goldsmith Prize in the trade category, was co-winner of the British Psychological Society’s Best Popular Science Book of 2023, and was selected as a best book of 2023 in political theory by Waterstones.

Mekela Panditharatne

Ms. Panditharatne serves as counsel for the Brennan Center’s Elections and Government Program, where her policy work and legal advocacy are focused on election reform, election security, governance, voting, and election disinformation. She helps lead the Brennan Center’s work on AI and democracy, providing advice to policymakers and overseeing a policy essay series on various topics at the intersection of AI and elections. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, the Boston Globe, and elsewhere.

Eugenie C. Scott

Dr. Scott is the former Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education, a not for profit membership organization of scientists, teachers, and others that works to improve the teaching of science as a way of knowing, the teaching of evolution, and the teaching of climate change. A former college professor, Dr. Scott is an internationally-known expert on the creationism and evolution controversy and science denialism. The author of Evolution vs Creationism: An Introduction and co-editor with Glenn Branch of Not in Our Classrooms: Why Intelligent Design is Wrong for our Schools. she has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the American Humanist Association and the Center for Inquiry, as well as the Skeptic Society’s James Randi Award. In 2009, Scientific American named her “one of 10 outstanding leaders involved in research, business or policy pursuits that have advanced science and technology.” She holds 10 honorary doctorates. Asteroid 249540 Eugeniescott was named for her in 2014.

Kyle Polich

Kyle Polich is the host of the Data Skeptic podcast, where he dives deep into the world of data science, statistics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. With a keen interest in exploring complex topics, Kyle has interviewed hundreds of research scientists, bringing their expertise to a wide audience.
In addition to his podcasting work, Kyle founded and runs a consulting group, assisting companies in harnessing the power of AI, ML, and cloud technologies to drive innovation and growth. His extensive experience in the field, coupled with his custom software development for guest selection, has made him a sought-after expert in the industry.

Jay Diamond

Jay Diamond holds a masters degree in electrical engineering, specializing in artificial intelligence. Following his graduate work, he moved to California in the early 90s to build neural network chips for Intel Corporation. He’s lectured around the world on technology, business, science, and skepticism. Most importantly, he’s on the board of Bay Area Skeptics and was the first speaker on the last day, of the last of James Randi’s Amazing Meetings.

Bill Patterson

The previous Skepardy! was so spectacular, we had to have Bill Patterson back for yet more skeptically-themed Jeopardy. Bill has been quizzing clever people for years, and for this event we'll have some special guests as contestants, and questions from your favorite skeptics, as well.

Bill Patterson was a high school physics teacher for ten years, a Peace Corps volunteer, and a youth agency executive. He currently is a radiation therapist living in Sonoma County, California. He loves all things rational, and is a board member of Bay Area Skeptics.

Steven Novella, M.D.

Dr. Novella is a clinical neurologist and associate professor at Yale University School of Medicine. He is best known as a host of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast. He is the President of the New England Skeptical Society and a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI).

Michael ‘Marsh’ Marshall

Michael ‘Marsh’ Marshall is a British skeptical activist and the editor of The Skeptic magazine. He is the co-founder and vice-president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and co-host of its official podcast, Skeptics with a K. He is the project director of the Good Thinking Society and a fellow with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.

Noah Lugeons

Noah Lugeons is an American podcaster and author, and is one of the main hosts of the Puzzle in a Thunderstorm family of podcasts (God Awful Movies, The Scathing Atheist, The Skepticrat, and Citation Needed).