In this week’s eSkeptic:
2015 SKEPTIC CONFERENCE
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
The 2015 Skeptics Society Conference, at Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium (May 29–31 2015)
OUR NEXT LECTURE AT CALTECH
THE MORAL ARC: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom
Sun., Feb. 8, 2015 at 2 pm
Baxter Hall, Caltech
WE ARE LIVING in the most moral period of our species’ history. Ever since the Enlightenment, thinkers have consciously applied the methods of science to solve social and moral problems, and in the process created the modern world of liberal democracies, civil rights, equal justice, open political and economic borders, and prosperity the likes of which no human society in history has ever enjoyed. More people in more places have greater rights, freedoms, liberties, literacy, education, and prosperity—the likes of which no human society in history has ever enjoyed.
In this provocative and compelling talk—that includes brief histories of freedom rights, women’s rights, gay rights, and animal rights, along with considerations of the nature of evil and moral regress—Shermer explains how scientific ways of thinking have moved us ever closer to a more just world.
A book signing will follow the lecture. We will have copies of the book, The Moral Arc: How Science Leads Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom, available for purchase. Can’t attend the lecture? Order The Moral Arc online.
Ticket Information
First come, first served at the door. Seating is limited. $10 for Skeptics Society members and the JPL/Caltech community, $15 for nonmembers. Your admission fee is a donation that pays for our lecture expenses.
Sam Harris Interviews Shermer:
On Being Right about Right & Wrong
On January 26, 2015, Sam Harris published an interview with Michael Shermer about his new book, The Moral Arc.
Weekly Highlights
INSIGHT at Skeptic.com sheds light, offers critical perspective, and serves as a broadly accessible, evidence-based resource on mysteries of science, paranormal claims, and the wild, woolly, wonderful weirdness of the fringe. This week’s highlights are:
Book Review: The Big Golden Book
of Dinosaurs
Skeptic David Morrison Receives
AAS Education Prize
MonsterTalk # 94
A Fear of Spiders
One of the most common fears in the world is the fear of spiders. But what does a rationalist do when gripped by an irrational fear? MonsterTalk interviews author Lynne Kelly about her transition from arachnophobia to spider enthusiast. Note: This episode deals with spider sexual reproduction which includes masturbation and cannibalism.
Get the MonsterTalk Podcast App (presented by Skeptic Magazine) and enjoy the science show about monsters on your handheld devices! Available for iOS, Android, and Windows 8 devices. Subscribe to MonsterTalk for free on iTunes. Follow the RSS feed.
