Skeptics in the Pub

London Skeptics in the Pub meets (usually) once every month @ The Penderel's Oak, Holborn. A £2 donation is requested to cover the guest speaker's travelling expenses and sundries. All are welcome. Turn up at any time during the evening. The room is open for food and drink from about 5.30pm and talks start at 7pm.

The event was founded in 1999, for all those interested in the paranormal, alternative medicine, psychic powers, pseudo-science, UFOs, alien abductions, creationism, Fortean phenomena, cult religions, water-divining, lost civilizations etc. A guest speaker is invited each month to present a topic of interest, which is followed by an informal discussion in a relaxed and friendly pub atmosphere. The UK-Skeptics forum is a good place for continuing discussions after the meeting. There is also an associated facebook group you can join.

There are also events in Leicester UK, Sydney AU, Victoria AU, Tasmania AU, Boston MA, Victoria BC, Dallas TX, Vancouver BC, Syracuse NY and Manchester NH. You could also try finding your local Drinking Skeptically.

Date	Speaker	Topic
Monday 13th October 2008	Paul Taylor Paul Taylor joined the staff of Answers in Genesis (UK/Europe) in August 2005 as a writer and speaker. He is now Head of Media and Publications and editor for Answers Update. Paul regularly contributes to the AiG website and Answers Magazine and writes articles published in various Christian magazines. Paul graduated from Nottingham with a BSc in Chemistry in 1982. He then took a year's Post-Graduate Certificate in Education and taught science in state schools for 17 years, eventually becoming a Head of Department, and gaining a Masters in Science Education at Cardiff University. After becoming a Christian in his late teens Paul had a Saturday job in a Christian bookshop in Ashton. It was there that he first noticed a booklet by a group of Christians who did not believe in the theory of evolution! This was a complete shock to Paul, because he could not conceive how people could fail to believe in what he thought was established scientific fact. However, the bookshop manager persuaded him that it made scientific sense to believe the Bible's account of creation in Genesis, and sent Paul home with such books as Evolution or Creation by Professor Enoch, The Genesis Flood by John Whitcomb and Henry Morris, and Morris' The Genesis Record. Now convinced of the truth of Genesis, and, therefore, of the whole Bible, Paul began to propagate these views, writing articles for his church magazine. As a schoolteacher, Paul frequently challenged pupils to think through the issue of origins for themselves, rather than accept evolutionary orthodoxy. These teaching methods, particularly as Paul began developing curricula, frequently brought him into conflict with more evolutionary-minded staff. He is the author of two books: The Six Days of Genesis and Truth, Lies and Science Education.	Why don’t creationists just shut up? Why do creationists believe what they believe? Is it, to quote Richard Dawkins, just “blind faith in the absence, or even in the teeth, of evidence”? The illustrated talk will argue that even those who don’t accept their conclusions should recognise that there is a solid logic to a young earth creationist position.
Monday 17th November 2008	Neil Arnold For more than seventeen years Neil Arnold has tracked, monitored and collated evidence of felids such as Puma, Leopard and Lynx in the wilds. His blog is the only investigation into sightings and evidence of large, exotic cats roaming Kent, Sussex and London. He is the author of "Monster! - The A-Z of Zooform Phenomena"	Beasts on the Loose Neil Arnold takes a look at big cat sightings in the UK Sightings of large cats date back several centuries, proving that the so called 'big cat' situation is not a modern enigma. Neil Arnold looks at the history and evidence of sightings around the South East.
Monday 8th December 2008	Professor Chris French and Nick Pope Chris French is a Professor of Psychology and Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths College, University of London (www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/apru). He teaches a course entitled Anomalistic Psychology as part of the BSc (Hons) Psychology programme at Goldsmiths College. He is a Chartered Psychologist and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers & Commerce, and the Institute for Cultural Research. He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the British False Memory Society and the Advisory Board of the Center for Inquiry, London. He has published over 100 articles and chapters covering a wide range of topics within psychology. His main current area of research is the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences. In addition to academic activities, such as conference presentations and invited talks in other departments, he frequently appears on radio and television casting a sceptical eye over paranormal claims. Nick used to work at the Ministry of Defence, where from 1991 to 1994 he was posted to a division where his duties included investigating UFOs. Initially sceptical, his official research and investigation convinced him that the UFO phenomenon raised important defence, national security and flight safety issues. He was particularly interested in cases where the witnesses were pilots or where UFOs were tracked on radar. Nick is now recognised as a leading authority on UFOs and the unexplained.	Skeptics versus Believers UFOs and alien abductions: Serious defence and national security issues at stake, or intriguing phenomena with their roots in psychology and belief? Professor Chris French and Nick Pope square up to each other in a head-to-head debate with a difference. Because we like to be a little bit controversial (and we thought it would be fun), we have them swap roles and argue each other's case. Will Chris French convince you that ET really is visiting us on a regular basis? Or will Nick Pope persuade you that psychological factors can account for such claims? Come along and cast your vote!
January 2009	To be announced	To be announced

If you can think of anyone who might be willing to speak at the 'to be announced' meetings (including yourself!) please contact us. If the location is too far from where you live, why not start your own local group?

The Pub

The Penderel's Oak
283-288 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7HP

Tel: 020 7242 5669

As you enter the pub, turn left and head down to the cellar bar.

By tube

The pub is very close to Holborn and Chancery Lane tube stations. From Holborn turn right outside the station onto High Holborn, from Chancery Lane, turn left from the station. The walk will take approximately 3 mins. The Transport for London journey planner can be found here. Click here for a tube map and for a street map, or here for a gmap.

By train

The Penderel's Oak is about a half-mile from Farringdon, City Thameslink and Blackfriars mainline stations. National train times and live departure boards can be found here.

By bus

Buses 8, 17, 25, 45, 46, 242, 341 and 521 all pass High Holborn. The 1, 59, 68, 91, 168, 171, 188, 243 and X68 all pass Holborn tube station, which is very close. Click here for a bus map.

By car

A detailed street map showing car parks can be found here and a less detailed one is shown below.

Location of Penderel's Arms

Further information

There's a review of the July 2006 meeting by Steve Fuller here and of the February 2002 meeting by Malcolm Robinson here. You might also like to read Nick Pullar's account of his firewalk, as well as this one of a charity fire walk written by organiser Partha Lal. There's an interesting letter and response from an ex skeptic here. The December 2006 talk by Dick Taverne sparked an e-mail exchange that you can read here. There are some discussions about pub events in the UK-Skeptics forum.

E-mail specific questions to . Previous meetings are listed in the archive.

[The Skeptic] [Archive] [Shirley Ghostman] [Feb 2002 review] [Charity Firewalk] [Ex-Skeptic's letter] [Nick's Firewalk] [Taverne Debate]