Skepticon

This November, Think Inc. will present Skepticon Australia 2017. The two-day ideas festival is the 33rd Australian Skeptics annual national convention, celebrating science, reason, and critical thinking.

Originating from Melbourne, the Australian Skeptics investigate pseudo-scientific and paranormal claims, from aliens to quack cures. They release a quarterly magazine, give grants for skeptical and scientifically-oriented activities, and campaign for the education of pseudoscience.

Skepticon includes both local and international speakers, including futurist and social-media superstar, Jason Silva, and science communicator Cara Santa Maria from the Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast and filmmaker Alan Melikdjanian, better known as ‘Captain Disillusion.’

Also on the program are: former naturopath-turned-skeptic Britt Hermes from the Cognitive Dissonance and the Scathing Atheist podcasts, astronomer and science expert Dr. Alan Duffy, award-winning documentary filmmaker Sonya Pemberton, scientist and media superstar Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki and celebrity TV doctor Dr Brad McKay.

Rounding off the lineup of global skeptics are:

  • Dr. Vyom Sharma, the doctor/ magician who ‘vanishes’ illness
  • The Checkout presenter Kate Browne
  • Design researcher and cult survivor Ruth Ellison
  • Cancer researcher and science explainer Leigh Nicholson
  • War on Waste’s Craig Reucassel and Jodi Boylan
  • Nuclear technology advocate and Bright New World founder Ben Heard
  • Vaccination campaigner Catherine Hughes
  • Comedian and TV presenter Lawrence Leung, who will also be the MC.

Speakers will cover a diverse range of topics, from Alan Duffy’s debunking of the hype of various technologies promising us a journey to Mars, to Captain Disillusion’s viral video myth-busting, and Britt Hermes’ exposé of naturopathy and its dangerous, unproven, and even illegal treatments.

Dr. Brad McKay, Sonya Pemberton and Captain Disillusion will come together for a panel on how they use media as a tool for busting myths and boosting facts, while Ben Heard will be explaining the case for nuclear technology as the solution to our most pressing global challenges. Kate Browne examines how companies guilt new parents into buying products that range from the just plain silly to the downright dangerous.

Don’t miss this festival of mind-blowing, myth-busting science!

Event details

Dates: Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th November
Venue: City Recital Hall, Sydney

Find out more about Skepitcon