Dr. Michael Shermer, founding publisher of Skeptic magazine and the executive director of the Skeptics Society, will present Carleton’s first convocation address of 2015 on Friday, Jan. 9 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. In this age of supposed scientific enlightenment, when many people still believe in mind reading, past-life regression theory and alien abduction, Shermer’s presentation will wage a no-holds-barred assault on popular superstitions and prejudices, debunking nonsensical claims and exploring the very human reasons people find otherworldly phenomena, conspiracy theories, and cults so appealing.
Entitled “Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time,” Shermer’s presentation is free and open to the public. Carleton convocations are also recorded and archived online at go.carleton.edu/convo.
In addition to his work with Skeptic magazine and the Skeptics Society (which boasts membership of over 55,000), Shermer is a monthly columnist for Scientific American, a regular contributor to Time.com, and Presidential Fellow at Chapman University A science historian and crusader, Shermer holds degrees in psychology, experimental psychology, and the history of science, and was a college professor for 20 years. He has appeared on such shows as The Colbert Report, 20/20, Dateline, Charlie Rose, Larry King Live, Oprah, Unsolved Mysteries (but, proudly, never Jerry Springer!), and other shows as a skeptic of weird and extraordinary claims, as well as interviews in countless documentaries aired on PBS, A&E, Discovery, The History Channel, The Science Channel, and The Learning Channel. He was the co-host and co-producer of the 13-hour Fox Family Channel television series, "Exploring the Unknown.”
Shermer is also a prolific author of many books and articles including “The Borderlands of Science: Where Sense Meets Nonsense,” “The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience,” “The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow The Golden Rule,” “Science Friction: Where The Known Meets The Unknown,” “Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design,” “The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies: How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths,” and several others. On January 20, 2015, Henry Holt & Co. will release Shermer’s latest book, “The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom.” More at www.michaelshermer.com and www.skeptic.com.
This event is sponsored by the Irene Whitney Distinguished Visitor Lectureship Fund. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4308. The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located at the corner of College and First Streets in Northfield.
