Welcome to the Skeptics in the Pub, Nottingham.
Welcome to Skeptics in the Pub, Nottingham. Skeptics in the Pub is about getting people together to have a relaxed and enjoyable evening while listening to talks given in a friendly manner on a wide range of skeptical and science topics.
We usually meet on the first Tuesday of the month at the Fellows Morton and Clayton and the talks usually start at 7.30pm.
The events are free though we do ask for a £2 donation to cover the speakers expenses and other costs.
All upcoming events are listed below and the meetings are open to all whatever your beliefs and views so please, come along.
You can also join our Facebook group here
We also have a Twitter Feed at www.twitter.com/notts_skeptics which we will keep you up to date on up coming meetings and other information.
When?
Tuesday, April 3 2012 at 7:30PM
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(e.g. import to Outlook or Google Calendar)
Where?
Fellows Morton and Clayton
54 Canal Street,
Nottingham.
NG1 7EH.
Who?
Dr Chris French
What's the talk about?
One of the greatest strengths of the human species from an evolutionary
perspective is our ability to perceive meaningful patterns and cause and
effect relationships in our surroundings. Our cognitive systems have
evolved to allow us to make relatively quick decisions that are right most
of the time as opposed to slower, more reflective, decisions that are
right slightly more often. In terms of the evolutionary cost-benefit
analysis, our cognitive systems are optimised for biological survival not
for apprehending “Truth”. One consequence of our evolutionary history is
that we are prone to a number of cognitive biases that may well underlie
our predisposition towards supernatural and paranormal beliefs. Because we
are poor at recognising randomness and often see meaning and significance
where there is none, it is not surprising that such beliefs are so
prevalent and persistent.