Skepticism is not denialism

A sceptics club would usually conjure up images of paranoid tinfoil headgear wearing conspiracy theorists, but Skeptics in the Pub is far from it.

Founded in London by Dr Scott Campbell in 1999, the group organises an informal lecture series based on critical thinking.

Things don’t really get this heated at Cardiff Skeptics. Philip, one of the regulars, recreates one of John Sweeney’s infamous Panorama moments and John was happy to play along. Image credit: Philip Dore

Host of Cardiff Skeptics, John Stabler, sees it as a “science club” for people to take a rational approach and examine extraordinary claims. The club meets every month at Cathays Sports & Social Club where a speaker is invited to present a topic followed by a discussion. These topics range from science, history, and psychology to philosophy, magic and investigative journalism.

John Sweeney, one of Cardiff Skeptics most popular guest speakers, gave his talk in The Senedd on June 17 2013. The following month was Professor David Nutt at the same location. Credit: Amy Stabler

“Simon Singh’s talk about his ordeal with the British Chiropractic Association was an interesting one,” says Stabler, referring to the defamation lawsuit filed against him for citing BCA’s promotion of “bogus treatments” in his Guardian column. “Some chiropractors turned up and took part in the Q&A which made for quite a charged atmosphere.”

With current society encouraging conformity, it is refreshing to have a club that celebrates the inquisitive mind from a scientific rationale.

Taking a Christmas break, Cardiff Skeptics will be back with their next talk (to be confirmed shortly) in January.

Quick fire with John Stabler

Every corner of the globe

Dean Burnett and Alice Sheppard founded Cardiff Skeptics in September 2010 which John Stabler took over in February 2012. Since its inception, Skeptics in the Pub has spread across the globe. One may argue it can now be considered a movement.

Q&A with John Stabler

How did you get involved with Cardiff Skeptics?
I was interested in general scepticism and an online search led me to Skeptics in the Pub in Cardiff. It just so happened that Dean and Alice started it a month before (September 2010).

I have always worked in Cardiff, so I was usually the first person to turn up at the talk. Over time they moved on to do different things and I was active and a regular. They thought I was a natural fit to take over.

Who is a Skeptic?
We are inclusive. It is hard to nail down what is a Skeptic. In many instances, you may be sceptical in a certain way – if you think of homeopathy as just sugar pills or may not be a religious person.

The first step is to realise that you are not a perfectly rational being and as soon as you do, you work towards being more sceptical in all areas of life.

The group looks at things like magic and many magicians are Skeptics. James Randi started off as a magician and then went on to debunk faith healers. On live television, he exposed Peter Popoff, a faith healer, as a charlatan who used an ear piece to get information about audience members.

James Randi on Peter Popoff

How is it different from a conspiracy theorist?
Being a Skeptic means there is a philosophical underpinning – we accept that scientific rationalism is a good way of understanding the world. The difference with a conspiracy theorist is that a lot of what they claim is not scientifically backed and more a gut reaction.

For instance, people that claim they are ‘climate Skeptics’. The Skeptic Movement would say they are not really sceptical because they disagree with a lot of the science. We would call them climate change deniers.

What have been the most memorable talks?
Simon Singh’s talk about being sued for defamation by the British Chiropractic Association and John Sweeney’s on Scientology.

But the most interesting one was Professor David Nutt in the heart of the Welsh government, at the Senedd. He was sacked by the then Home Secretary. His talk was about drug policy.

It was nice to have support from one of the assembly members, Simon Thomas (Plaid Cymru AM) who offered us the National Assembly Building for the two talks (Professor Nutt and Sweeney). It was interesting to have politicians look at the science behind drugs as oppose to making reactionary policies.

He was thorough, entertaining and informative and changed some minds. I know some people there were very anti-drugs but warmed up to the idea of not blanket banning everything. You need to look at the evidence to see what is harmful and how do we measure the harm.