This weekend, I’ll be speaking to Minnesota Atheists at the Roseville Library, 2180 Hamline Avenue North, Roseville, on September 15th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Don’t worry, I won’t babble on for 3 hours (although I probably could), there will be other organizational stuff going on.
In October, it’s time for the gaudy, garish, spectacularly weird Paradigm Symposium, which has just released their schedule of speakers.
I’m talking at 5:45pm on Friday, 18 October. I was disappointed to see that the schedule just lists names; I’d like to know what people are talking about. All I know is the guy before me wrote a book about the Mysteries of the Pyramids, and the guy after me wrote a book about A New Vision of Reality Merging Science, the Spiritual and the Supernatural. I can tell you my title, at least: “An analysis of the evidence for extraterrestrial intervention”.
Nice, neutral wording right? I will have a few words to say about pyramids and spirituality, so I’ll fit right in. It should be fun.
I also notice that of 20 listed speakers, one is a woman. That’s 5%. Not very equal, now is it? And now I’m torn: would I really be doing women a favor by insisting that more of them be given a voice at this event? I’ve written to Scotty Roberts mentioning this uncomfortable fact already.
Any symposium “featured on Ancient Aliens” will be a woo-fest. You are a very brave man, PZ.
And actually, I kind of wish I could go. Assuming the speaker after you addresses the topics of his book, it would be… well, interesting to have a drinking game in the room, where people take a shot every time he says the word “quantum.” I wonder how many people would make it to the end of the hour?
I’ll be taking notes. I expect to get many blog posts out of this weekend.
The audience isn’t supposed to care whatever they talk about, scientismist. The audience is supposed to bask in the positive energy the speakers radiate. *ragelol*
I like your title; have fun. :-)
Huh. So much for the prejudice that woo is for silly pink ladybrains while Man is rational.
@David Marjanović #4 – Based on my own experiences (yes, I’ve been dragged to these things before) the speakers are overwhelmingly men and the audiences are overwhelmingly women. Remember, it is called bullshit, not cowshit: apparently ,it takes a rational mind to create woo silly enough for a pink ladybrain. Or something like that.
Why are you speaking at this event?
dianne
PZ is doing it on a dare or he lost a bet.
I forget which.
diane
About a year ago the woomeister who organizes this event posted here for a while. He invited PZ to be token skeptic this year, since PZ was polite.
PZ, could you please publicize this petition? One of Kentucky’s legislative subcommittees may vote against adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards based on not telling “both sides” of the stories of evolution and climate change. The regulatory subcommittee meets tomorrow (9/11).
Thank you.
http://act.engagementlab.org/sign/climate_parents_kentucky?referring_akid=.182201.uejDjM
Found it!
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2012/10/23/did-anyone-attend-the-paradigm-symposium/comment-page-1/#comment-481675
OK, Roberts got back to me and he did have a list of women he tried to invite, and some dropped out and others were in the UK and he ran out of money to fly them in. And he promises to do better next year.
Maybe when I’m at the event I should give him a list of women skeptics to invite next time…
The organizer’s a hilariously defensive woomeister, btw. He’s kind of a great chew toy. Pretty sure the threads can be read, but damned if I remember which they are.
Poke and prod (and inform)! That’s all we (males) can do here.
Also, loved your previous UFO/spiritualsim influxed interview. Say your bit, make those people shirk down in shame.
To paraphrase, “wooing, it’s just more of a guy thing”.
I’m very impressed that my library is hosting the MN Atheists meeting, and that you will be there! I have other plans, unfortunately, so I won’t be able to attend.