Skeptics in the Pub, Oxford

Follow Skeptics in the Pub, Oxford
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

Thinking and drinking. That is the unlikely goal of our meeting. Each month we invite a speaker to talk about an area of belief and to invite critical debate. We encourage skeptical thought and we enjoy challenging discussions.

SitP Oxford


    • Jul 29, 2016 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 58m AVG DURATION
    • 23 EPISODES


    Search for episodes from Skeptics in the Pub, Oxford with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from Skeptics in the Pub, Oxford

    Gina Rippon: Blame the brain - How neurononsense joined psychobabble to keep women in their place

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2016 66:56


    There is a long history of debate about biological sex differences and their part in determining gender roles. In this talk, Professor Gina Rippon debunks bad science and discusses the real breakthroughs in our understanding of the human brain.

    Alok Jha: The extraordinary story of water, our most ordinary substance

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2016 57:08


    Water may seem the most ordinary of substances, but you would be surprised at how profoundly strange it is. Alok Jha explains how it has shaped life on earth, and how this molecule connects you and everyone else to the birth (and death) of the universe.

    Charlie Duncan Saffrey: Why scientists should listen to philosophers

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2016 40:45


    Science and philosophy are both brilliant and they'd both be even more brilliant if they could talk like grown-ups. Philosopher, writer and stand-up comedian Charlie Duncan Saffrey attempts to get better dialogue going between the two disciplines.

    Suzi Gage: No Turn Unstoned - The harms and benefits of recreational drugs

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2016 46:09


    The media love to sensationalise the dangers of illicit drug use, whilst downplaying the harms from legal drugs. Dr Suzi Gage discusses the scientific understanding of the harms, and also potential benefits of recreational drugs, both illegal and legal.

    Chris Peters: Ask for Evidence - Sense About Science

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2016 34:47


    How can we make companies, politicians, commentators and official bodies accountable for the claims they make? Chris Peters talks about the Ask for Evidence campaign and how you can get involved.

    Michael Marshall: Homeopathy in the UK - The NHS and beyond

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2016 50:09


    Michael Marshall highlights how much money is spent on homeopathic remedies, how this gives undeserved credibility to homeopathy, how such remedies can lead to genuine harm and what you can do to help.

    Sylvia McLain: Science! What does is really mean to be scientific?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2015 45:02


    Dr Sylvia McLain talks about the history of science and its culture and the rise and fall of theories and laws and discusses what science means to us in the modern age.

    David Robert Grimes: Lies, damned lies and statistics - How we get science coverage wrong

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2015 55:23


    Physicist and science journalist Dr. David Robert Grimes discusses the problems in reporting science from misunderstandings to bad statistics to false balance, and how such problems can be remedied.

    Sarah Kendrew: The James Webb Space Telescope - From the first galaxies to the origins of life

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2015 41:09


    Sarah Kendrew gives an overview of the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to Hubble, and the exciting science it will do after launch. She talks about where the mission is right now, from her personal involvement in one the instruments onboard.

    Simon Clare: An atheist's guide to the Alpha Course

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2015 66:06


    Simon Clare, an unabashed atheist, signed up to his local Alpha Course in Brighton, wondering if his faithlessness would be challenged. Spoiler: He wasn't converted but he was surprised at what he learnt about faith.

    Michael Marshall: Lifting The Lid - Ongoing adventures in the world of pseudoscience

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2015 62:57


    Michael Marshall shows what happens when you begin to crack the surface of the pseudosciences that surround us – revealing the surprising, sometimes-shocking and often-comic adventures that lie beneath.

    Martin Robbins: Bad Science in the Developing World - Trailing homeopaths in East Africa

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2015 60:57


    Martin Robbins talks about his visits to homeopathic projects in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

    Lloyd Chapman: Aid works (on average)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2015 45:41


    Lloyd Chapman examines the successes of foreign aid and the dramatic impact they have for the overall success of aid.

    Tim Miles: No laughing matter? Why comedy is important to higher education

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2015 52:56


    Studying comedy offers us fascinating insights and important possibilities. The talk will explore a path through evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, health care, pedagogy, cultural anthology and the performing arts.

    Jon Butterworth: Smashing Physics - News from the energy frontier

    Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2015 51:50


    The discovery of the Higgs boson was the culmination of the largest experiment ever run, the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider. But what is a Higgs boson? How was it found? And what will the LHC do next?

    John Sweeney: Church of Fear - Inside The Weird World Of Scientology

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2015 41:27


    Award-winning journalist John Sweeney tells the story of his investigation of the Church of Scientology

    Sanal Edamaruku: Superstition and Rationalism - the Indian battleground

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2015 98:48


    The president of the Indian Rationalist Association challenges the gurus and godmen who have such a pervasive influence in society.

    Neil Denny, 4 September 2013

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2015 56:49


    The Little Atoms Road Trip: A Scientific Odyssey across America

    Andy Lewis, 18 Mar 2013

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2015 93:57


    What every parent needs to know about Steiner Schools: Anthroposophy and Spiritual Science

    Andrew Steele, 9 Jan 2013

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2013 60:51


    Our investment in science is woefully small compared to the scale of the problems it's trying to solve. Dr Andrew Steele explains why our miniscule spending on science doesn't make sense, and why it's vital that we make science funding a political issue.

    Ronald Green, 6 Mar 2013

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2013 69:18


    What is nothing? Why should nothing matter? Ronald Green talks about nothing and how it has been explored in history, philosophy, religion, science, art, literature and music.

    Professor Elaine Fox, 6 Feb 2013

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2013 81:27


    What is Optimism? And, is it really good for us? Elaine will discuss the nature of “rainy brains” and “sunny brains” asking where these fundamental differences in how we see the world actually come from.

    Dr Evan Harris, 6 Dec 2012

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2013 66:50


    Dr Evan Harris, the former Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon, talks about the Leveson Inquiry and Hacked Off, a “campaign for a free and accountable press.”

    Claim Skeptics in the Pub, Oxford

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel