The Central Scrutinizer
21st January 2011, 03:39 PM
James Randi: The Sleep of Reason
Start Date/Time: Thursday, April 28, 2011 6:00 PM
Description: James Randi will reflect on his life as the world's most tireless investigator and staunch challenger of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. Randi has pursued “psychic” spoonbenders, exposed the dirty tricks of faith healers and even investigated homeopathic water “with a memory.”
A proponent of the scientific method, he has also demonstrated that even scientists can be easily fooled and misguided by their own agendas and biases.
Randi will examine some of the claims brought forth to mislead the public as he discusses the major causes of modern irrationality, such as the rise of sensationalist journalism and its influence on public thinking on topics such as climate change. We will learn what we can do in response to purveyors of nonsense and have a renewed perspective of critical thinking in the context of this modern irrationality. We will learn to examine the data for ourselves from a scientific perspective versus from an emotional point of view.
Mr. Randi is the author of several books, articles, essays, stories, and book reviews. He was a frequent guest of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and has lectured and taught at numerous museums and universities around the world, including Harvard University, Stanford University, Oxford University, Princeton University and University California Los Angeles (UCLA).
Cost: $25 ($20 members)
Location: Saint Louis Science enter, May Hall
Age Group: All Ages
When: April 28, 2011
Time: 7 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m. for cocktails)
Program Length: 2 hours
To find out more information or to make reservations, please contact: Reservations Department, 314.289.4424
Start Date/Time: Thursday, April 28, 2011 6:00 PM
Description: James Randi will reflect on his life as the world's most tireless investigator and staunch challenger of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. Randi has pursued “psychic” spoonbenders, exposed the dirty tricks of faith healers and even investigated homeopathic water “with a memory.”
A proponent of the scientific method, he has also demonstrated that even scientists can be easily fooled and misguided by their own agendas and biases.
Randi will examine some of the claims brought forth to mislead the public as he discusses the major causes of modern irrationality, such as the rise of sensationalist journalism and its influence on public thinking on topics such as climate change. We will learn what we can do in response to purveyors of nonsense and have a renewed perspective of critical thinking in the context of this modern irrationality. We will learn to examine the data for ourselves from a scientific perspective versus from an emotional point of view.
Mr. Randi is the author of several books, articles, essays, stories, and book reviews. He was a frequent guest of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and has lectured and taught at numerous museums and universities around the world, including Harvard University, Stanford University, Oxford University, Princeton University and University California Los Angeles (UCLA).
Cost: $25 ($20 members)
Location: Saint Louis Science enter, May Hall
Age Group: All Ages
When: April 28, 2011
Time: 7 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m. for cocktails)
Program Length: 2 hours
To find out more information or to make reservations, please contact: Reservations Department, 314.289.4424