Skeptics in the Pub

Format

"Skeptics in the Pub" is not a protected term, anyone can set one up. There also is no formal procedure to organising an event; organisers can fill in activities as they see fit. There are, however, some common approaches across the world in hosting such events that make them more successful.

The usual format of meetings includes an invited speaker who gives a talk on a specific topic, followed by a question-and-answer session. Other meet-ups are informal socials, with no fixed agenda. The groups usually meet once a month at a public venue, most often a local pub. By 2012 there were more than 100 different "SitP" groups running around the world.

History

London

The earliest and longest-running event is the award-winning London meeting, established by Australian philosophy professor Scott Campbell in 1999. Campbell based the idea around Philosophy in the Pub and Science in the Pub, two groups which had been running in Australia for some time. The inaugural speaker was Wendy M. Grossman, the editor and founder of The Skeptic magazine, in February 1999; this first talk attracted 30 attendees. The London group claims to be the "World's largest regular pub meeting," with 200 to 400 people in attendance at each meeting.

Campbell ran the London group for three years while there on a teaching sabbatical, and was succeeded after his return to Australia by two sci-fi fans and skeptics, Robert Newman and Marc LaChappelle. Nick Pullar, who made a television appearance as "Convener of Skeptics in the Pub" on the BBC spoof show Shirley Ghostman, then led the group from 2003 to 2008. As of 2011, the London group was co-convened by Sid Rodrigues, who has co-organised events in several other cities around the world. This group has conducted experiments on the paranormal as part of James Randi's One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge and co-organised An Evening with James Randi & Friends.

Some of the speakers at London Skeptics in the Pub have been Simon Singh, Victor Stenger, Jon Ronson, Phil Plait, David Colquhoun, Richard J. Evans, S. Fred Singer, Ben Goldacre, David Nutt, and Mark Stevenson.

Around the world

The ease of use of the internet, via social networking sites and content management systems, has led to more than 100 active chapters around the world, including more than 30 in the US and more than 40 in the UK. In 2009, D. J. Grothe described the rise of Skeptics in the Pub across cities in North America and elsewhere as a prominent example of "Skepticism 2.0". SITPs were often founded outside the realm of existing skeptical organisations (mostly centred around magazines), with some successful meetings growing out to become fully-fledged membership organisations.

"Skeptics in the Pub" would later serve as the template for other skeptical, rationalist, and atheist meet-ups around the globe, including The James Randi Educational Foundation's "The Amazing Meeting", Drinking Skeptically, The Brights, and the British Humanist Association social gatherings.

Since 2010 Edinburgh Skeptics in the Pub has extended the Skeptics in the Pub concept over the whole Edinburgh International Festival Fringe, under the banner Skeptics on the Fringe and from 2012 done the same at the Edinburgh International Science Festival with the title At The Fringe of Reason. The Merseyside Skeptics Society and Greater Manchester Skeptics (forming North West Skeptical Events Ltd) hosted three two-day conferences, QED, in February 2011, March 2012 and April 2013. Glasgow Skeptics has also hosted two one-day conferences, as of July 2011.

References

References

1. (13 April 2011). "Meet Sid Rodrigues". Meet the Skeptics [[Podcast]].
2. [[Michael Marshall (skeptic). (20 February 2013). "Skeptics in the Pub Workshop (2011)". North West Skeptical Events Ltd..
3. Owen Duffy. (9 March 2010). "Out of the labs, into the pubs". [[BBC News]].
4. "Skeptics in the Pub website".
5. "Skeptics in the Pub – Google Maps".
6. Barber, Sonya. (18 February 2008). "Best Communities/Best Website 2008". Time Out, London.
7. Brown, Matt. (19 February 2008). "Why Don't Creationists Just Shut Up?". The Londonist.
8. Cox, Jennifer. (21 September 2008). "Jennifer Cox signs up for...Skeptics in the Pub". The Metro.
9. "About Us". London Skeptics in the Pub.
10. "Scott Campbell's Homepage".
11. Brown, Matt. (9 June 2009). "The Big Smoke, London Social: Skeptics in the Pub". Time Out, London.
12. Pullar, Nick. (20 April 2005). "Shirley Ghostman and me". The Skeptic.
13. Youens, Tony. (21 April 2005). "Shirley Ghostman".
14. Metzger, Richard. (12 October 2008). "High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman". [[Boing Boing]].
15. Randi, James. (3 June 2005). "A Preliminary Test for the JREF PRIZE is Completed". Swift.
16. Cohen, Jon. (23 May 2008). "An Evening With James Randi & Friends".
17. (15 May 2008). "Preview of the Amazing Meeting with James Randi on iTricks". The Amazing Show.
18. Singh, Simon. (23 April 2008). "Homeopathy – what a waste of time". The Times Online.
19. Grothe, D.J.. (November–December 2009). "Skepticism 2.0". Skeptical Inquirer Volume 33.6.