The BBC series “That Mitchell and Webb Look” has been truly excellent in poking fun at conspiracy theories. This one takes a look at the supposed UFO crash in the Roswell, New Mexico, with hilarious results.
(via Discovery News)
January 22, 2011
“Believing is Seeing”
Dr. Jurek Kirakowski, senior lecturer in Applied Psychology in UCC, was our speaker last night for the second meeting of Cork Skeptics in the Castle. He gave a wide ranging and entertaining speech about mystical phenomena from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Dr. Kirakowski framed the talk in terms of epistemologies, or “how we know what we know”. He explained that mysticism was treated as normal during the Middle Ages, when the teachings of Aristotle held sway. The modern age, ushered in by the likes of Francis Bacon and the Enlightenment scientists, has been much more critical of mysticism as it places greater emphasis on what can be objectively observed and measured than on individual personal experiences. In essence, mysticism and how it is treated by wider society, is indicative of a clash between two very different world views.
Dr Kirakowski has a long-standing interest in the moving statue phenomenon in Ireland during 1985. He was part of a team of researchers that demonstrated that the statues were not actually moving; instead it was shown to be an optical illusion caused by the way light is processed by our brains. The phenomenon was not just about moving statues, however. There was a plethora of intense personal experiences reported all over the country. Dr Kirakowski explains such experiences as “key events”, unlocking a part of our unconscious mind that is still poorly understood.
Dr Kirakowski calls himself a “radical skeptic”, skeptical about skepticism as it were. It was a fascinating talk, taking into account the bizarre world of stigmatics, the Knock apparitions and milk drinking statues in India. His engaging style gave us all plenty to think about on our way out of the meeting.
We had some feedback on the background noise last night which we should be able to sort out for the next get-together. We are very much open to any feedback, so if you have suggestions and comments, please let us know.
You can view some more photos from the night on our Facebook page.
January 20, 2011
Believing Is Seeing: A Talk By Dr. Jurek Kirakowski
Photo courtesy Andy Ferreira Photography
Tomorrow night, Friday 21st January, we will be hosting a talk by Dr. Jurek Kirakowski on the subject of Moving Statues, Stigmatics and Science.
Jurek, a senior lecturer in Applied Psychology in UCC, calls himself the “original ghostbuster”. He ran a number of experiments during the moving statues phenomenon in the mid-1980′s which cast doubt on any supernatural effects. Jurek is the co-author of the book ‘Ballinspittle: Moving statues and faith” and he has recently appeared in the 2010 RTE documentary “Apparitions“. Jurek remains very interested in mass-delusion, and his talk will take us on a world tour of similar happenings around the world. His talk will contrast modern enlightenment thinking to ancient and medieval belief systems, from which such strange visions and beliefs emerge.
The talk will begin at 8pm in Blackrock Castle on Friday January 21st, close to the Mahon Point Shopping Centre. Everyone is welcome and the talk is free to attend.
Please see our Skeptics In The Castle page for directions to the Castle.
January 16, 2011
Welcome to Cork Skeptics!
Cork Skeptics is a group dedicated to promoting skepticism, science, and rational thinking in Cork City (Ireland) and beyond.
From November 2010, we will hold monthly social gatherings at Blackrock Castle Observatory. These meetings, or Skeptics In The Castle, will usually feature a talk or presentation from an invited guest speaker, and/or a more informal chat or activity between the group itself.
Skeptics In The Castle is open to any interested person or group to attend, and we welcome any feedback or suggestions you may have. Check our Facebook page or this website for details of upcoming events, or find us on Twitter at twitter.com/corkskeptics
