The science delusion is the belief that science already understands the nature of reality in principle, leaving only the details to be filled in. Modern science is based on ten fundamental assumptions that have hardened into dogmas. Rupert Shel

Prof Amina Memon: Making the best use of video identification parades and meeting the needs of vulnerable witnesses

Nov 29th, 2011 1h 4m

Eyewitness identification decisions from 1,039 real lineups conducted in England in 2009-10 were analyzed. Identification procedures have undergone dramatic change in the United Kingdom over recent years. Video lineups are now standard procedur

Dr David Barrett: The Church of Scientology – a Scientific or an Esoteric Religion?

Oct 18th, 2011 1h 11m

The Church of Scientology claims to be based on scientific principles but actually bears a considerable resemblance to esoteric, Hermetic and Gnostic religious movements. David Barrett will explore these similarities, while also examining Diane

Dr David Clarke: The Angel of Mons and Other Wartime Legends

Mar 15th, 2011 54m

The Angels of Mons were once described by the eminent historian A.J.P. Taylor as “the greatest wartime mystery of the 20th century.” Two weeks after the outbreak of the First World War a force of 30,000 crack British troops became trapped and s

Dr Paul Rogers: Paranormal Belief and the Misperception of Coincidental Events

Jan 4th, 2011 1h 21m

Numerous studies have shown paranormal believers are prone to various cognitive deficits including a poorer understanding of probability, randomness and coincidence. The current talk discusses three recent studies which have explored paranormal

Dr Daniela Rudloff: Mental 'Short-Cuts' - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Nov 23rd, 2010 57m

Can we trust our eyes? Why does a footballer’s performance usually drop right after they’ve been sold to a high-paying football club? What exactly is “anchoring”, and why are we doing it on dry land? Daniela Rudloff will answer these and other

Dr Simon Dein: A Messiah from the Dead: What Really Happens When Prophecy Fails

Nov 16th, 2010 1h 21m

What really happens when a prophecy fails? In this talk I examine the response to disconfirmation of prophecy among the ultra Orthodox Lubavitch Hasidim. In 1994 the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Schneerson, died leaving no successor. For many ye

Deborah Hyde: Demons and nightmares: Why do People Believe in the Malign Supernatural?

Oct 26th, 2010 1h 1m

Deborah’s talk is on the cultural and physiological aspects of the religious and superstitious experience and she’ll answer such questions as: When do the dead chew in their graves? Why do vampires strike in autumn? Why do ghosts live in electr

Dr Sam Parnia: Near Death Experiences During Cardiac Arrest

Mar 23rd, 2010 50m 8s

One of the subjects that has both captivated and eluded humankind throughout time is the mystery of what happens when we die. Although traditionally a subject for philosophical or theological debate, scientific progress has begun to shed light

Prof. Richard Wiseman: “Heads I Win, Tails You Lose”: How Parapsychologists Nullify Null Results

Mar 16th, 2010 21m 36s

This talk explores how parapsychologists often explain away evidence against the existence of psi, examining how null findings are ignored during exploratory research, how chance results obtained during attempted replication are attributed to n

Dr Mark Vernon: Happiness: The Failure of a New Science

Nov 24th, 2009 35m 27s

The new sciences of happiness are generating lots of advice on how to keep smiling. The results are even being explored by policy wonks. So why does so much of it – work less, say thanks, keep fit – sound so trite? If it were that easy, wouldn’

Prof. Chris French: Something Wicked This Way Comes: Causes and Interpretations of Sleep Paralysis

Nov 10th, 2009 47m 43s

This presentation will describe the phenomenon of sleep paralysis, including numerous first-person accounts. In its most basic form, sleep paralysis simply involves being half-awake and half-asleep and realising that, for a short time, one cann

Dr Rupert Sheldrake: Morphic Resonance, Collective Memory and the Habits of Nature

Jan 20th, 2009 58m 28s

According to the hypothesis of formative causation, all self-organizing systems, including crystals, plants and animals contain an inherent memory, given by a process called morphic resonance from previous similar systems. All human beings draw

Dr Susan Blackmore: Is God a Dangerous Meme?

Oct 7th, 2008 55m 37s

God is certainly a meme; an idea (or set of loosely related ideas) that is copied from person to person, and shows a fascinating variety of survival tricks. Not only does the God meme satisfy minds that were not evolved to accurately assess the

Dr Dorothy Rowe: Why is that important to you?

Mar 18th, 2008 51m 38s

We all like to think that we have chosen our beliefs for sensible, logical reasons, be they reasons associated with science or with a special relationship with God. However, the reasons behind our beliefs have more to do with how we see ourselv

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