Don't forget our next fascinating talk on Saturday, at the famously haunted Tyne Theatre... Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick will tell us all about ghost hunting and its side effects. If you've got it, haunt it!
With some luck, we can look around the theatre after the talk. We're sure the theatre ghosts don't mind...
A week from today, Dr Icy Sedgwick will delve into the murky world of ghost tourism. Join us for a fascinating philosophical review of how far should businesses, scientists, and curious audiences go in the search of real life tragedies. You can pre-book PAYF tickets on our website, or buy them on the door!
Spring is in the air... and so are sketchy ethics! Not long now until Dr Icy Sedgwick's talk on ghost hunting and its effects on people, dead and alive.
Dr Icy Dedgwick @icysedgwick is an author and the creator of the Fabulous Folklore podcast, with a PhD in cinematography, set design and sound design in haunted house films.
Join us in May for a truly unique talk on the ethics of the ghost hunting business! The tragic stories of real people and local legends fuel a huge industry of ghost tourism. A bit of harmless fun or calculated exploitation of morbid curiosity? @icysedgwick of Fabulous Folklore will deliver this talk in the famously "haunted" @tyneoperahouse on Saturday 16th of May at 3pm. Tickets available for pre-booking now!
Robin Ince uplifted a sold out room full of skeptics with his unique brand of joyful logic and poetic chaos on Saturday - we laughed, we cried, and we found the infinity beyond the monkey cage. Thanks to everyone who came - new friends and usual suspects - and hope to see you again soon!
Robin will visit Newcastle again in May at the Stand - we suggest you grab your tickets soon!
Don't forget our exciting talk with ROBIN INCE is just around the corner on Saturday 11 April. We recommend pre-booking your tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment, as this event will sell out! Head over to our website for more information.
Don't forget we are hosting smashing super Skeptics Summer sessions in June! Join in the fun and pitch to do a short talk about any subject you're passionate about - silly or serious - by the end of the month. More on our website, apply soon!
We are delighted to announce our May event!
Dr Icy Sedgwick - The Ethics of Ghost Hunting: When Science Meets Commercial Interests.
Ghost hunting has evolved from a pseudoscientific pursuit in the 19th century into a lucrative commercial powerhouse, driven in part by the success of TV shows like Ghost Hunters and podcasts like Uncanny. Yet an evolution based so heavily upon profit means that both integrity and ethics can be sidelined, if not entirely disregarded, in the process.
This talk will examine the ethical friction between entertainment and inquiry. Is it possible to investigate the paranormal without exploiting the dead or lying to the living? Setting aside the question of the reality of ghosts, Icy will explore the fraught ethics of paid ghost hunts and the commodification of tragedy.
Thanks to everyone who came to Professor Bruce Baker's talk yesterday! Reminders: our next social is on Wednesday 1st April (no it's not April fools), and you can apply to be a part of our June summer sessions by the end of this month! Our next speaker on 11th April is no other than @robinince1969 so please remember to pre-book well in advance - tickets are still available but not for much longer!
Head over to our website to learn more about it all!
Our next talk is this week! Join us for a Saturday afternoon at the Tyne Theatre's 1867 cafe bar and Hall, and learn all about the Toon's impact in the anti-slavery movement with Professor Bruce Baker. Tickets PAYF, and they're available on the door or pre-book online on our website. 💛✊️
Newcastle Skeptics March talk is next week!
“Recognized More and More”: Frederick Douglass and Newcastle’s role in ending slavery in the United States with Professor Bruce Baker.
Everyone knows that Newcastle had a strong tradition of reform in the nineteenth century, and the city has made much of its connection to the abolitionist Frederick Douglass in recent years. But Newcastle’s connection to the campaign to end American slavery was in place long before Douglass arrived, and it included a range of actors, both local and visiting. This talk will give a sense of who those people were, what they did, and what difference it made to the end of slavery in the United States.
PAYF tickets - available at the door or pre-book on our website.
