Explore a number of our articles below.
About Us
Society’s Acceptable Misinformation
Author: Barty Wardell (Co-President) After a year of hiatus, we are planning on using this blog more regularly so do stay posted! I wanted to write about misinformation, and how misinformation is itself mischaracterised. Many people have heard about the corrosive effects of misinformation, mostly because the propagation of anti-vax ideology has shown how quickly…
Using Critical Thinking to Build Resilience Against Misinformation Professor – Prof. John Cook
We welcomed Professor John Cook, Research Assistant Professor at the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University, for our first presentation of Lent term. Prof. Cook has built on decades of research into inoculation theory in the field of behavioural psychology, and in his talk, discussed how this may be applied to climate change denial. His talk, titled “Using…
A Word from Luis, Our Founder
I wonder if anyone else can relate to how I misspent my youth, endlessly arguing in YouTube comments, on Facebook posts and even with friends and family, trying, probably obnoxiously, to advocate science and rationality. Looking back, some interactions definitely make me cringe. I do not think I brought anyone who believed in the “flat…
A critical look at so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) – Prof. Edzard Ernst
We welcome Prof Edzard Ernst, formerly Professor of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter, the first such academic position in the world. He is founder of three medical journals and has been a columnist for many publications. His work has been awarded with 17 scientific awards (most recently the John Maddox Prize in 2015…
Misinformation in the Digital Age – Prof. Stephan Lewandowsky, Dr Jon Roozenbeek, Prof. Sander van der Linden
We welcome Professor Sander van der Linden, Dr Jon Roozenbeek and Professor Stephan Lewandowsky, our expert panel on misinformation in the digital age. We tackle questions including “how can we fight against misinformation?” and “how does fake news affect our society?” Professor Stephan Lewandowsky, Chair of Cognitive Psychology at the University of Bristol, is an…
On The Ethics of Vaccination – Prof. Julian Savulescu
Arguably the best chance of escape from the COVID-19 pandemic is vaccination. But growing vaccine hesitancy has already jeopardised herd immunity for diseases such as the measles. A new vaccine, for a disease that poses a lower risk than measles, for much of the population, is likely to be subject to similar concerns. Indeed, polling…
Students Against Pseudoscience 