Drs. Ben Goldacre, David Gorski and Michael Shermer on the threat of Pseudoscience. (The Lorne Trottier Public Science Symposium)

Ben Goldacre, MD
Columnist for The Guardian, London
Author of Bad Science

David Gorski, MD PhD FACS
Surgical oncologist
Managing Editor,
"Science-based Medicine" Blog

Michael Shermer, PhD
Scientific American columnist
Editor in chief, Skeptic magazine

Drs. David Gorski, Ben Goldacre and Michael Shermer will share their wealth of experience and views on confronting pseudoscience. David Gorski is a surgical oncologist at Wayne State University whose insightful and witty contributions to the popular “Science-based Medicine” blog have a world-wide following. Ben Goldacre is a British physician whose book Bad Science and columns by the same name in The Guardian have received universal acclaim. He appears regularly on radio and television and has testified in front of Parliamentary commissions. Michael Shermer is the editor and founder of Skeptic magazine and a columnist for Scientific American. He lectures on pseudoscience around the world.

Confronting Pseudoscience
A Call to Action

This year’s Trottier Symposium focuses on the difference between science and “pseudo” or “false” science. While real science accumulates facts and formulates testable theories to gain a unified understanding of the physical world, pseudoscience relies on anecdotes, ideology and cherry-picked data to support preconceived notions. Conventional science is a self-correcting, continuously evolving process based on critical thinking and plausible theories supported by peer-reviewed research whereas pseudoscience is often mired in dogma that is resistant to change. Pseudoscience masquerading as real science can lead to troublesome consequences, particularly when it comes to matters of health. Unfortunately, aided and abetted by the Internet, pseudoscience has been growing by leaps and bounds. Four outstanding, world-famous science communicators will discuss various aspects of pseudoscience and will provide guidance for separating sense from nonsense.

McGill University is proud to host the sixth annual Lorne Trottier Public Science Symposium, made possible through the generous support of Dr. Lorne Trottier and honouring his wish "to hold a public forum to inform, inspire debate and raise public awareness on contemporary issues confronting society today".

General admission - limited seating

Cette conférence sera prononcée en anglais.