Welcome to the Greater Manchester Skeptics Society!

We've run well over a hundred events since 2009, including the Manchester Skeptics in the Pub events, which are held twice each month. A bunch of Mancunian skeptics get together in the pub to discuss science, history, maths or whatever — sometimes with a guest speaker, sometimes without. If the pub's not your thing, keep an eye out for our occasional other events.

You don't have to be a member to come to our events, everyone and anyone is welcome — even if you disagree with the speaker. If you're in Manchester, come along!

Below are some links to what's going on at the moment — we'd love to extend our offerings, so if you have any ideas, suggestions or requests then please get in touch.

Upcoming Events

  2. Jim Al-Khalili: The World According to Physics

    Where does theoretical physics stand at the end of the second decade of the 21st century? While what we do know is dazzlingly impressive, there is much we have yet to grasp, from the nature of space and time to the meaning quantum mechanics. This whistle-stop tour of modern physics is an appraisal of what we know and what we have yet to figure out.

    This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.

    7:00pm Thursday 9 April 2020Twitch

  3. POSTPONED: One, Two, Many: Why is 3 So Much Bigger Than 2?

    There are lots of places in maths where changing a 2 to a 3 takes a problem from easy or at least understandable to very difficult or even impossible. This talk will a few examples of this phenomenon, then speculate wildly about what is going on.

    This event has been postponed due to coronavirus concerns.

    To be confirmedTo be confirmed

  4. POSTPONED: Superstition: A Very Short Introduction

    Despite the dominance of science in today's world, superstitious beliefs — both traditional and new — remain surprisingly popular. Where did these superstitions come from, and why do they persist today?

    Stuart's trip to the UK has been put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Hopefully this event will go ahead when the trip is reorganised, but it is unlikely to be in May as planned.

    To be confirmedTo be confirmed

  5. Hacking the Code of Life

    Is it ethical to change the genetic material of organisms in a way that might be passed on to future generations? Who controls the application of this technology, when it makes ‘biohacking’ – perhaps of one’s own genome – a real possibility?

    7:30pm Thursday 11 June 2020The King's Arms

  6. QED 2020

    QED is a two-day science and skepticism convention. Fantastic speakers from the worlds of science and entertainment will be joining us for a weekend celebration of science, reason and critical thinking.

    8:00am Saturday 10 October 2020The Mercure Hotel

  7. Ariane Sherine: How to Live to 100

    Focusing on several Anglo-German examples, this talk will explore the links between elements of fascist thinking in the past and present, British influences on the development of Nazi ideology, and the legacies of these ideas in politics today

    7:30pm Thursday 10 December 2020The King's Arms