Wacky belief systems abound. Members of the Heavens Gate suicide cult believed they were taking a ride to heaven on board a UFO. Muslim suicide bombers expect to be greeted after death by 72 virgins. And many fundamentalist Christians insist the entire universe is just 6,000 years old. Of course its not only cults and religions that promote bizarre beliefs significant numbers of people believe that aliens built the pyramids. How do such preposterous views succeed in entrenching themselves in the minds of sane, intelligent, educated people and turn them into the willing slaves of claptrap? Believing Bullshit is a witty and insightful critique that will help immunize readers against the wiles of cultists, religious and political zealots, conspiracy theorists, and various other nutcases by clearly setting out the tricks of the trade by which such insidious belief systems are created and sustained.

Stephen Law is senior lecturer in philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London and editor of the Royal Institute of Philosophy Journal Think. He has published several books on philosophy including Believing Bullshit, The Complete Philosophy Files and Really Really Big Questions.

A great warm up for any QED attendees who can get to Manchester a day early!

Dr Stephen Makin:

I'm a medical doctor, clinical researcher into stroke, Skeptical Speaker on critical appraisal and evidence based medicine. .........and a lifelong vegetarian who feels that ethically I really should be a vegan. As a vegetarian in a very non-hippy world I've been argued with at every dinner party or social event I've been to. I'll be looking at the secular arguments around meat eating, animal testing, bestiality, and abortion. Not to mention some of the common myths for and against vegetarianism: was Hitler really vegetarian? does it matter?

‘…the greatest wartime mystery of the 20th century…’ A.J.P. Taylor

One hundred years ago, in August 1914, a force of 30,000 crack British troops were surrounded outside the Belgian city of Mons by a massive German Army three times as strong. But at the very moment they expected to be annihilated the attack was suddenly halted, allowing the troops to escape and fight another day.

Back home, newspapers attributed the escape of the British Expeditionary Force to “a miracle” and many Christians came to believe that the Germans had been stopped by a vision of angels that appeared between them and the BEF. And as the war bogged down in the trenches wounded soldiers and nurses who cared for them came forward to claim they had witnessed the miracle at Mons.

The Angels of Mons captured the imagination of thousands across the world, bringing hope of victory to the Allies and restoring faith to those who lost loved ones in the slaughter on the Western Front. As the centenary of the legend approaches the story lives on with plans for a battle of Mons trail and commemorative events to mark the beginning and end of the war in the Belgian city.

In this talk David Clarke – author of the definitive book on the mystery (The Angel of Mons, Wiley: 2004) - sets out to reveal the facts behind the story, drawing upon original documents and accounts from journalists who collected stories about the ‘angels’.

It also examines the claims of Welsh novelist Arthur Machen, who believed it began life as a piece of fiction he published in a London newspaper after the battle. Machen’s story, The Bowmen, tells how a soldier on the battlefield invokes St George to bring his Agincourt bowmen ‘to help the English’ against the German hordes. The talk follows the evolution of the story to the present day and asks if it really was ‘the first example of a modern urban legend’.

Dr David Clarke is an expert on folklore and supernatural beliefs. He is a senior lecturer in the Department of Journalism at Sheffield Hallam University. His website is dedicated to folklore and journalism: http://www.drdavidclarke.co.uk,

Apologetics is the systematic defence of a position. Religious apologetics specifically is a field of theology which seeks to present a rational basis for religious faith, defend the faith against objections and support the claim “God exists”. But are the arguments made by apologetics sound? Mike Hall takes a look at five common apologetics, deconstructing the arguments presented and exposing any flaws.

Mike Hall is the president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and presenter of the Skeptics with a K podcast. He also organises QED in the spare time he doesn't have (although he does get a hand from one or two other people). His particular interests are the existence of God, alternative medicine, logic and Doctor Who. He once appeared on the Sky One game show "Are You Smarter Than A Ten Year Old?". He wasn't.

Following his sudden redundancy from financial services in the City as a wealth manager Charles Veitch began to question the meta-narratives of money, power and control. He subsequently launched himself head first into the emotionally charged world of conspiracism, looking for explanations as to who controls money, and therefore the world. Having gained notoriety and infamy from his anarchic videos on YouTube, and many appearances on BBC News, ITV, Russia Today, CNN, and Channel 4, he was selected by the BBC to go on a 10 day Conspiracy 9/11 Roadtrip through New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia, where he met experts from the FBI, CIA, and the designers of the Twin Towers. Luckily for Charles, hearing reasoned and evidenced logical explanations from people supposedly involved in the "inside job of 9/11", he very publicly changed his mind, amidst death-threats, hacked websites and a massive online cyber bullying campaign headed by Alex Jones, David Icke and their conspiracy theory followers.

Charles Veitch is a 33 yr old absurdist film-maker. He grew up internationally in an expat family in the oil-business. He was schooled in Edinburgh and has a MA (hons) Philosphy from the University of Edinburgh.

NOTE: due to scheduling difficulties this talk will not take place in our usual venue. The alternate venue will be posted as soon as it is confirmed so check back here for further updates.

UPDATE: We've managed to secure Cafe Muse inside the Manchester Museum for this talk. We'll be crossing the road to Kro Bar for drinks for any who wish to join us!