The Skeptics Society CONFERENCE
On EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY
And Humanistic Ethics
Awards Ceremony and Banquet
March 30-31, 1996
Two Day Conference on
Evolutionary Psychology
and Humanistic Ethics
For a Conference on Some of the Most Controversial Questions in Science:
Don't miss this unusual opportunity to hear the top experts in the field.
9:00-9:15: Introduction to Conference 1996. By Michael
Shermer. Dr. Shermer is Publisher of Skeptic, Director of
the Skeptics Society, and a professor in the Cultural
Studies Program at Occidental College.
9:15-9:30: Introduction to Morning Session. By Bernard
Leikind. Dr. Leikind is a plasma physicist famous for his
pioneering work in explaining the physics of firewalking
and other strange and unusual phenomena.
9:30-10:30: Intelligence and Consciousness: What Is It And How and Why
Did it Evolve? By Paul and Patricia Churchland. Dr. Paul
Churchland is Professor of Philosophy at U.C., San Diego,
and has authored several books on consciousness, including
Matter and Consciousness and Engine of Reason, The Seat of
the Soul: A Philosophical Journey into the Brain, both
published by MIT Press.
Dr. Patricia Churchland is Professor of Philosophy at
U.C. San Diego, and an Adjunct Professor at the Salk
Institute. She is the author of Neurophilosophy and The
Computational Brain, both from MIT Press. She and Paul are
recognized authorities on the nature and evolution of
consciousness.
10:30-11:30: The Human Quest: A New Common Sense, A New Enlightenment
By Roger Bingham. Roger Bingham was the creator and host
of the highly acclaimed PBS series, The Human Quest, on
science, evolution, and consciousness. He is a visiting
associate in biology at Caltech.
11:30-12:00: Q & A
12:00-1:30: Lunch Catered at Caltech by Burger Continental ($6.00 Each)
Lunch Followed by Lunchtime Entertainment by:
James "The Amazing" Randi: "A Skeptical Update From Around the World."
James "The Amazing" Randi is a professional magician, author, lecturer, and
investigator of unusual claims. He is a MacArthur "genius award" recipient,
and his many books include The Faith Healers, Flim-Flam!, and Conjuring.
1:30-1:45: Introduction to Afternoon Session: A Challenge to
Evolutionary Psychology. By Frank Miele.
1:45-2:45: Beauty is in the Adaptations of the Beholder: The
Evolutionary Psychology of Female Sexual Attractiveness. By
Donald Symons. Dr. Symons is Professor of Anthropology at
U.C. Santa Barbara and is famous for his comprehensive
anthropological survey-East and West, industrial and
preliterate-of human sexual behavior from the new Darwinian
perspective, summarized in his bestselling book, The
Evolution of Human Sexuality.
2:45-3:45: Double Exposure: Twin-Based Insights Into the Genetics of
Human Behavior. By Nancy Segal. Dr. Segal is a Professor of
Developmental Psychology and Director of the Twin Studies
Center at CSU, Fullerton, and is an authority on behavior
genetics through her involvement in the famous Minnesota
Twins study.
3:45-4:45: The Myth of the Noble Savage: Lessons From the Yanomamo
People of the Amazon. By Napoleon Chagnon. Dr. Chagnon is
the colorful and controversial Professor of Anthropology at
U.C. Santa Barbara who discovered one of the last
Paleolithic people on the planet, the subject of his
bestselling book, Yanomamo: The Fierce People. He is also
the editor of Evolutionary Biology and Human Social
Behavior: An Anthropological Perspective.
4:45-5:15: Q & A
9:00-9:15: Introduction to Morning Session.
A Challenge to Skeptics and Humanists About Ethics and
Morality. By Bernard Leikind
9:15-10:15: Prospects for Morality: God, Women, and Evolution. By John
Hartung. Dr. Hartung is Associate Editor of the Journal of
Neurosurgical Anesthesiology, and a professor at the State
University of New York. His Ph.D. is in anthropology from
Harvard, and he has published over 80 scientific papers,
including many on evolutionary psychology, in Current
Anthropology, Behavioral and Brain Science, and Nature.
10:15-11:15: The Secular Sphinx: The Riddle of Evolutionary Ethics,
Humanistic Morals, and Living Without God and
Religion. By Michael Shermer.
11:30-1:00: Lunch Catered at Caltech by
Burger Continental ($6.00 Each)
Lunch Followed by Lunchtime Entertainment:
Film Clips From:
The Yanomamo People, With Napoleon Chagnon
The Heredity-Environment Problem Solved
With Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curley Howard
1:00-2:30: Open Forum With All Speakers and
Audience on Evolutionary Ethics, Humanistic Morality, and
Living Without God and Religion. Moderated by Frank
Miele. Skeptic magazine editor Frank Miele has contributed
interviews with Richard Dawkins, Charles Murray, Robert
Sternberg, Lionel Tiger, Robin Fox, and others. He chaired
the Skeptics Society symposium on The Bell Curve at Caltech.
For Two Days of Intriguing Dialogue & Intellectual Stimulation & an Evening of Exceptional Entertainment & Celebration
8:30-Our Evening Entertainment: Steve Allen
Don't miss this evening of humor, music, and skeptical
enlightenment with one of the great Renaissance minds of our age.
5:15-6:30-Skeptics Social Hour & No Host Bar
Toast our fourth successful year, mingle with Skeptic
Society members and meet the experts who serve on the
advisory board of Skeptic magazine. Join us for dinner and
entertainment as we present Skeptic magazine's annual awards
at the Pasadena Hilton Hotel.
6:30-8:30 Skeptic Magazine
Awards Ceremony & Banquet
Presented by Editors Michael Shermer, James
Randi, Frank Miele, and Bernard Leikind.
The Dumbth Award-AKA, The Steverino.
The Randi Award-AKA, The Skeptic.
The Murrow Award-AKA, The Media Skeptic.
The Montaigne Award-AKA, The Skeptical Essayist.
The Spinoza Award-AKA, The Skeptical Scholar.
is a comedian and creator of the Tonight Show. He is a composer, singer, producer, conductor, and songwriter of more than 5,700 songs, and the author of 46 books. He is Humanist Laureate for the Academy of Humanism, producer of the award-winning PBS series Meeting of the Minds, and the author of Dumbth, the bestselling social commentary on U.S. education.
James "The Amazing" Randi
is a professional magician, author, lecturer, and investigator of unusual claims. He is a MacArthur "genius award" recipient, and his many books include The Faith Healers, The Mask of Nostradamus, Flim-Flam!, Conjuring, and The Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural.
Questions about the conference? Phone the Skeptics Society at 818/794-3119. Fax: 818/794-1301. E-mail : SKEPTICMAG@AOL.COM P.O. Box 338, Altadena, CA 91001.
Out of Town Guests May Stay at
the Pasadena Hilton Hotel, Conference Room Rate: $92.00
150 S. Los Robles, Pasadena, CA 91101.
Phone 1-800/445-8667
or 818/577-1000.
Fax: 818/584-3148.
Transportation from LAX Direct to the Pasadena Hilton: Airport coach: $12.00 one way, $20.00 round trip. Pick up at ground Transportation Booth outside terminal baggage areas.
Skeptics Society Members and Guests:
____Two-Day Conference and James Randi Only: $75.00
____Evening Banquet, Magic, Awards, Steve Allen Only: $45.00
____Both 2-Day Conference,& Randi, Plus Evening Banquet, & Steve Allen:
$110.00
Nonmembers and Guests:
____Two-Day Conference and James Randi Only: $85.00
____Evening Banquet, Magic, Awards, Steve Allen Only: $55.00
____Both 2-Day Conference, Randi, plus Evening Banquet, & Steve Allen:
$130.00