Claire Klingenberg - Suspending Disbelief: How to Visit Religious Groups as a Skeptic and Make It Home Safely

Skeptics on the Fringe presents:

Claire Klingenberg, President of the European Council of Skeptical Organisations) -

Suspending Disbelief: How to Visit Religious Groups as a Skeptic and Make It Home Safely 

Being an efficient skeptical activist is not just about applying the critical thinking apparatus to new information and one's own beliefs. It is also about being able to effectively communicate with those who employ very different thinking patterns from our own. And sometimes that means to lock up our inner skeptic and put ourselves in the shoes of believers.

I am going to talk about my experiences with visiting various religious groups, the methods I use to reason with them within their system of logic, and what I have learned from them that has made me a better skeptic.

Claire has a background in law and psychology, and is currently working on her degree in Religious Studies. She has been involved in the skeptic movement since 2013 as co-organizer of the Czech Paranormal Challenge. Since then, she has consulted on various projects, where woo & belief meets science. Claire has spoken at multiple science&skepticism conferences and events. She also organized the European Skeptics Congress 2017, and both years of the Czech March for Science.

Her current activities include chairing the European Council of Skeptical Organisations, running the ""Don't Be Fooled"" project, which provides free critical thinking seminars to interested high schools, contributing to the Czech Religious Studies journal Dingir, as well as to their online news in religion website. In her free time, Claire visits various religious movements to understand better what draws people to certain beliefs.

Claire lives in Prague, Czech Republic, with her partner, and dog.

www.ecso.org

Twitter - @ClaireAccendit

Similar events on the Fringe normally cost around £10 but all our Fringe events are free and non-ticketed. Entry is first-come-first-served basis and we will ask for a donation to help cover our costs. Your support is very welcome. Venue is strictly over-18 and access is via a narrow staircase. If you need help getting access, please let us know in advance (contact@edskeptics.co.uk) and we will try to help.