Jan 12 Michael Shermer - The Mind of the Market

Saturday, January 12, 2 - 4 pm

Michael Shermer, Ph.D.
Discusses and signs
"The Mind of the Market" (Flyer)
Available for purchase at the event

National Science Foundation, Room 110
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA (map)

Drawing on research from neuroeconomics, Shermer explores what brain scans reveal about bargaining, snap purchases, and how trust is established in business. Utilizing experiments in behavioral economics, Shermer shows why people hang on to losing stocks and failing companies, why business negotiations often disintegrate into emotional tit-for-tat disputes, and why money does not make us happy. Employing research from complexity theory, Shermer shows how evolution and economics are both examples of a larger and still somewhat mysterious phenomenon of emergence, where one plus one equals three.

Along the way, Shermer answers such provocative questions as, Do our tribal roots mean that we will always be a sucker for brands? How is the biochemical joy of sex similar to the rewards of business cooperation? How can nations increase trust within their borders? Finally, Shermer considers the consequences of globalization and what will happen if nations allow free trade across their borders.

Throughout his entertaining and surprising new book, The Mind of the Market, Shermer considers the morality of markets in a discussion of what he calls virtue economics. Although we are selfish and altruistic, cooperative and competitive, peaceful and bellicose, in the main the balance is heavily on the side of good over evil. For every random act of violence that makes the evening news, there are 10,000 nonrandom acts of kindness that go unrecorded every day. Markets are moral and modern economies are founded on our virtuous nature. The Enron model of business is the exception and the Google motto of “Don’t Be Evil” is the rule.

NSF is one block south of Ballston-Marymount University metro stop Orange Line. For most drivers, Route 66 to Fairfax Dr. to Stuart Dr is the easiest route. Enter NSF from the corner of 9th and Stuart Streets. Room 110 is on the left before the entry guard -- you do not need to go through NSF security. Parking is available in the Ballston Common mall, in the NSF building, and at other area parking lots and garages. Metered parking is also available on the surrounding streets.

Examining the Culture of Free Energy Claimants

Saturday, December 8, 2 - 4 pm
Eric Krieg, Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking (PhACT)
National Science Foundation, Room 110 (note new location)
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA (map)
One block south of Ballston-Marymount University metro stop Orange Line. For most drivers, Route 66 to Fairfax Dr. to N. Stuart St. is the easiest route. Enter NSF from the corner of N. Stuart Street and 9th St. N. Room 110 is on the left before the entry guard -- you do not need to go through NSF security. Parking is available in the Ballston Common mall, in the NSF building, and at other area parking lots and garages. Metered parking is also available on the surrounding streets.

From Noah’s Ark to the Ark of the Covenant and Beyond: Junk Science, Amateur Enthusiasts, and Irresponsible Documentary Filmmakers

Saturday, November 10, 2 - 4 pm (Flyer)
Eric Cline, Ph.D.
National Science Foundation, Room 110 (note new location)
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA (map)
One block south of Ballston-Marymount University metro stop on Orange Line. Enter NSF from the corner of N. Stuart Street and 9th St. N. Room 110 is on the left. Parking is available in the Ballston Common mall, in the NSF building, and at other area parking lots and garages. Metered parking is also available on the surrounding streets. NSF visitor directions and information

The amount of pseudo-scientific nonsense that has been published on so-called “mysteries” of the Bible is appalling. The vast majority of this work has not been produced by professional scholars but by amateur enthusiasts. These enthusiasts--most of whom are self-trained and self-employed, and some of whom publish only, or primarily, on the Internet--all work outside of academia. As such, they are not held to the same standards of rigor, peer review, and scrutiny as professional scholars employed by colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning. Indeed, the work of such enthusiasts frequently meets the criteria of “junk science,” especially when it “advocates a cause, pays little attention to the investigative process, ignores contrary evidence, and advertises a high moral purpose.” In his talk, Dr. Cline will present, and debunk, examples of such junk science--especially as it pertains to topics such as the possible locations of the Garden of Eden, Noah’s Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Ten Lost Tribes--and issue a call to arms for professional archaeologists, ancient historians, and biblical scholars to take back their fields from the amateur enthusiasts, pseudo-scientists, and irresponsible documentary filmmakers who have had, for the most part, free reign to do what they wish, without any regard to scientific method or an unbiased investigation for the truth.

DR. ERIC H. CLINE is Associate Professor of Classics and of Anthropology (Ancient History and Archaeology) and Chair of the Department of Classical and Semitic Languages and Literatures at The George Washington University, where he has won both national and local teaching awards. A former Fulbright scholar and award-winning teacher and author with degrees from Dartmouth, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania, he is Associate Director (USA) of the ongoing excavations at Megiddo (biblical Armageddon) in Israel as well as Co-Director of the ongoing excavations at Tel Kabri, also located in Israel. An award-winning author, he is perhaps best known for his books The Battles of Armageddon: Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley from the Bronze Age to the Nuclear Age (2000) and Jerusalem Besieged: From Ancient Canaan to Modern Israel (2004). He has just published a new book entitled From Eden to Exile: Unraveling Mysteries of the Bible (National Geographic Society, June 2007).

Oct 20 - Understanding Paranormal Belief in the 21st Century

Saturday, October 20, 2 - 4 pm (Note changed date) (Flyer)
Beamed Aboard a UFO by a Psychic Sasquatch ...
Understanding Paranormal Belief in the 21st Century
Rick Wood, host of Audiomartini.com (Curious Paranormal Radio)
Bethesda Library, 7400 Arlington Rd., Bethesda, MD (near Metro)

Rick Wood will share his experience over the course of seven years hosting a skeptical paranormal talk show that has had many guests who have harbored very odd beliefs. Most are not "crazy" and some have held extraordinarily demanding positions, including a combat surgeon and a fighter pilot.

What makes these folks tick? Wood will provide some answers and also do some demonstrations of cold reading and dowsing.

Rick Wood is host of Audiomartini ("Curious Paranormal Radio" at audiomartini.com) which deals with claims of the paranormal from a skeptic's viewpoint. Wood hosts debates as well as individual interviews, with no call-ins, allowing for in-depth discussions. The focus is on a fair and cordial exchange of information, even with those with whom he disagrees. Recent guests have included Rep. Bob Filner (D-51-CA), the only historian of science in the U.S. Congress, and science journalist Chris Mooney, author of “The Republican War on Science.” Wood also hosted a debate on Intelligent Design between Michael Shermer, executive director of the Skeptic Society and William Dembski, senior fellow of the Discovery Institute.

Sep 8 - Too Good to Be False

Memorandum 46 and Other Race-based Urban Legends
Casey Lartigue, Jr.
Saturday, September 8, 2 - 4 pm FREE (Flyer)
Bethesda Library, 7400 Arlington Rd., Bethesda, MD (near Metro)

Memorandum 46 -- allegedly revealing a sinister government plot to undermine black leadership in the U.S. and to sow discord with Africans abroad -- recently gained renewed prominence on black talk radio. Casey Lartigue will discuss the history of and question the veracity of the anti-black version of Memorandum 46, and examine why black activists, politicians, and talk show hosts have been so eager to believe that the Carter administration concocted such a plot. Lartigue will also examine other race-based urban legends.

Casey Lartigue, Jr. is a former policy analyst with Cato's Center for Educational Freedom. His research expertise includes school choice, teacher quality and minority education. His writings have been published in USA Today, Ed. magazine published at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Education Week, the New York Post, the Washington Times, Asian Week and the Washington Post. Before joining the Center, he worked as a staff writer at Cato. He has spoken at the National Press Club, Harvard Law School, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, been a guest on the Rush Limbaugh Show, and testified before Congress on school choice in the nation's capital. Prior to joining Cato, Lartigue taught English and worked as a language examiner in Taiwan and South Korea. Lartigue received a bachelor's degree from the Harvard University Extension School and a master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Until recently he hosted the Casey Lartigue talk show on XM Radio.