Skeptical Society of St. Louis

Our primary activity is Skeptics in the Pub (SitP), an informal social event designed to promote fellowship and social networking among skeptics, critical-thinkers, and other like-minded individuals. We try to meet every other month and host a speaker (when available and cost effective) to share knowledge, insights, and experience with us. Past presentations have covered everything from particle physics to forensic science to cancer quackery to bioengineering. Recently, we hosted Brian Dunning for a screening of "Science Friction" followed by Q&A as Mr. Dunning passed through the area.

We also provide special awards to deserving students at the annual Academy of Science St. Louis Science Fair. These are monetary awards which are deposited directly into the student's 529 account for their future education.

We use the term "skeptic" in our name to associate the organization with the ideas of Scientific Skepticism promoted by Carl Sagan and to distinguish the organization from philosophical skepticism or cynicism. To quote Dr. Steven Novella, host of the popular podcast The Skeptics Guide to the Universe:

"A skeptic is one who prefers beliefs and conclusions that are reliable and valid to ones that are comforting or convenient, and therefore rigorously and openly applies the methods of science and reason to all empirical claims, especially their own. A skeptic provisionally proportions acceptance of any claim to valid logic and a fair and thorough assessment of available evidence, and studies the pitfalls of human reason and the mechanisms of deception so as to avoid being deceived by others or themselves. Skepticism values method over any particular conclusion."