Oxford Humanists: 'The Science of Weird $#!%' with Prof. Chris French

Please join us for the first in our monthly Oxford Humanists Speaker Programme, held on the second Tuesday of each month. We expect to get close to venue capacity so please register to hold your place! 

Ever since records began, in every known society, a substantial proportion of the population has reported unusual experiences, many of which we would today label as 'paranormal'. Opinion polls show that the majority of the general public believe that paranormal phenomena do occur. Such widespread experience of and belief in the paranormal can only mean one of two things. Either the paranormal is real, in which case this should be accepted by the wider scientific community; or else belief in and experience of 'paranormal phenomena' can be fully explained in terms of psychological factors. This talk presents an introduction to anomalistic psychology, the study of extraordinary phenomena of behaviour and experience.

In his latest book, The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal, Emeritus Professor Chris French provides authoritative evidence-based explanations for a wide range of superficially mysterious phenomena, and then goes further to draw out lessons with wider applications to many other aspects of modern society where critical thinking is urgently needed. Chris maintains that our belief in such phenomena is neither ridiculous nor trivial; if anything, such claims can tell us a great deal about the human mind if we pay them the attention they are due.

Chris is a long-time supporter of Humanists UK, and we hope you'll register and donate to join us for what promises to be a fascinating and thought-provoking way to kick-off our monthly speaker programme. Donations support our running costs. 

More about the Venue: The Community Works venue opens at 6:10pm for a prompt 6:30pm start. There are two ways to access the Community Works venue - either via Lula's Ethiopian and Eritrean Cafe on Park End Street, please go into the restaurant and head towards the back, you will see a door through to the venue which is adjoining at the rear of the building; or via the well-lit accessible alley just to the left of 1 Becket Street. For those interested in joining us for dinner directly following Chris' talk, we will book tables at Lulu's Ethiopian and Eritrean Cafe-  please contact our Events Manager to signal your interest! If the weather is chilly, we do recommend bringing an extra layer. 

More about our Speaker: Chris French is Emeritus Professor and former Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a Patron of UK Humanists. He has published over 200 articles and chapters covering a wide range of topics. His main current area of research is the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences. He frequently appears on radio and television casting a sceptical eye over paranormal claims. His most recent book is ‘The science of weird shit: Why our minds conjure the paranormal’ published by MIT Press in March 2024.

Host or Publisher Oxford Humanists: a Humanists UK Local Group