Michael Marshall – Undercover Adventures in the World of Irrationality

Are psychics really talking to the dead? Is there any harm in selling sugar pills to the sick? And what happens when you begin to ask questions? Based on his adventures as a full-time skeptical investigator, Michael Marshall will show what happens when you go undercover to peek behind the curtain of the most unusual claims around – revealing the surprising, sometimes-shocking and often-comic truths.

Michael Marshall is the Project Director of the Good Thinking Society and the Vice President of the Merseyside Skeptics Society. He regularly speaks with proponents of pseudoscience for the Be Reasonable podcast. His work has seen him organising international homeopathy protests and co-founding the popular QED conference. He has written for the Guardian, The Times and New Statesman.

Skeptics on the Fringe is proud to be part of PBH’s Free Fringe. Our talks are free and unticketed, so come early to the Free Fringe’s spoken word hub at the Banshee Labyrinth to be sure of a seat.

We have a different topic every day, bringing science, reason and critical thinking to the largest arts festival in the world.

Our website for the entire run is:

http://www.edinburghskeptics.co.uk/fringe (http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edinburghskeptics.co.uk%2Ffringe&h=yAQFvUR9F)

*** RSVPing does NOT GUARANTEE you a seat for these events ***

This is because they are part of PBH's Free Fringe and are Free and un-ticketed. Come early, seating is limited and we have to turn people away most nights.

Details are here on Meetup and on our main website. If there are any changes to our published speakers, we will try to send an email to anyone whose said they're be attending, but please check online for changes.

All events start at 7.50 pm prompt and last for 1 hour (with discussions in the bar afterwards). We will try to include a couple of questions in the hour long talk but this may not be possible.

Please note that these restrictions, the timeslot, and the venue are out-with our realistic control, and we apologise for any inconvenience.

The queue for our talks runs from the front door of the Banshee up Niddry Street towards the High Street. Come early to avoid disappointment, we have to turn people away most nights.

We ask for donations at the end of each talk to cover our speakers' expenses and our publicity and other costs throughout the Fringe and the rest of the year. Edinburgh Skeptics is funded entirely by the generosity of the people who come to the talks and is only made possible by the speakers and volunteers who freely give up their time.

Our "Respect People, Challenge Ideas" manifesto will apply to all events and can be read here:

http://www.edinburghskeptics.co.uk/about/respect (http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edinburghskeptics.co.uk%2Fabout%2Frespect&h=AAQEFVtQZ)