What we’re about
In contemporary vernacular, skeptic generally means someone who questions conventional wisdom, or someone who habitually or excessively doubts. It is often used as a pejorative to mean closed-minded. This is the baggage that the modern term “skeptic” must deal with, and it is about as far away as you can get from skepticism as defined by those who actually call themselves skeptics.
The modern skeptical movement has used the self-label of “skeptic” for decades to refer to what Carl Sagan called “scientific skepticism,” to distinguish it from philosophical skepticism or mere cynicism.
"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." -Steven Novella
Our group is a place where others with the same, common, mindset can get together, have a good time, learn, and maybe make our local area and, possibly, society a more rational place.
Upcoming events
1
AFS Event: How to Resist Misinformation and Know What’s True
Atlanta Freethought Society, 4775 N. Church Lane, SE, Smyrna, GA, USThis is an Atlanta Freethought Society event. I'm promoting it to the Atlanta Skeptics because the topic is highly relevant to our purpose. Please consider attending this event. No need to RSVP here. This listing is for event promotion only.
___________________________________________For the October AFS meeting, Dr. Matthew Facciani of Notre Dame University will talk on “The Three Pillars of Literacy: How to Resist Misinformation and Know What’s True.”
Facciani is a researcher at The University of Notre Dame in the Computer Science and Engineering Department. He is an interdisciplinary social scientist with a background in neuroscience and psychology and holds a PhD in sociology. His research focuses on media literacy, misinformation, social networks, political polarization, identities, and artificial intelligence.
Beyond academia, Matthew is a passionate science communicator, dedicated to making complex social science research accessible to the public. He has written for various media outlets, spoken at national conferences, and hosts Misguided: The Podcast (https://matthewfacciani.substack.com/podcast), where he explores how social and psychological forces shape the way we process and consume information. His new book, Misguided: Where Misinformation Starts, How It Spreads, and What to Do About It (https://mybook.to/MisguidedBook*)*, was recently published by Columbia University Press.
Through his research and public engagement, Matthew strives to bridge the gap between academia and everyday conversations about truth, trust, and media literacy.
Facciani discusses social science research on Psychology Today, his podcast & newsletter (https://matthewfacciani.substack.com/), and on Threads (https://www.threads.net/@matthewfacciani) and Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/matthewfacciani.bsky.social).
Reviews of Misguided:
“In this timely and important book, Facciani takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the world of dangerous misinformation and how to best counter it at-scale. If you want to help fight misinformation, read this book!” -Sander van der Linden, author of Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity
“Facciani approaches the misinformation problem from a fresh perspective as a social scientist, explaining how our social networks and our political identities work against us to blind us to false claims. Showing how to combat misinformation through education and media literacy, he paves a path toward building resilience to one of society’s most urgent threats.” -Barbara McQuade, author of Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America
“An essential guide to understanding the bewildering origins of misinformation—including pseudoscience about vaccines—with helpful tools for combating the viral spread of lies.” -Seema Yasmin, author of What the Fact?! Finding the Truth in All the Noise
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The event can be attended either IN-PERSON or ONLINE. To attend online, please go RSVP with the AFS's event page and get the link there:2 attendees
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