Michael Shermer: Truth! What Is It? And How To Find It!
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There are scientific truths, religious truths, historical truths, mythical truths, and more. In our current swamp of misinformation, disinformation, truthiness, rewritten history, conspiracy theories, "fake news," and bald-faced lies, how do we discern actual facts and truth? What is "truth," anyway? The Declaration of Independence claims that "We hold these truths to be self-evident." What about those "truths"? These questions are crucial if we're to have a functioning democracy.
Michael Shermer, founding publisher of Skeptic magazine and author of the new book Truth, returns to our podium to tackle these issues with us. He will clarify the different kinds of truth, take us on an entertaining ride through some classic fallacies, and then show us how to figure out, within the context of the various types of "truth," whether a particular "fact" is, in fact, factual.
So join us for an informative discussion and maybe a few enjoyable, and illuminating, experiential exercises in which we'll practice tackling the problem of finding truth, then maybe have dinner afterward at a nearby restaurant!
This program is in-person only. If you have symptoms of illness (coughing, fever, etc.), we ask that you either stay home or wear a mask. Our front desk has complimentary masks for members and guests who would like one.
The Commonwealth Club of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming.
A Personal Growth Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.
Shermer photo by Brian Dalton; courtesy the speaker.
Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs.
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The Commonwealth Club of California
110 The Embarcadero
Toni Rembe Rock Auditorium
San Francisco, CA 94105
United States
Michael Shermer
Ph.D., Founding Publisher, Skeptic Magazine; Author of more than 200 monthly columns for Scientific American and almost 20 best-selling books, including his most recent, Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters; Speaker, including 2 "top 100" Ted Talks
Moderator: Eric Siegel
Chair, Personal Growth Member-Led Forum, Commonwealth Club World Affairs—Moderator
5 p.m. doors open & check-in
5:30–6:30 p.m. program
6:30 p.m. discussion and book signing
(all times Pacific Time)
COST
Members receive 30–50 percent discounts (not a member? Join)
In-person:
$22
$55 with a book
Free for Leadership Circle members and students (without a book)
