In Sacramento Today!

I'm off to sell and sign my books at the Sacramento Freethought Day festival today (click link for details). I'll be hanging out at a table with David Fitzgerald. Come say hi! Buy a book! Support a starving philosopher-historian!
 

Appearing in Tallahassee

I will be speaking at the Center for Inquiry conference on "Science for Everyone" next month in Tallahassee, Florida, along with several other great speakers. Reception is Friday evening, 14 October (2011), 7:30-9:30pm, and the conference itself is Saturday, 15 October, from 8:30am to 5pm. Registration is $50 ($35 for students with a valid student ID), and a lunch is included. The event is at the Aloft Hotel (200 North Monroe Street) where rooms are also available at conference rates (mention "Center for Inquiry").

Others speaking are a pretty cool lot. Sir Harry Kroto, professor of chemistry and Nobel laureate. Joe Nickel, the widely beloved P.I. with a Ph.D. in folklore and a flair for magic. Dr. John Shook, once professor of philosophy and now director of education at CFI, and author of the critically acclaimed The God Debates. And the beloved founder of Skepchick, Rebecca Watson, groovy wave feminist, unruly gadfly, podcaster, and she who, in exactly thirty two years time, with an aptly thrown shoe, will kill Suri Cruise and liberate us all from her horrid transglobal dominion.

My talk will be "How Do We Know Microwave Ovens Aren't Just Magic? (And Other Challenges to Scientific Certitude)." Critics of science have claimed science collapses under the strain of bizarre, insurmountable problems like underdetermination, the problem if induction, cartesian demons, or the inability to falsify "mind-over-matter constructivism" or other antirealist or supernatural points of view. And microwave ovens prove them wrong. So do bathtubs. I'll take you on a digital romp to see why. Q&A will follow and of course I'll be selling and signing some of my books throughout the event.

See the CFI Calendar Page for details, and to register online. 

Appearing in Fargo

I'm now confirmed as one of the featured speakers at the Fargo, North Dakota "Project 42 Conference" (click that link for all conceivable details), sponsored by the Red River Freethinkers, this September 23-25, with a Friday movie event, a Saturday series of talks (followed by a local debate and meetup that night), and a Sunday panel and activist seminar. I'll be joined by PZ Myers, Robert Price, Michael Shermer, and Richard Haynes (executive director of AtheistNexus and co-host of AtheistNews). I haven't chosen a topic yet, but it will be something fun (possibly a redux of my Rapture Day talk, since Camping's revised prediction of the end is again looming...just a month after Fargo!). I'll be joining the panel as well (an exchange and Q&A on how we got to the philosophical positions we now hold). And I hope to be selling and signing my books throughout

It's a real convention, so it costs to get in, but the prices are reasonable as conventions go. Students get a good rate. And a lunch is included. It's being held at the Ramada Suites and Convention Center in Fargo. It aims to provide a much-needed opportunity for upper midwesterners to meet their fellow godless (you know, folk in all those big empty states up in the middle there that everyone sadly forgets the name of).

Skepticon IV

For all you Midwes- tern godless out there, Skepticon IV is just months away. PZ and I are grandfathered in, so we'll definitely be speaking, along with many other awesome folk. Once again this irreverent ride is brought to you by the MSU Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and as always, in Springfield, Missouri.

The venue this time will be the Gillioz Theatre. Officially from Friday to Sun- day this November 18th to 20th (2011), but no events are yet planned for Friday (there is an excur- sion planned that day for the Strafford Creation Museum, but so far it will probably just be a mill-about-and-get-acquainted day, but something could still get on the schedule for Friday night). For everything you need to know (and to register) see their official website at Skepticon.org (which will be updated with more details over time as everything gets finalized).

It's free, but that  doesn't mean you're guaranteed to get a seat. Registration has already begun, and could fill up this year, so if you plan to go, register now rather than later! (Also, they need donations to keep this grand event free, and continuing into future years, so if you can spare anything and want to help out, visit the donation page on their website.)

For how amazing the event is, see my past blogs: Skepticon III, Skepticon II, and the original Skepticon. This year the speaker roster includes some new people and some folk from last year: 

• Historian and philosopher Richard Carrier
   
• Biologist PZ Myers
   
• The ever lovable FFRF spokesman Dan Barker
   
• Sexuality & atheism blogger Greta Christina
   
• Passionate SSA man & pastafarian of pastafar- ians JT Eberhard
   
• Atheist activist and ex- bible-thumper David Fitzgerald (taking on Mormonism this time!)
   
• The quite unreasonably beautiful but perfectly skeptical Julia Galef (of the Rationally Speaking podcast and blog and the often keen Measure of Doubt)
   
• Godless blogger and genome scientist Jen McCreight (of Blag Hag and Boobquake fame)
   
• The Friendly Atheist who Sold His Soul on eBay (no kidding...it came in at $504) Hemant Mehta
   
• Beloved magic-wielding private investigator Joe Nickel (beware his "accio reason!" spell)
   
• Atheist psychologist Darrel Ray (of God Virus fame, and lately, Sex and Secularism)
   
• President of American Atheists Dave Silverman (just recently lampooned by the Daily Show's John Stewart, somewhat justifiably: although Silverman's quoted remarks were spot on, IMO his lawsuit is misguided)
   
• Atheist evangelist, and ever-entertaining soliloquist Sam Singleton
   
• And the vicious tor- menter of children, I mean, er, founder of Skepchick and femin- ist presenter of fas- cinating things (like Icelandic child-terror- izing Christmas trolls) Rebecca Watson.

No word yet on what everyone's topics will be, but mine will be on Bayes' Theorem. That's right, I'll be teaching you math, bitches! Don't worry, I promise it will be at least mildly fun.
 

Atheist Film Festival

I'll be appearing at this year's Atheist Film Festival at the Roxy in San Francisco, California, to give a Q&A for the audience after the showing of the film Agora. The festival starts on Sunday, August 21 (2011) at 10am. There will be two screens with different things running concurrently. For more details (including directions, tickets, etc.) see the SF Atheist Film Festival website.

If you want to catch the showing of Agora and my Q&A afterward, you'll have to get there early. Sadly, it's the first up and starts at 10am, so Sunday insleepers might miss out. And it's running opposite Julia Sweeney's Letting Go of God, which is also awesome, so sadly we can't watch both! As to Agora, which is a moving piece of quality historical fiction about the pagan philosopher Hypatia (and her murder by fanatical Christians), if you want to bone up before the event, you can check out my past blogs on the film, especially since I'll certainly be referring the audience to them anyway. Here they are, linked in reverse chrono: [1], [2], [3].

Other films that will be shown include The Nature of Existence in which I have an inconse-quential split-second appearance (I've blogged this movie several times before, here linked in order of worth bothering to read: [1], [2], [3], [4]). And there's lots more, from feature films to documentaries to runs of funny and interesting shorts. And in several cases the directors are on hand to chat after the show (including Roger Nygard for The Nature of Existence). Check out the schedule for more.

Sadly I want to watch everything but I can't be in two theaters at once! You'll surely find something between them worth watching, so I say buy a complete day pass and have at it.

Appearing in St. Louis

I'll be in St. Louis, Missouri the first week of May on a whirlwind tour of four events on three days. I'll be selling and signing my books at all three venues. And all do ask for small donations.

(1) First is a debate in the Responsible Public Debate series held by the Ethical Society of St. Louis (which I hear is the largest ethical society in the nation) on Tuesday, May 3, from 7pm to 9pm. I'll be debating "Is Happiness the Goal of Morality?" arguing in the affirmative against Mike McKay, president of the Skeptical Society of St. Louis. This will take place at the Ethical Society itself on 9001 Clayton Rd. (St. Louis, Missouri).

(2) Second is a reprise of my recent San Francisco talk for Skeptics in the Pub (sponsored again by the Skeptical Society of St. Louis), on Friday, May 6, from 7pm to 9pm, at Jack Patrick's Bar & Grill (downstairs), 1000 Olive St. (St. Louis, Missouri), on the corner of 10th and Olive. Topic: "From Robots to the Moon: Amazing Science and Technology of the Ancient World" (Same as last week: Dr. Richard Carrier, a specialist in ancient science and technology, surveys just a few examples of amazing achievements in scientific and technical knowledge among the Greeks and Romans, including computers, robots, automated factories, the invention of latitude and longitude, controlled medical experiments, and discovering the elliptical orbit of the moon).

(3) Third is an educational all-day event: two seminars, broken by lunch, which I'll be giving at the behest of the Rationalist Society of St. Louis (which also maintains a meetup site for event planning and information), on Saturday, May 7, at a venue still to be determined (possibly Hoops Hall on 1806 Allen Ave., St. Louis, MO, but check the dedicated meetup page the week before, because if they get more than twenty RSVPs they'll need a bigger place--so also be sure to RSVP if you plan to go). You can attend one or the other, or both (and make a day of it). The first will be run from 11am to 1pm, followed by an hour for lunch. The second will then be run from 2pm to 4pm. The two events are:

Mastering Logical Reasoning (11am-1pm): An interactive class covering how formal logic works, and why it's useful even if you only think and argue informally. Different modes of logic will be discussed, with entertaining examples. Learn about such weird, exotic animals as disjunctive syllogisms and Bayes' Theorem. And how to use them to think soundly, spot errors, and argue effectively. Everyone should bring one or more actual arguments (for god or against naturalism--or on any subject at all--from books or online) for us to break down and analyze. Print or jot down as much of the formal structure as you can and bring it on in.
 
Ancient Christian Hostility to Science (2pm-4pm): Learn with shock and horror what the first Christian intellectuals said about science and scientific values, and see how starkly it contrasted with the religious values expressed by pagans. Excellent companion piece to the previous night's talk for Skeptics in the Pub, which will have covered the achievements of ancient pagan scientists (and nothing else). So some of you might want to catch both, as the Pub talk will discuss the actual scientific knowledge and achievements of the ancients, while Saturday's talk will then discuss the Christian response to those achievements (and what the pagans thought about them, too).

Appearing in Orange County

A day after my Riverside appearance I'll also be speaking to the Orange County Backyard Skeptics in Villa Park, California (at 7pm, Thursday, April 14). To attend (and get the venue address--it's held literally in a member's private but lovely backyard) you must be a member of their meetup group (which you can join here), or personally invited by a member. Suggested donation is $5 (or $10 if you'll be enjoying food provided during the event). I'll be selling and signing my books as usual. The topic will be "How Christianity Began Is Proof Enough It's Bunk," in which I'll discuss some of the essential features of how and when the Christian religion began and why it looks exactly like just another religious cult of its time and place, and not at all like the idea of a universal god.

Appearing in Wichita

That's right, I'll be speaking on Rapture Day! What's that, you ask? Here's the official announcement, from the event organizers (the Air Capital Skeptics and the Secular Student Alliance):

Rapture Day is going to be a day of great speakers giving presentations with a focus on religion and how it relates to various doomsday claims. The event will be held at the Wichita State University CAC theater on 21 May 2011. This is the date that Harold Camping, a Christian broadcaster, has claimed will be the day of the Rapture. We are putting this event on for two primary reasons. The first and most important is to have some fun and let other secular thinkers in the area know that they are definitely not alone. The second is to help educate people on the nature and history of these types of claims and help expose how this fatalistic thinking is a danger to our modern society.

Learn all about this event at its official website (RaptureDay.org). It will last all Saturday, 9am to 5pm (see the whole event schedule). The talks all sound like they'll be entertaining. The venue is located at the campus of Wichita State University on Isely Lane (off Perimeter road), near the corner of 17th and Yale (in Wichita, Kansas). I will of course be around and my books will be for sale all day. I'll be happy to sign anything you buy, anytime, as long as you don't interrupt the speakers when approaching me.

Speakers include myself ("You’re all Gonna Die! How the Jews Kept Failing to Predict Doomsday and Caused Christianity Instead"), Blair Scott of American Atheists ("The End Is Near! (Again)"), author and psychologist Darrell Ray ("Exposing the God Virus: Religion as a Mental Infection"), controversial author and activist David Fitzgerald ("The Ten Thousand Christs and the Evaporating Jesus"), the notorious and beloved rabble-rouser J.T. Eberhard ("Dear Christian"), and the always hilarious (but kidding on the square) Brother Sam Singleton ("Patriarchs and Penises").

If you plan to attend, please register so they can be sure to accommodate everyone! And if you want to help out, or even just ensure that more events like this will happen in the region, please donate to their cause. If enough donations come in for events like this, other groups will be encouraged to launch such efforts themselves, and hey, it's just a great way to show your support for organized atheism in the United States, giving it a public profile that shows the people and the politicians that we are not an unmotivated fringe group, but a major demographic that really believes in the cause of reason.

Appearing in Riverside

I will be speaking in Riverside, California on Wednesday, April 13 (2011), for the Inland Empire Atheists, Agnostics & Skeptics, from 7pm to 9pm (doors open at 6pm), at the Universalist Unitarian Church on 3657 Lemon Street (see the meetup page for the event). Admission is $5 (but free to students and the unemployed). I will be selling and signing my books afterward.
 
Topic: Defending Naturalism as a Worldview: Why We Should Care. I will talk in plain terms how to win the culture war through greater attention to worldview theory. We should all study the philosophy of naturalism because every element is interrelated and stands in direct opposition to supernatural worldviews used to attack us and make our society dysfunctional, yet on every point naturalism is obviously correct. This is a weapon you need to know how to use in order to win the culture war. Otherwise you are going to be outgunned by the Christian elite and their mindless flock, who are aware of this weapon's importance and are already very good at using it. You should be too. Come see why--and how.

San Francisco in March

I will be appearing in San Francisco next month, on Saturday 26 March (2011), for the San Francisco Atheists, at their usual venue (Schroeder's Restaurant, on 240 Front St., San Francisco, CA 94111), from 4:30-7pm. I'll be selling and signing books as usual.

Description: "From Robots to the Moon: Amazing Science and Technology of the Ancient World" : Dr. Richard Carrier, a specialist in ancient science and technology, surveys just a few examples of amazing achievements in scientific and technical knowledge among the Greeks and Romans, including computers, robots, automated factories, the invention of latitude and longitude, controlled medical experiments, and discovering the elliptical orbit of the moon.

And don't ask what I could possibly mean by "computers, robots, and automated factories." That would spoil the surprise! Come see and find out. I'll be repeating this talk in the St. Louis area later this year. Rest assured it's all based on established peer reviewed scholarship and actual concrete evidence.
 

Appearing in Greensboro

I will be appearing in Greensboro, North Carolina, in a few weeks, for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Atheists, Agnostics and Skeptics, on Wednesday, March 2 (2011), at 7pm (until 9pm). My talk will be "Are Science & Religion Compatible? Looking at Ancient Creation Science vs. Modern," an updated version of the talk I gave in absentia at Indianapolis for Darwin Day 2008 (see those last two links for more details about the talk's content). This time it will be delivered on the UNCG campus, in the Graham Building, Room 313. For those coming from off campus, the organizers created a google map of the location of the event and parking locations near the Graham Building. It's free to all as far as I know. There'll be a Q&A. And I'll be selling and signing my books afterward.

Right now the UNCGAAS website is in development (old site | new site) but may have information up in a few days. The only publicly posted official announcement so far is on Facebook (which only Facebook members can see). But if you're on FB you can give them an RSVP or ask them questions there. They might also get info posted on their blog soon.

Debating J.P. Holding

You heard that right. On Saturday, 9 April 2011, at 5pm, I will be debating my "nemesis" J.P. Holding on the textual reliability of the New Testament ("Do We Have What They Had?"). It is being sponsored by the Christian congregation of Pastor Cameron English and will be held at the Amador Christian Center (see their events page; right now it's a little ways down the page). For directions and more info see the Sacramento FAN page on the event. The center is located at 16829 Latrobe Road, in Plymouth, California, about twenty miles northeast of Sacramento. Anyone is welcome to attend.

There will be a Q&A, and afterward I will be selling and signing my books. If you are unfamiliar with my history with J.P. Holding (or his reputation generally) see (1) my book Not the Impossible Faith (which is a response to his book The Impossible Faith and its once-associated web pages at his site Tekton Ministries) and (2) the website Tektonics Exposed, which is run by others who have tangled with him and now document his foibles (to put it mildly). Despite his reputation I'm assured he'll be on good behavior in person.

Skepticon Selling Out

Just a quick heads up: Skepticon 3 is on the verge of selling out. Only a few hundred seats left (out of some 1500 or so). So if you want in, now's the time...

At CSH Conference

I will be on a panel at the Council for Secular Humanism's 30th Anniversary Conference in Los Angeles (California), which is taking place October 7th-10th (2010). Unfortunately this event was way more amazing than I knew, so it's already sold out. So this notice won't be of any use to anyone--except those already lucky enough to be going. But I will be joining several other speakers on a joint panel discussion about the future of secular humanism in America, concluding the conference between 9am and noon on Sunday October 10. I will be attending the whole conference, though. So I'll be around. They will be selling my books, through their own vendor (I'm not involved in that), but if you find me I'll sign anything you buy. For those who want to salivate at what you can't go see, everything you'd ever want to know about the conference is provided on a rather spectacular website. The speaker roster is very impressive, and the events promise to be pretty extraordinary.

Appearing in Sacramento

I'll be speaking in Sacramento, California, later this month, on Sunday, September 19 (2010). The talk will take place at 3pm in the Fahs Room of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento (UUSS) at 2425 Sierra Boulevard (Sacramento 95825), sponsored by HAGSA (The Humanist Association of the Greater Sacramento Area).

I'll be discussing the contents and controversy of The Christian Delusion (and bringing up some other stuff related to it from other books of note, including Atheists, The Authoritarian Specter, and The Moral Landscape) and also selling and signing copies of that book as well as my other books (Sense and Goodness Without God and Not the Impossible Faith) after the event. For info and driving directions see the HAGSA Meeting Page. I believe it's free, but donations in support of snacks and coffee are appreciated (or even bring actual snacks to add to the table).

Skepticon 3

It's official. And it's awesome! Skepticon 3 will take place at MSU (in Springfield, Missouri) from Friday to Sunday this November 19th to 21st (2010). Brought to you by the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. For all possible details see their official website Skepticon.org (which will be updated with more details over time as everything gets finalized).

For how amazing the last was, see my blog on Skepticon 2. In fact it was even more amazing than that. Video from last year is available from Hambone Productions (see the Skepticon playlist). Every talk rocked. And that's rare. But the best part was getting to drink and party (and sometimes karaoke) with the speakers each night. Just don't be a douche and you'll be welcome. So far, praise be, no douches. Everyone I hung with last year was way cool. Lots of fans came up to say hi, buy me a drink, chat and query, laugh and joke. Groovy times.

This year it will be literally amazing. For The Amazing Randi is one of the speakers. Altogether there are fourteen this year, adding a whole extra day of jamboree. And Rebecca's challenge was met: three women will be speaking this time, instead of lonely one. Rebecca Watson herself, of course, reprising her role as number one skepticon babe. Plus, feminist political blogger Amanda Marcotte and CFI's campus organizer Debbie Goddard. Returning among the guys are the famous Dan Barker, paranormal expert Joe Nickell, renowned freethought podcaster D.J. Grothe, theoretical physicist Victor Stenger, plus His Lord and Master of Skepticon himself, J.T. Eberhard...and the two of us who began it all: PZ Myers, and, yes, Richard Carrier (I'll be giving a totally new, wildly shocking, fact-filled talk Are Christians Delusional?). New guys this year: The Gay Moralist himself, John Corvino, professor of philosophy and expert on ethics and gay rights; my personal friend and godless media activist David Fitzgerald (I had nothing to do with his getting on the slate...I learned of it after the fact! Yes, he has that big of a rep...he didn't even need me to drop his name); and the godlessly humorous Brother Sam Singleton. For more about all these speakers see the Skepticon Speakers List.

 

As with all previous Skepticons, this one is completely free. You won't get an incredible event like this for free anywhere. Which is why they have costs and need donations. They are building a war chest already, but any little bit can help. If you want to support free godless conferences with an amazing slate of speakers in the heart of the Bible belt (where they need it the most!), visit the Skepticon donation center, where they also explain how your donations will be spent, and the different ways you can contribute.

Also, because it's free, demand is high. If you want to be sure the venue is big enough that you'll actually get a seat (or even into the room), please tell them you're coming. Register now, so they have a reliable head count well enough in advance.

Video of my talk is now available (see Skepticon III Video). A link is also provided there to view the accompanying slideshow.

Appearing in Walnut Creek

I apologize to anyone who has been wondering where I am. I've been incommuni- cado for many weeks due to Jen and I having just purchased a home. It's our first owned home in fifteen years of marriage. Being poor, we bought a fixer. And boy has it been. Like a voluntary labor camp I've been working 12 hour days seven days a week (even forgetting when weekends were passing) making the house livable (repairing doors, refinishing floors, figuring out our house's eighty-year-old wiring, taming the yard, cleaning the filth left everywhere by the previous tenants, and endless other tasks, including of course packing, moving and unpacking, which was a herculean task in itself).

I didn't even have a working internet for two weeks. Then I barely found time to access it. I'm close to getting back on my regular track and will then only do a few repair and renovation jobs a week. So if it seems odd that I went totally silent and off the grid for so long, now you know why. I'll catch up comments on my blog here in a week or two.

Due to the daunting tasks required by this new purchase I wasn't going to schedule any more gigs (I already had some locked in for the end of the year, starting in October, but I'll blog about those when time nears). But as a favor to a local atheist leader, I'm taking time out to visit a gated community in Walnut Creek, California, for Atheists and Agnostics of Rossmoor, where I'll reprise my talk Why Everyone Says Medieval Christians Invented Science (for an abstract see my April entry for my previous delivery in Berkeley). There will be Q and A, and I'll be selling and signing copies of The Christian Delusion afterward, as well as my other books as usual.

This will take place Thursday afternoon, next week, at 3pm on May 20 (2010), in the Del Valle Clubhouse on 1751 Tice Creek Drive in
Walnut Creek, CA 94595. It's in the gated community of Rossmoor, so if you want to attend you need to know how to get in: enter in a visitor lane and tell them you are attending the Atheists and Agnostics meeting. I'm assured this is never a problem. The access gate appears to be on Rossmoor Parkway, after which you take the next right on Golden Rain Road, and the next right is Tice Creek Drive and it takes you right to the clubhouse parking lot. You get to Rossmoor Parkway via Tice Valley Boulevard, turning south onto Rossmoor. All just south of the 680 and 24 freeways.

Appearing in Berkeley II

I will be speaking for the East Bay Atheists this April 18 (Sunday) at 1:30pm in the Berkeley Main Library (3rd Floor Meeting Room) on 2090 Kittredge St. in Berkeley (California). It's about a block south of the downtown Berkeley BART station.

Subject: "Why Everyone Says Medieval Christians Invented Science." I'll summarize and expand on one of my chapters in the controversial book The Christian Delusion (edited by John Loftus), which addresses the new argument going around that we have Christianity to thank for modern science. We all know it's closer to the other way around. So how on earth do they think the opposite? What are their arguments? What is their evidence? How can they be so mistaken? Well, I'll tell you.

There will follow Q&A and I'll be selling and signing my own books (Sense and Goodness without God and Not the Impossible Faith), but alas I'm not likely to have any copies to sell yet of The Christian Delusion. Prometheus Books has made it frustratingly difficult to buy stock for resale, and their consignment discounts barely compete with Amazon retail rates, and there is a lot else they do that pisses off authors like me. But that's just them. This is a superb book, though, two years in the making, a definite must-read. Buy it to support the authors if nothing else. I'll be blogging about it's release tomorrow.

Appearing in Tuscon

I will be appearing next month in Tuscon, Arizona, for the Center for Inquiry of Southern Arizona, on Sunday, March 21 (2010) at 10am (until about noon), at the DuVal Auditorium (1501 North Campbell Ave. in the University of Arizona Medical Center, to the right of the lobby, after walking in the main entrance of the UMC). I'll be delivering a reprise of my talk on Not the Impossible Faith (originally delivered in Berkeley, see here for current details). Normally there is a small ticket price at CFI events (and Friends of the Center get in free), but I don't know if that will be the same here. I will be selling and signing my books afterward.

Appearing in Kansas

The day after my debate in Topeka, Kansas (this coming week) I'll be giving a talk in Olathe, Kansas for the Kansas City Freethought community. That's Friday, February 12. The event will be held at 6pm (and go until 9pm) at the Bass Pro Shop on 12051 Bass Pro Drive (Olathe, Kansas 66061). I'm told you just "enter the front doors, take the center staircase to the second floor, then enter the hallway north of the gun section." (Awesome.)

You can get more info at the Skeptics Meetup Page. As far as I know attendance is free. I'll be selling and signing my book afterward, but only insofar as I have any left after the previous day's event. I'll give three short talks (about 20 minutes each), each one followed by its own brief Q&A. The topics will be On Miracles and the Historical Method, Debating the Jesus Myth, and Why Everyone Says Medieval Christians Invented Science.