SCIENCE, PSEUDOSCIENCE, EAST, WEST: Critical Thinking when New & Old Worlds Meet

Turkey is a land of beautiful contradictions. Just like it's landmass lies from Asia to Europe, it is simultaneously the East and the West. The call to prayer echoes five times a day in the streets of Istanbul, yet the same streets are filled with bars and loud music during the evenings. The beliefs and superstitions of people are also a unique mixture of pagan traditions from the ancient ages, Islamic beliefs and imported modern western woo.

This talk samples pseudoscience from the old continent, explores the growing skeptical movement in Turkey, and discusses challenges of being a Turkish skeptic.

Speaker: Isil Arican M.D