Scepticism is alive and well at The University of Queensland.
A group of UQ students known as the UQ Skeptics meets regularly in search of logic and reason.
UQ Skeptics President Nonie Finlayson said the club had more than 150 members.
“Former US president John F. Kennedy urged people against enjoying ‘the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought’, and we are following that advice,” she said.
“We started as a group of friends who argued over lunch and coffee, and we thought that there might be others at UQ who would like to join us.
“Our core goal is to bring together a community of sceptics.
“Within this, we aim to facilitate evidenced-based discussions, help members increase their critical-thinking abilities, and to promote critical thinking within the wider UQ community,” Ms Finlayson said.
“I always say to people that what is important about our group is that we aren’t brought together by common beliefs, but by our thought process.
“Our beliefs and opinions may vary widely, but we challenge each other and look for evidence.”
Ms Finlayson, who is completing her PhD at UQ in Cognitive Psychology, said her involvement with the club had given her new perspectives and ideas for research.
“My research explores how depth affects our visual attention, and I work with my advisor, Dr Phil Grove, on binocular vision and stereoscopic depth perception.
“I find that psychology has very close ties to scepticism, because our minds trick us in various ways and we need to be careful of what we believe.
“For example, I find it fascinating that we don't necessarily perceive reality in the way that others do, or even the way that it actually is, like our belief in things like eye-witness testimony.
“While my involvement in the club doesn’t directly affect my research, being able to discuss any topic with a range of people gives me new perspectives, and personally I think I am much more level-headed, better at making decisions, and better at holding up my end of an argument,” Ms Finlayson said.
Upcoming events include weekly discussions on current topics, networking events, critical thinking seminars, movie nights and double-blind beer tasting.
Students can join UQ Skeptics for $5 or visit the groups Facebook page.
Media: Georgia Mitchell 07 3346 0626 or georgia.mitchell@uq.edu.au
