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In the Year 2525: Big Science, Big History, and the Far Future of Humanity

May 29–31, 2015

Hosted by Michael Shermer at Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium

Confirmed speakers

Richard Dawkins, Jared Diamond, Lawrence Krauss, Esther Dyson, John McWhorter, Ian Morris, Carol Tavris, Gregory Benford, David Brin, Michael Shermer, and Donald Prothero. Read speaker bios.

conference speakers and entertainers
Topics

The future of the universe, the solar system, and the earth and its resources, the fate of civilizations and the nation-state, changing economic systems, the expanding moral sphere and progress or regress in morality, what language humans will speak, what race (if any) humans will be, the changing nature of gender roles, the future of religion, conflicts, and wars, how we can (or if we should) colonize the solar system and galaxy, and how humanity can become a Type I, Type II, or even a Type III civilization.

Itinerary at a Glance
Friday Evening
Speakers’ Reception and buffet dinner, cash bar, and close up magicians (Jamy Ian Swiss and Jack Velour). The Westin Hotel in Pasadena. Exclusively for conference attendees only.
Saturday Conference
All day lectures and panel discussions with Q&A in Beckman Auditorium at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, includes catered continental breakfast, lunch and dinner and evening entertainment. Evening entertainment by Frankie Moreno and his band and Mathemagician Art Benjamin.
Sunday tours (optional, choose one)
EXCLUSIVELY for confernece attendees only, we are offering two optional field trips. You may only participate in one of these Sunday field trips and space is limited:
  1. Mt. Wilson Observatory telescopes tour (download a Mt. Wilson site map and driving map), led by Michael Shermer & Gale Gant.
  2. Geology Tour of the San Gabriel mountains and San Andreas fault, hosted by Dr. Donald Prothero. Join us as we explore the geology of the San Gabriels—one of the fastest rising mountain ranges in the world. In the morning we will stop at the spectacular cliffs (and famous movie location) of Vasquez Rocks—part of sediments over 20,000 feet thick that have tilted and rotated over the past 20 million years. We will pass the Los Angeles aqueduct, see the San Andreas fault, and then take a short geology hike at Devil’s Punchbowl to see the fantastic rock formations created by fault movement. After a picnic lunch we’ll drive along the spectacular Angeles Crest Highway over the top of the San Gabriel Mountains, see billion-year-old magma chambers full of rocks that resemble moon rocks, and the evidence of 1.7 billion years of magma intrusions that cooled during the Age of Dinosaurs, and evidence of uplift, faulting, and erosion in the eastern San Gabriels. Download a map of Pasadena showing where the bus loads.

    THESE TOURS ARE NOW SOLD OUT. Call 1 (626) 794-3119 if you would like to be added to a waitlist.

Download registration form for San Gabriel/San Andreas tour

Fees
Friday night (optional)
  • $75 Dinner party. Exclusively for conference attendees only.
Saturday Conference
  • $225 nonmembers/general public (includes 1-year Skeptics Society membership/Skeptic subscription)
  • $199 Skeptics Society members (i.e. those with active print subscriptions)
  • $99 full-time students.
Sunday tours (optional, choose one)
  1. $40 Mt. Wilson Observatory tour (includes boxed lunch). PLEASE NOTE: Price does not include transportation to the observatory, a one-hour drive from Pasadena, for which you are on your own.)
  2. $99 Geology Tour of the San Gabriel Mountains and the San Andreas fault. Tour includes charter bus, lectures, park admissions, guide booklet, picnic lunch, and water. Seats are limited—reserve soon! Exclusively for conference attendees only.

    THESE TOURS ARE NOW SOLD OUT. Call 1 (626) 794-3119 if you would like to be added to a waitlist.

Sunday Dinner (optional, seating limited)
  1. $1000 Private Dinner with Richard Dawkins at the Shermers’ cliffside home in Pasadena. This private dinner is a fundraiser for the Richard Dawkins Foundation and the cost is tax-deductible.

    THIS DINNER IS NOW SOLD OUT. Call 1 (626) 794-3119 if you would like to be added to a waitlist.

Download registration form for San Gabriel/San Andreas tour

Schedule
FRIDAY MAY 29, 2015
SATURDAY MAY 30, 2015
  • 7:00–8:30: Registration, continental breakfast, book table
  • 8:30–9:00: Donald Prothero, on the Future of Life on Earth
  • 9:00–9:30: Ian Morris, on the Future of War & Human Values
  • 9:30–10:00: Jared Diamond, on Mistakes Made by People and Nations that Hurt Their Futures
  • 10:00–10:30: Coffee Break
  • 10:30–11:00: Carol Tavris, on the Future of Gender, Race & Human Nature
  • 11:00–11:30: John McWhorter, on the Future of Language & Culture
  • 11:30–12:00: Panel discussion with morning speakers
  • 12:00–12:30: Audience Q&A with morning speakers
  • 12:30–1:30: Lunch (catered at Caltech), book signing with speakers
  • 1:30–2:15: Richard Dawkins & Michael Shermer in Conversation: The Future of Religion & Morality
  • 2:15–2:45: Esther Dyson, on the Future of Human Health & Longevity
  • 2:45–3:15: Lawrence Krauss, on the Future of Fundamental Science & the Long Term Future of Life
  • 3:15–3:45: Coffee break
  • 3:45–4:15: David Brin, on the Future of Privacy, Security & Liberty
  • 4:15–4:45: Gregory Benford, on the Future of Space Travel & Colonization
  • 4:45–5:15: Mathemagics with Art Benjamin and the Future of Math
  • 5:15–5:45: Panel discussion with afternoon speakers
  • 5:45–6:15: Audience Q&A with afternoon speakers
  • 6:15–8:00: Dinner (catered at Caltech), book signing with speakers
  • 8:00–9:30: Musical entertainment with Frankie Moreno
SUNDAY MAY 31, 2015
  • 9:00 am–5:00pm: San Gabriel Mountains and the San Andreas fault geology tour
  • 10:00am–2:00pm: Mt. Wilson Observatory tour
  • 6:00pm–10:00pm: Private Fundraising Dinner with Richard Dawkins at the Shermers’ home. This private dinner is a fundraiser for the Richard Dawkins Foundation and the cost is tax-deductible.
Accommodation
THE WESTIN PASADENA (host hotel)
191 North Los Robles Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101
1-866-837-4181 (reservation line)
Skeptics Society Conference Rate: $169.00

There are a limited number of rooms available at our special conference rate. Ask for the Skeptics Society Conference Rate when you call to reserve your room. Cut-off date for the special rate is May 5, 2015 at 5:00pm. Guests can book, modify, or cancel a hotel reservation online from February 4, 2015 to June 4, 2015.

THE WESTIN is an exceptionally elegant 4-Star Hotel, located just a little over one mile from the Caltech campus, and within easy walking distance of Old Town Pasadena with dozens of fine restaurants, the Playhouse District with bookstores, theatres, and restaurants, and a short drive to Huntington Gardens, the Rose Bowl, and other Southern California attractions. All guest rooms are very plush and feature The Heavenly Bed, The Heavenly Bath, dual-line telephones with voice messaging, in-room Internet service, and complimentary Starbucks coffee. The Westin provides complimentary transportation within a 15-minute radius (includes Caltech but not airports).

Reserve your hotel room online

Airports & Transportation

BURBANK AIRPORT is just 20 minutes from Pasadena and is serviced by Alaska, Aloha, American, American West, United, and Southwest Airlines.

LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (LAX) is 45 minutes to 1.5 hours (depending on traffic) from Pasadena, but it is serviced by all airlines and offers greater travel flexibility.

SHUTTLE SERVICE from both airports to The Westin Hotel:

Least expensive:

  • Prime Time Shuttle: 1-800-733-8267
  • Super Shuttle: 1-800-258-3826
  • Xpress Shuttle: 1-800-427-7483

More expensive:

  • Taxi Services: 1-800-750-4400
  • People’s Taxi: 1-800-505-2227

Most expensive:

  • Limousine: Fleetwood: 1-800-283-5893
  • ITS: 1-800-487-4255
Driving Directions

TO CALTECH: Off the 210 Freeway in Pasadena, exit Lake Ave and go south. Left on Del Mar, right on Michigan, which terminates at Caltech. Park in the faculty parking lot to the left, or in the student parking lots to the right. Beckman Auditorium is the large white round building at the south end of the faculty parking lot. Off the 110 Freeway, follow to the end and continue north on Arroyo Parkway, right on Del Mar, right on Michigan, follow parking instructions above.

TO WESTIN HOTEL: Off the 210 Freeway, exit Lake Ave and go south. Right on Walnut, left on Los Robles, hotel is on the SW corner (191 N. Los Robles Ave). Off the 110 Freeway, follow to the end and continue north on Arroyo Parkway, right on Colorado Blvd., left on Los Robles, hotel is two blocks north on the left side. From Burbank Airport, take the 5 South to the 134 East (Pasadena) to the 210 East, follow instructions above. From LAX, take the 105 freeway east, to the 110 North, follow instructions above.

About the Speakers
Richard Dawkins (photo by Lalla Ward)

On the Future of Religion and Morality (in conversation with Michael Shermer)

RICHARD DAWKINS is an evolutionary biologist, Fellow of the Royal Society and of the Royal Society of Literature, and the author of The Ancestor’s Tale, The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, A Devil’s Chaplain, The God Delusion, The Greatest Show on Earth and The Magic of Reality. He was the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. He stars in the documentary film The Unbelievers.

Esther Dyson (photo by Seth Fisher)

On the Future of Human Health & Longevity

ESTHER DYSON was born in Zurich, Switzerland to prominent mathematician Verena Huber-Dyson and physicist and futurist writer Freeman Dyson. After earning her degree from Harvard in economics she founded EDventure Holdings, a pioneering information technology and new media company, and has been active in the public discussion about the future of the Internet ever since, including in a regular column for the New York Times. She was named one of the most powerful women in American business by Forbes magazine and is widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in technology. As co-chair of the National Information Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIIAC), head of the Electronic Frontiers Foundation (EFF), and interim chairman of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Dyson has helped mediate and inform public policy regarding privacy, encryption, trust, and the assignment of Internet domain names. Her book, Release 2.0, addressed to a general, non-technical audience the key issues and controversies surrounding the evolving Internet.

John McWhorter

On the Future of Language & Culture

JOHN H. MCWHORTER earned his Ph.D. in linguistics from Stanford University and became Associate Professor of Linguistics at UC Berkeley after teaching at Cornell University. He is also a contributing editor to the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal where he writes and comments extensively on race, ethnicity and cultural issues. His Book, All About the Beat, calls for a new politics for Black America and for a renewed sense of purpose and pride in black communities. Dr. McWhorter is also the author of the New York Times best seller Losing the Race and an anthology of race writings, Authentically Black. He was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in Non-Fiction and has appeared on numerous national TV and radio shows, such as Meet the Press, John McLaughlin’s One on One, The O’Reilly Factor, and NPR’s Fresh Air. McWhorter is also a well-known and widely published linguistics scholar and the author of The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language and Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music in America and Why We Should, Like, Care.

Lawrence Krauss

The Future of Fundamental Science and the Long Term Future of Life

LAWRENCE M. KRAUSS is an internationally known theoretical physicist whose studies include the early universe, the nature of dark matter, general relativity and neutrino astrophysics. He has investigated questions ranging from the nature of exploding stars to issues of the origin of all mass in the universe. He taught at Yale University and Case Western Reserve before taking up current post as Foundation Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration and Physics, and Inaugural Director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University, which has become a national center for research and outreach on origins issues, from the origins of the universe, to human origins, to the origins of consciousness and culture. Dr. Krauss is the author of over 300 scientific publications, as well as numerous popular articles and such bestselling books as The Fifth Essence: The Search for Dark Matter in the Universe, The Physics of Star Trek, Beyond Star Trek, Quintessence, Atom, Hiding in the Mirror, Quantum Man: Richard Feynman’s Life in Science, and his runaway bestseller A Universe from Nothing. In 2013, starred in a new full length feature film documentary, The Unbelievers, which follows Krauss and Richard Dawkins around the world.

Carol Tavris

On the Future of Gender, Race & Human Nature

CAROL TAVRIS is a social psychologist, writer, teacher, and lecturer. Her recent book, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by ME), was coauthored with Elliot Aronson and applies cognitive dissonance theory to a wide variety of topics, including politics, conflicts of interest, memory (everyday and “recovered”), the criminal justice system, police interrogation, the daycare sex-abuse epidemic, family quarrels, international conflicts, and business. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association as well as a Charter Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. Her honors and awards include the Distinguished Media Contribution Award from the American Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology (for her book The Mismeasure of Woman), the Media Achievement Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the Distinguished Contribution to Women’s Health Award from the APA Conference on Women’s Health, and an award from the Center for Inquiry for contributions to skepticism and science.

Jared Diamond

On Mistakes Made by People and Nations that Hurt Their Futures

JARED DIAMOND is Professor of Geography at UCLA. He began his scientific career in physiology and expanded into evolutionary biology and biogeography. He has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical society. Among his many awards are the National Medal of Science, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, Japan’s Cosmo Prize, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, and the Lewis Thomas Prize Honoring the Scientist as Poet. He has published more than 600 articles and his book, Guns, Germs, and Steel, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. His other books include The Third Chimpanzee, Collapse, and The World Until Yesterday.

Ian Morris

On the Future of War and Human Values

IAN MORRIS is Professor of History at Stanford University and a Fellow of the Stanford Archaeology Center. His book Why the West Rules—For Now traces the patterns of history and what they reveal about the future. His latest book is Foragers, Farmers, and Fossil Fuels: How Human Values Evolve, a compelling new argument about the evolution of human values, one that has far-reaching implications for how we understand the past—and for what might happen next. Fundamental long-term changes in values, Morris argues, are driven by the most basic force of all: energy. Humans have found three main ways to get the energy they need—from foraging, farming, and fossil fuels. Each energy source sets strict limits on what kinds of societies can succeed, and each kind of society rewards specific values. But if our fossil-fuel world favors democratic, open societies, the ongoing revolution in energy capture means that our most cherished values are very likely to turn out not to be useful any more.

Gregory Benford

On the Future of Space Travel & Colonization

GREGORY BENFORD is a physicist and acclaimed science fiction author. He earned his Ph.D. from U.C. San Diego, worked at the Lawrence (Calif.) Radiation Laboratory and has been a professor of physics at U.C. Irvine since 1971 where he conducts research in plasma turbulence theory and astrophysics. He has published over 100 papers in various fields of physics and is a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University, and has served as an advisor to the Department of Energy, NASA and the White House Council on Space Policy. Benford is the author of over 20 novels, including Jupiter Project, Artifact, Against Infinity, Eater, and Timescape and has won the Nebula Award, the John W. Campbell Award, the Australian Ditmar Award, the 1995 Lord Foundation Award for achievement in the sciences, and the 1990 United Nations Medal in Literature. He was a scientific consultant for Star Trek: The Next Generation.

David Brin (photo by Tom Munnecke)

On the Future of Privacy, Security & Liberty

DAVID BRIN is a scientist, best-selling science fiction author, and tech-futurist. He has received the Hugo, Locus, Campbell, and Nebula awards, and his novel The Postman was adapted as a feature film starring Kevin Costner. His nonfiction book The Transparent Society won the Freedom of Speech Award of the American Library Association. He is the author of Startide Rising, The Uplift War, and his newest novel, Existence, explores the ultimate question: if billions of planets are ripe for life, where is Everybody? His new research is on how we will shape the days and years ahead, and how tomorrow will shape us.

Donald Prothero

On the Future of Life on Earth

DONALD R. PROTHERO is Senior Paleontologist at ArchaeoPaleo Environmental Management, Inc., and Research Associate in Vertebrate Paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. He taught for 35 years at Columbia, Knox, Pierce, Vassar, Occidental, and Caltech. He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of 34 books and over 250 scientific papers, including five leading geology textbooks. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, the Paleontological Society, and the Linnaean Society of London, and has also received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Science Foundation. In 2013, he received the James Shea Award of the National Association of Geology Teachers for outstanding writing and editing in the geological sciences. He has also been featured on many television documentaries, including episodes of Paleoworld (BBC), Prehistoric Monsters Revealed (History Channel), Entelodon and Hyaenodon (National Geographic Channel) and Walking with Prehistoric Beasts (BBC).

Michael Shermer

On the Future of Religion and Morality (in conversation with Richard Dawkins)

MICHAEL SHERMER is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. He is the author of numerous bestselling books including The Believing Brain, Why Darwin Matters, and Why People Believe Weird Things. He received his B.A. in psychology from Pepperdine University, M.A. in experimental psychology from California State University, Fullerton, and his Ph.D. in the history of science from Claremont Graduate University. He has appeared on such shows as The Colbert Report, 20/20, Dateline, Charlie Rose, and Larry King Live (but, proudly, never Jerry Springer!). His latest book is The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom.

Entertainment
Frankie Moreno (photo by Killer Imaging)

FRANKIE MORENO is a musical virtuoso, pianist and performer prodigy turned Las Vegas headliner sensation! Frankie started as a child prodigy pianist and was first introduced to American audiences at the age of ten with his debut on CBS’s “Star Search”. Named Headliner of the Year in Las Vegas, making national television appearances, releasing a brand new album, and preparing a nationwide PBS Special titled “Frankie Moreno in Concert”, Frankie is capturing the attention of millions and leaving a lasting impression.

Jamy Ian Swiss (photo by Michael Bulbenko)

JAMY IAN SWISS is a magician, author, and public speaker with more than 25 years of skeptical activism experience. He has appeared internationally for presenters ranging from Fortune 500 companies to the Smithsonian Institution. His U.S. television appearances include CBS 48 Hours, PBS Nova and the PBS documentary The Art of Magic, and repeat appearances on The Today Show and The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. He is the author of books including two collections of essays, Shattering Illusions and Devious Standards, and of The Art of Magic, the companion to the PBS documentary, and co-wrote the chapter “Explaining Magic” in Visual Explanations by Edward Tufte. He has produced and written for television, including Penn & Teller’s Sin City Spectacular, and created the Discovery Channel special, Cracking the Con Games. He is producer of New York’s longest-running Off-Broadway magic show, Monday Night Magic, now in its 18th consecutive season.

Jamy is a co-founder of the National Capital Area Skeptics; a co-founder of the New York City Skeptics; has spoken and performed across the U.S. on behalf of the Center For Inquiry; has been a contributor to Skeptic magazine; is a co-producer and on-stage host of the Northeast Conference on Science & Skepticism; has presented or performed annually at James Randi’s “The Amazing Meeting” since its inception in 2003; and is a past Senior Fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation for which he has served as a blogger, creator of the Honest Liar video commentaries, and continues to help administer the foundation’s Million Dollar Challenge.

In a lengthy profile in the New Yorker, Adam Gopnik writes, “Swiss is widely thought to have one of the most masterly sleight-of-hand techniques in the world today…” And Penn & Teller call him, “James Bond with a deck of cards as a pistol!”

Jack Velour

JACK VELOUR is a performer of close-up magic, where his audiences witness miracles from inches away. He has captivated thousands of people across the country, including numerous celebrities. After becoming a successful close-up magician in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, Jack moved to California in 2012, where he continues to mystify audiences at corporate functions and private gatherings, and most recently Jack was invited to perform for record producer, Clive Davis, at his 83rd birthday party. Jack Velour’s performances are loaded with surprises and humor, creating a fun and enchanting atmosphere for almost any audience. He is also an active member of The Magic Castle in Hollywood.

Art Benjamin

ARTHUR BENJAMIN is considered to be the world’s greatest living lightning calculator. If you have never seen him perform, you are in for a treat! Bring your calculators and challenge the master! Dr. Benjamin will not only demonstrate how he does calculations in his head faster than you can with a calculator, he will reveal his secrets and teach you how to do it yourself. Not only will he reveal his own secrets, he will demonstrate how the great lightning calculators of the past did it. Dr. Benjamin is the Smallwood Family Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College. He has received numerous awards for his writing and teaching, and served as editor of Math Horizons magazine for the Mathematical Association of America. He has given three TED talks, which have been viewed over 10 million times. Reader’s Digest calls him “America’s best math whiz.” His newest book, out this Fall, is called The Magic of Math: Solving for x and Figuring out Why.

Live Broadcasts

Morning Panel Discussion
Richard Dawkins and Michael Shermer in conversation
Afternoon Panel Discussion
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