Confidence tricks are a form of fraud. Calling something a "con" is, at its heart, calling it a fraud. (Unless "con" is short for "convention".) But, that's merely semantics, I guess.
Take a look @ SETI on a cost/benefit analysis and see how you get on.
I take it you're not a fan of SETI.
Well, that's fine.
I'm
not, exactly, a huge supporter of them, either. I would only go to this convention because it happens to look like a cool convention, with a decent number of cool guests (and not just the Star Trek ones).
If I don't end up going, it will probably be because too many other conventions had
even better lists of guests or other more attractive factors.
I find it uniquely amusing the lengths that a bunch of almost entirely otherwise rational people will go to once you are able to link aliens & science, no matter how tenuously.
That "tenuous" aspect is the most genuinely scientific way to go about doing it, though; as far as we know at the moment. And, they do manage to do some productive science, between their alien-searching, at least.
I think we have bigger fish to fry, than to pick on SETI.
And, that is still no argument that the SETIcon event, itself, is just a confidence trick.
The Amaz!ng Meeting! and other Skeptical Events
I think the title of this sub-forum can be interpreted to mean "The Amaz!ng Meeting! and other Events
of Interest to Skeptics", which includes science and astronomy conventions, and such. And, even Sci-Fi conventions such as I-Con and Dragon*Con.
Besides, with Phil Plait there, maybe part of it
will be a true skeptical event!
Do you know what a church fete is?
Why use the word "church" in that slur? Do you assume Phil Plait, Jill Tarter, and Rusty Schweickart consider SETI their
religion?
