I’m excited to be participating in the 2026 Skepticamp Chicago! I have a long history with Skepticamp events, having contributed to the organization of two such events in Phoenix. Most recently, I organized the first Skepticamp Carthage in 2023. The program from that event is still available at skepticalclassroom.com.

Here are the details on the presentation I’ll be giving at the Chicago Skepticamp:

Fossils of gooey bits: The futility of evolutionary psychology

Every reputable scientist accepts the reality of the theory of evolution. No one denies that the brain evolved. However, application of the theory of evolution to behaviors introduces a host of logical problems. The scientific tools available to us for understanding the genesis of behaviors are generally incapable of enlightening us on the extent to which they are genetically endowed. In this presentation, I will introduce the central tenets of evolutionary psychology and discuss some of the scientific findings and limitations that complicate our ability to differentiate evolutionary adaptations from learned behaviors, concluding that "just so" stories do not a science make.