Massimo Pigliucci will be delivering a keynote address at Iowa State at 5:10 p.m. on Friday, June 1.

Pigliucci is a debater, podcaster, blogger and professor of philosophy at the City University of New York. He focuses on science and pseudoscience as well as how ordinary citizens can tell the difference between the two.

Pigliucci will be exploring in his talk — titled “Nonsense on Stilts about Science: Field Adventures of A Scientist-Philosopher” —  what scientists, philosophers and citizens themselves need to do in order to promote a better understanding of science.

This will be one of the two keynote addresses of the Great Plains Society for the Study of Argumentation Conference.

The conference theme this year is “Between Scientists and Citizens: Assessing Expertise in Policy Controversies.” It will take place Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2.

The conference aims to “embrace work on expertise in policy controversies from across the disciplines focused on argumentation, reasoning, rhetoric, communication and deliberation.”

The conference keynote address by Pigliucci will take place in 101 Carver Hall. Cost to attend is free.