Telling what’s real from what’s fake should be easy. In today’s world, that’s far from the case. Bestselling author and Canada Research Chair Timothy Caulfield joins the Vancouver Writers Fest on Thursday, January 30 to lift the curtain on the forces contributing to our information chaos, in The Certainty Illusion: What You Don’t Know and Why It Matters.
Caulfield unpacks why it’s so difficult—sometimes even for experts—to escape the fake, helping us recognize and combat the forces that threaten to pull us under. This accessible, actionable deep dive into our misinformation crisis is required reading for anyone seeking the truth. “Celebrities, charlatans, and even the science community: nobody is safe from Caulfield’s laser focus on exposing misinformation and those who perpetuate it.” —Abby Langer, author of Good Food, Bad Diet.
We do our best to make our events low-barrier, accessible experiences for our community. A limited number of accessibly priced tickets are available for purchase. To discuss other ways we can make these events more accessible to you, please reach out to us at info@writersfest.bc.ca or 604-681-6330.
About Books & Ideas
Launching in January 2025, Books & Ideas is a new event series from the Vancouver Writers Fest on Granville Island, home of the Writers Fest’s celebrated annual literary festival. With an intimate theatre venue and a pop-up bar for socializing, attendees will be invited to connect more deeply with other members of the local literary community—and meet the esteemed authors who grace the stage—in a modern space for exchanging ideas.
Participants and Speakers
Timothy Caulfield
TIMOTHY CAULFIELD is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta. His interdisciplinary research on topics like stem cells, genetics, research ethics, the public representations of science and health policy issues has allowed him to publish over 350 academic articles. He contributes frequently for the popular press and is the author of two national bestsellers: The Cure for Everything: Untangling the Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness and Happiness (Penguin 2012) and Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?: When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash (Penguin 2015). Caulfield is the host and co-producer of the documentary TV series, A User’s Guide to Cheating Death.