Ethical Matters:
The Uncertain Science of Certainty
11th May 2025 · 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Doors open: 2:30pm
Brockway Room | Virtual event

From the medieval Islamic world to the recent pandemic, scientific progress has relied on different methods of establishing fact from fiction. Today, in the face of ever-increasing disinformation, how we prove things – to ourselves and others – has never felt more urgent. But there is far more to proof than axioms, theories and scientific laws: when demonstrating that an experimental medical treatment works, persuading a jury of someone’s guilt, or deciding whether to trust a new type of financial transaction, weighing up evidence is rarely simple. Bestselling author, statistician and epidemiologist Adam Kucharski ranges across science, politics, philosophy and economics to explore how truth emerges – and why it falters.
Adam Kucharski is a professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. A mathematician by training, his work on global outbreaks has included Ebola, Zika and COVID-19, and he has advised multiple governments and health agencies. He is a TED senior fellow and winner of the University of Cambridge Adams Prize and the Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize.
Adam’s book, Proof: The Uncertain Science of Certainty, will be available to buy in person from Newham Bookshop on the day.
Age Recommendation:
16+
Price: *All ticket prices below include a £1 booking fee*
In advance: Standard £10 • Living Support £7 • Students £7 • Members FREE
On the door: Standard £11 • Living Support £8 • Students £8 • Members FREE
Online: Standard £7 • Members FREE
Access Information
Due to the age and Grade II listing of the building, there is no lift access to rooms above the ground floor.
All the ground-floor rooms are fully accessible by wheelchair. Main Hall (street access, step-free), Brockway Room (street access, step-free), Bertrand Russell Room (street access, shallow ramp), Hive Cafe (street access, step-free). There is also an accessible toilet on the ground floor opposite the Brockway Room.
Further Info
This event will be held with an in-person audience at Conway Hall and online via livestream. Everyone wishing to join this event must register for a ticket in advance.
If you have any accessibility enquiries, please contact us at info@conwayhall.org.uk / 020 7405 1818.