The Russell Island Paradox (Live Keynote Speech: Oxford 2026)

The Russell Island Paradox: Why do false ideas persist even among rational agents? In this live keynote speech from the Oxford Conjecture Conference, 16–17 May 2026, Ray Scott Percival explores how error can survive not merely because of bias or irrationality, but because ideas have deep, unfolding logical consequences that no finite community can fully survey. Drawing on Popper’s World 3, information content, falsifiability, Gödel, Church, Tarski, and the history of papal infallibility, the talk argues that false ideas can persist among rational agents — yet this remains fully compatible with the growth of knowledge, sound argument, and the long-run power of truth. Organised by Conjecture Con Europe https://www.conconeurope.com Partner: the Conjecture Institute https://conjectureinstitute.org #RussellIslandParadox #CriticalRationalism #KarlPopper #Epistemology #KnowledgeGrowth #Conjecture Institute #memes #religiousmovement