"In this let him who is a skeptic ..."
Today
touch of skepticism. One of the many things beyond my understanding in this world is the reason for the scorn to skepticism, and I could not resist to write about it. Friday, March 24, 2006
Pressure Points In Neck To Fall Asleep
First things first (not so early as the previous article
...): What is skepticism?
For simplifying a little, be skeptical doubt means everything. No doubt means not believe anything, or attempt to ridicule any ideas, but rather the contrary. A skeptic tries to parse any rational claim. For example, if you say to a skeptic who is the Sun that warms us, he would not accept it blindly or you discard a priori, but they will reason as follows:
"Well, when it's daytime temperature is higher that after dark. For the day is the Sun that we see in the sky, but at night only the moon and stars. The moon only reflects light from the sun and the stars are suns, but found at a distance too great to feel the heat given off by radiation. So it seems like a reasonable explanation is the Sun that warms us "
As you see, has argued in a simple to conclude that the statement is probably true.
Now if we say that really are little green goblins called Groôbs those who light their small pots to make mysterious magic potions when comes the day to worship the sun god, the great skeptic apply the golden rule of skepticism:
" Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence "
And if we do not give any proof of the existence of our friends Groôbs the skeptic apply the so-called Occam's Razor "
" being equal the simplest solution tends to be the true "
This statement is far from a physical law or mathematics, but is nonetheless extremely useful and effective in the world of science. And now that
we know what it is and how you think a skeptic, the question is: why is it so frowned skepticism in many "disciplines ?
Then there's the trick, discuss what discipline is frowned upon. If you go to forums astrology, palmistry, mysteries, etc, etc. you will see that it's very odd that any comment on the possibility of the existence of alternative hypotheses, there is a kind of bombardment scheduled on that reader, derogatorily called "skeptic" and cast as have a chance.
My personal theory about this is that when we believe in something and give us grounds for removing the belief, it hurts us and we tend to reject it.
Carl Sagan, a staunch advocate of skepticism, once said:
"In science it often happens that scientists say," You know what? That's a good argument, I was wrong "and then actually change their minds and were not again heard from his former position. I really do. Not so much as they should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I can not remember when was the last time something similar happened in politics or religion "
So, hearing aid (aid is more than a foundation of science) of skepticism in advancing all around us, disqualify the skepticism is the equivalent of going to a doctor with a broken leg and call "medical " as he spits in the face and then tell you the cure .
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