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What is skepticism to you?

Free episodes:

Ron Collins

Curiously Confused
What is skepticism to you and how can it (if at all... depending on your definition) be applied to the UFO/Paranormal/Cryptozoological/etc. subjects in a meaningful and insightful way.

I think it would be very interesting to hear everyones thoughts on this.
 
What is skepticism to you and how can it (if at all... depending on your definition) be applied to the UFO/Paranormal/Cryptozoological/etc. subjects in a meaningful and insightful way.

I think it would be very interesting to hear everyones thoughts on this.

My motto sums up my view on skepticism:

"Don't believe. Don't disbelieve. Think."

For me, that about covers it.

Paul
 
Skepticism to me is nothing more than it's dictionary definition: it is doubt. What it is NOT is the automatic assumption of invalidity, that's debunking.

As to how it applies in the paranormal arena, I'm put in mind of the political maxim "trust but verify" except perhaps for us it's more like "accept but question". To remain intellectually honest, skepticism must be applied unviersally but delicately to all unexplained phenomena as no solid evidence of any one particular phenomenon exists yet ample anecdotal and tantilizingly questionable pieces of evidence continue to present themselves.

Ultimately, skepticism is alot like salt: a little is good but too much is bad for you.
 
I used to be a "doe eyed" believer. It was easy, from the outside certain well known names in the UFO/Paranormal field seem like they are on to something. Heck when I was looking at the "geometrical shapes" on images from Mars or the Moon, I thought it was cut and dry.

....Enter the Paracast.... (which I found after listening to dB's interview on Eerie Radio.)

Now I define myself as a skeptic. My self definition is almost the same as Paul Kimball's. I don't believe, nor disbelieve. I try to consider all alternatives and trust my "gut" feeling based upon what I've read, seen, or otherwise heard. And thinking...yes that is the crucial element to the equation.
 
Ultimately, skepticism is alot like salt: a little is good but too much is bad for you.

What skepticism isn't is simply nay-saying which is all some of the skeptics bring to any debate. They don't do any sort of research or educate themselves about specific cases, they just say "nay."

It's pretty weak and pathetic really. At least most of the tall tale tellers in the UFO world show some level of creativity.
 
What is skepticism to you and how can it (if at all... depending on your definition) be applied to the UFO/Paranormal/Cryptozoological/etc. subjects in a meaningful and insightful way.

I think it would be very interesting to hear everyones thoughts on this.

Skepticism means to me: being actively aware of why you think what you think, always questioning what you think, and being willing to change your mind (in either direction) based on quality evidence. It means having a greater commitment to being right than to being popular or feeling good. It means being aware of the limitations of your knowledge but also of what you do know, and leveraging your knowledge to form a coherent view of the world that makes sense. The latter also means trying to integrate your ideas and trying to resolve contradictions.

There's a deeper philosophical position here, namely that there is a world outside of you and that it is possible for you to know something about this world. It implies at least a philosophical rejection of pure subjectivism ("all ideas are equally valid") and pure mysticism ("the world is a lie"). If you're a pure subjectivist, then there's no point in being skeptical since everything (or nothing) is true. If you're a mystic, then you can't know anything directly anyway so there's no point in trying to be discerning. Just go with your "gut" or with your religious authority.

What skepticism ISN'T to me:

It doesn't mean instantly rejecting anything that doesn't appear at first glance to fit into your worldview. That's dogmatism, and is no different from religious or mystical dogmatism.

It also means treating everything with an equal degree of rational thought and skepticism. Lots of people fall down here... they treat their "favorite" ideas with kid gloves and apply a greater measure of criticism and doubt to ideas they find unpleasant for some reason. People are also more critical of ideas that originate from an "out group." For example: religious people tend to accept ideas from people of the same religion less critically than from others, while academic scientists are less critical of ideas from academic scientists... and so on.
 
Interesting question. I do challenge the stories and accounts of weird things that people put out the're and i am skeptical when i need to be, but everyone is different here, like it rare to find someone that agrees on everything. Unless you join the Debunker social club, were the members of these club's telepathically agree on everything (nodding heads) They dismiss without investigating no matter what evidence you provide to them.

Most people are highly suspect" UFO'S ARE PILOTED by Aliens, I agree only, when you forming that opinion on evidence and information, and don't expect me to adopt your skepticism here;... "do "I Believe in UFO'S.. I've experienced this Phenomenon up close and personal and so has my family. So how to bloody hell, could i be skeptical here or have that approach when it comes to how view the reality of the UFO topic? Do UFO'S EXIST i yes do believe they exist and also do believe creatures have entered into people lives for whatever reason. I don't no, if all abduction stories are true or not, personally i believe most aren't for obvious reasons, they seem to all occur on spaceships and the story told that i have heard, seem to be overly rehearsed, or the same rehashed account or just a crazy story that makes no sense. Well i believe, THE STORY, my uncle and Aunt claimed they had contact with a number of hooded beings, but they weren't the Greys here, and they saw no Spaceship's. There was a white light in their Room at the time of this experience, but they vanished these ALIENS ( or whatever they were) they all vanished when my uncle saw them. One of these Hooded men or creatures was doing something to my Aunt, he doesn't no it was doing, my uncle said, but he said it was doing something at the end of the bed. They remember everything here, no missing memories or anything. If i never knew of anyone having such a experience, i would've rejected it all out of hand, straight away.But this why i remain open minded to such accounts.

I don't know if it was all in their minds, but anything is possible, but,.. wouldn't they experience it more then, that being the case? This experience only happened the once and it occurred in a house with a history of weird crap, but they never knew that when they moved in, that was learned later from neighbours also.. they have left that house long time ago. Unless you have family members go through this stuff, you can never fully understand the impact of it upon their lives, it effects you deeply.

" I feel sorry for them here, they can't get any answers to what happened. This subject is still a taboo subject, imagine if they brought this subject up to people, some would laugh and some would be curious, but in the end. Nothing is solved.

So I KNOW THERE" is a real phenomenon here, I Want To Believe tag is simply irrelevant to me personally . I think most UFO'S SIGHTING's are just Random events and i honestly do believe most of my sightings were just down to me been in the right place at the right time. However and i have to least speculate here "I have seen plenty of weird things in the sky over the years and some people never experience anything. That is the most puzzling aspect of the UFO phenomenon for me and the most intriguing.

Either I'M or hallucinating this events from my mind or it's something else entirely., I'm not self centred to believe these Aliens were anyway interested in me, that is just a ego trip also. But like i said it intrigue's me, why i have seen more, than the norm, i not special or anything? I doubt that Hallucinating this events explanation fit's, because other people who i was at the time had the exact same experience. So they verified what i saw here.

I'm skeptical of other paranormal stories ( Bigfoot) but remain open minded. I see very liitle evidence for such a creature or any prove and the evidence is non existent really, but i do speculate, could the person who claimed to have seen such a creature, Maybe it was just a vision of the planet's past) There is evidence for such a creature having existed a million years ago. There is actually term for that creature that existed long ago, but that recognised term i forget, i would have to look it up. Just google it, you might get the information online.

I'm also Skeptical of the many characters involved in this topic, they claim all sorts, they have free energy devices in their position(never producing after claiming) Whistleblowers, i think 99.5% are idiots and frauds and we have others who claim know these ET'S are from another planet. I'd be foolish to believe one origin over another for Ufo's and i am including a man made origin here.

I do believe though the Celt's knew something that i am fairly sure of. Look the fairy Phenomenon and the UFO Phenomenon are the same thing, Vallée speculated on this. But vallee is not someone who base my theories on, i have grown up with these stories, Vallée just wrote about them, he is an outsider viewing some other nations folklore and myth, which i applaud him here for, he saw the clues as i do too.

Also.. i draw on my experiences here. I have serious doubt's that all UFO'S are man made. What could UFO'S be? A non human intelligence could using holograms to fool people, i wouldn't rule it out all together. These Aliens could be using projections (mind manipulation) I do believe most of these UFO's that are in or skies are actual air vehicles piloted by a number of non human intelligences and perhaps some are owned by us human's.

I'm also skeptical of other things that occur everyday in the real, but this is a paranormal forum after all, so i remain in the boundaries of the discussion. I think this is overall view of how i view the Paranormal, when something seems fishy to me, i call it when i see it, but if there is evidence for something, i will discuss it and debate it, that is healthy for the mind.
 
I agree with this.

SCEPTIC:
1565–75; < LL scepticus thoughtful, inquiring (in pl. Scepticī the Skeptics) < Gk skeptikós, equiv. to sképt ( esthai ) to consider, examine (akin to skopeîn to look; see -scope) + -ikos -ic

I think that there is a major difference between a true skeptic/sceptic, who questions and investigates but not necessarily believes or disbelieves the veracity of any given subject, and someone who simply just does not believe in the same for no other reason than they just don't believe in it (otherwise known as debunkers). A true sceptic wil be persuaded to change their mind or opinion if the evidence provided is strong enough to do so.
 
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