skepticism

My friend Robyn is quite logical about things, and yesterday she was telling me about a person who was a conspiracy theorist and alt-med nut. She thought she'd like to pair this woo woman up with our friend Geoff. Geoff is a fairly critical thinker. I told Robyn I didn't think pairing Geoff...

I use to be a Christian. But I don't think I was ever a believer. Even as a 6 year old I just couldn't believe a woman was made out of Adam's rib. Or that a snake spoke to Eve. Or a donkey spoke to Absalom. Or that a 500 year old drunkard built a huge boat and gathered two of every animal...

https://skepticsalamanderblog.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-best-method-to-use-in-quest-for.html Article discusses peoples false sense of truth, the problems with opinion media, and the best method to find truth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C29k4rHMdp8 Please discuss!

A friend of mine wrote this here. I was wondering what people on the forum think about it.

Also "Sceptic". It's been well and truly hijacked and is now worthless. "I'm skeptical of climate change" means the person is a denier. "I'm skeptical of vaccines" is double-speak for "I'm ant-vax." "I'm skeptical of Covid....." means the person is a conspiracist loon. The term is done and...

This is a difficult and very personal topic for me, so I figured an anonymous forum of strangers would be the perfect place to discuss it :p (actually serious about that). I grew up in a Christian home and have interacted with a variety of Christian people, groups, organizations in a variety...

What are some of the habits of a rookie skeptic? Does he call out every logical fallacy he sees? Is he reflexively anti-government and does he frequently spit uncompelling truisms about government corruption? Does he think nobody can say for sure if a falling tree in some remote island makes...

So take the claim "telepathy exists". I imagine most skeptics here would consider that an extraordinary claim that would require extraordinary evidence, and the basis of that would be the complete lack of any success of anyone actually demonstrating anything like telepathy in controlled...

I self-describe as skeptic. On the other hand, my skepticism is of fairly recent vintage. That is, while I’ve always been skeptical of very many things, a generally skeptical outlook (towards everything, not just some individual things) is something I’ve ‘converted’ to not very long back...

After looking at an article titled “What is Scepticism” by Brian Dunning, I asked myself “do we all dare to call ourselves Skeptics?” Abstracts from his article… Skepticism is the process of applying reason and critical thinking to determine validity. Skepticism is, or should be, an...

I've been arguing that I think that modern physical theories are moving towards absurdity. Computer Simulation or Multiverse is no better than religion; Religion even trumps those theories in evidence! Islam, for example, did stabilize a society for a very long time and even ushered in a Golden...

One of the things that's always fascinated me about people who call themselves "skeptics" is their reaction to the unknown. During my time here I've noticed that ambiguity can make these people very uneasy. The ability to tolerate ambiguity varies from person to person and apparently some people...

I've been thinking about how (hypothetically) I might introduce the topic of skepticism to young people, and thought a good starting point would be to describe the thought process when a skeptic evaluates a claim. Speaking for myself, I usually ask a few questions: 1. Do I care whether the...

Scepticism is the self-refuting idea that one should not accept anything on ‘blind faith’.. Here’s an old joke that was apparently adapted from a popular bumper sticker: What’s the difference between a sceptic and a Christian? Sceptics do it with their eyes open! This little witticism...

Hello fellow Randiers. As the title says, I need some assistance. My grandma believes in all kinds of wacky stuff, such as auras and vibrations and other new-age stuff, and I've been trying to talk her out of it. Now, my grandmother is a pretty smart person, and she thinks of herself as an...

Assuming that a common goal of dedicated skeptics is to promote understanding of science and critical thinking and to protect from fraud and deception, are there means to measure the success of those efforts? Well, maybe the sales progression of books promoting science vs. books promoting...

Greetings folks - Apologies for making my first post such a potentially off putting one, I've been a lurker on here sometime and a contributing guest author to the site so I thought I'd get your opinions on this subject. Reading these forums I see the vast majority of posters are skeptics in...

Michael Shermer’s newest work is a keen edge in a world of dull blades. Finally someone has come along and written on this subject providing actual scientific basis and biological evidence pointing to Man’s never ending struggle with his own brain and its propensity to paint itself into a...

Want more skepticism than you can poke a stick at? Want to discuss science, the paranormal, critical thinking, politics, current events and much more? Want to befriend skeptics from Australasia and around the world? You need the Australasian Skeptics Forum. http://australasianskeptics.info...

Here's a full video (6 parts) of Randi's new talk: The Sleep of Reason. zx6Koiw6pIc This talk was at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Entertaining and important, although not much new stuff for people who are familiar with the usual skeptical topics and Randi himself. Spread the word &...

I have a friend who believes that babies are delivered by friendly storks. (Well, I don't know if he does, but since he hasn't turned 3 yet it's at least possible that he might.) What evidence would he need to provide to convince you that this is true?

A skeptic and game player based in the United Kingdom, J. Neil Furr, is seeking assistance from skeptics and proofreaders concerning his campaign to promote the truth about Tarot cards. I thought some members of the JREF forum might have an interest. http://www.gameoftarot.com/index.html...

All the time, we hear truthers talk about how they are skeptics. We also hear them accuse us of not being "true skeptics" because we accept most if not all of the official story and consider 9-11 truther ideas to be stupid and crap. So, why are or why are not the 9-11 Truthers...true skeptics...

I'm looking for recommendations for books that teach critical thinking skills. Can anyone recommend any textbooks that teach critical thinking, as well? Thank you! Josh :)

I only just noticed that the BBC podcast, Point of View, has switched from David Attenborough to Clive James. His first is on Scepticism, but hurry as it's only available for another day or so. http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/pov

The Boy and His Egg When going out to check the mail the other day, I crossed paths with a school-aged child walking down the street in front of my house, carrying an egg. I always tried to be friendly to the little ones, so I stopped to show interest in what was obviously an object of...

Hey, everyone! I have a lot of experience with public speaking. I am very comfortable in front of audiences/crowds and can think on my feet. I want to put together a "Skepticism 101" lecture. Does anyone have advice or pointers on how to go about doing that? Once the lecture is put...

Heavy Mental + Science, Magic, and Skepticism These events are sponsored by National Capital Area Skeptics and Center for Inquiry DC to Promote Skepticism, Critical Thinking and Science Understanding Jamy Ian Swiss World-renowned skeptic, magician and mentalist is coming to Washington, D.C...

Conspiracy theorists who come through the JREF forums often amaze me with their lack of understanding of what this community is all about. These misunderstandings fall into three categories: 1. Those who automatically assume that we are sheeple who only believe what we're told 2. Those who...