~ Skepticism ~
Skepticism is a branch of epistemology within the larger academic area of Knowledge. I have often heard it told (incorrectly) from myriad sources that skepticism is defined as the disbelief of a subject matter. Not so! Skepticism is actually defined as DOUBTING the veracity of a claim until further evidence, one way or another can be obtained. In other words, a skeptic is someone who suspends their judgment as to the truth or falsehood of something until truthful evidence-based information can shift their thinking closer to one direction.
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hisIf you are reading this page anywhere on or after 2016 and you live anywhere on Planet Earth, then you also know there are a plethora of examples one can use, especially in the United States, and especially when dealing with social media, about what to believe as it concerns news programs and media from the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other sources of technological information. Our informational highway, our news sources, our elections, our politicians, and our friends, are all frightfully hard-pressed to know what the truth actually is. False images, doctored videos, interference from unfriendly countries, and even the seemingly innocent conversations we have with certain professionals, all seem subject to verification before we can believe a word of what is being sent our way. Certain technical fact-verification sources such as Snopes is a familiar and trustworthy source to verify if the stories you hear and the videos you see are true or false. What is important is to remain skeptical until you can find further evidence from multiple and reliable sources. The following section on pseudoscience will elucidate this concept further.
Mr. Randall James Hamilton Zwinge, AKA James Randi, but known best to those of a certain age, as The Amazing Randi! was a TV, radio, stage presence, escape artist, and prestidigitator like no other. He often referred to himself as a "self-proclaimed liar, cheat, and charlatan". Notwithstanding, he is the most honest man you are likely to meet! Mr. Zwinge has dedicated the majority of his life in service to the fleshing out of the real charlatans of the world, those that make their living deceiving otherwise well-meaning people to purchase either their acts, seminars, and/or their products, often without a care in the world as to the potential for dangerous if not deadly consequence. Why, and how does this happen? The vast majority of persons, and often independent of education and financial means, are what Michael Shermer and others refer to as believers. Ironically referred to as true believers, these are individual and groups who are strongly attached to a specific belief, often religious in nature. True Believer Syndrome is a term that refers to the irrationality and persistence of an otherwise untenable belief, even in the face of scientific (verifiable) evidence.
Mr. Randall James Hamilton Zwinge, AKA James Randi, but known best to those of a certain age, as The Amazing Randi! was a TV, radio, stage presence, escape artist, and prestidigitator like no other. He often referred to himself as a "self-proclaimed liar, cheat, and charlatan". Notwithstanding, he is the most honest man you are likely to meet! Mr. Zwinge has dedicated the majority of his life in service to the fleshing out of the real charlatans of the world, those that make their living deceiving otherwise well-meaning people to purchase either their acts, seminars, and/or their products, often without a care in the world as to the potential for dangerous if not deadly consequence. Why, and how does this happen? The vast majority of persons, and often independent of education and financial means, are what Michael Shermer and others refer to as believers. Ironically referred to as true believers, these are individual and groups who are strongly attached to a specific belief, often religious in nature. True Believer Syndrome is a term that refers to the irrationality and persistence of an otherwise untenable belief, even in the face of scientific (verifiable) evidence.
The two main schools of skepticism are philosophical skepticism and scientific skepticism. Philosophical skepticism which questions the possibility of certainty in knowledge began in the 4th c, BC as Pyrrhonism and is the older of the two and can be dated back to Pyrrho of Elis. Gorgias who came before him claimed that nothing exists. Gorgias is more often than not referred to as a sophist which is from the pre-socratic period. Notable philosophic skeptics include the philosophers Thomas Hobbes, Baruch Spinoza, and Immanual Kant.
The more modern scientific skepticism is the epistemological position that questions the veracity of claims that lack empirical evidence. It is considered a blend of the applications of skeptical philosophy, critical thinking ability and skill, scientific knowledge, and empirical methods. The most notable scientific skeptics include: Isaac Asimov, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Jared Diamond, Richard Feynman, Martin Gardner, Stephen Jay Gould, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Douglas Hofstadter, Harry Houdini, Penn Fraser Jillette and Raymond Joseph Teller of Penn & Teller, Steven Pinker, James Randi,and Carl Sagan, to name a few.
Want to know more? You can follow my blogs, attend a webinar or seminar, or take an e-course.
The more modern scientific skepticism is the epistemological position that questions the veracity of claims that lack empirical evidence. It is considered a blend of the applications of skeptical philosophy, critical thinking ability and skill, scientific knowledge, and empirical methods. The most notable scientific skeptics include: Isaac Asimov, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Jared Diamond, Richard Feynman, Martin Gardner, Stephen Jay Gould, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Douglas Hofstadter, Harry Houdini, Penn Fraser Jillette and Raymond Joseph Teller of Penn & Teller, Steven Pinker, James Randi,and Carl Sagan, to name a few.
Want to know more? You can follow my blogs, attend a webinar or seminar, or take an e-course.