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SKEPTICISM
Karen Stollznow - B@D
LANGUAGE
Are Skeptics closed-minded, nay-saying curmudgeons?
If you agree
with this assessment, you've mistaken skepticism for cynicism.
These
labels are often confused, but they're not interchangeable at all.
Skepticism
is a positive outlook of enquiry, open-mindedness, curiosity and wonder, not
a negative, narrow-mindedness based in pessimism and misanthropy.
Dictionaries and thesauruses often claim that skeptic and cynic are
synonymous, but as a Linguist, I can assure you that these sources aren't
always accurate. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Joe Nickell, the modern
‘Sherlock Holmes’ of the Committee for Scientific
Inquiry (was
CSICOP, now known as CSI). I told Joe that I've been an “investigator
of the paranormal and pseudoscientific” for the past 10 years, at
which he interjected, “I like that...you called yourself an
‘investigator’, rather than a ‘debunker’. That
sounds much more positive”.
‘Debunk’
is a word I've never used to describe what I do, or a useful word to
explain what skepticism is all about. Admittedly, it's not a commonly used
word in Australian English. Furthermore, ‘debunk’ implies that
the ‘debunker’ has already made a negative judgment, prior to any
investigation. Skepticism is about questioning, not doubting.
We all have
the ability to question, so we should all be natural skeptics. Kids make
great skeptics! They exhibit curiosity and a keenness to understand the
world around them. Remember though, that children will believe that they
are always being told the truth by the 'wise', 'knowledgeable' adult.
What can
undermine our questioning skills is the blind acceptance of what we're
told. Often, we need to question the answer.
Skepticism
isn't only for scientists.
A healthy
dose of skepticism is important for all of us, to avoid being the victims
of abuse, exploitation, fear, manipulation, and most of all, to be true to
ourselves. Ironically, I once received a fortune cookie that proclaimed:
Skepticism is the first step toward truth.
For those
who don't regularly administer this 'healthy dose' to themselves, there are
real life dangers. There are many documented cases of people who have lost
money, time or even their lives, through exposure to cults and dogma, or
the negligence of pseudoscientific practitioners. These are only the
extreme cases we hear about. When you apply skepticism in your thinking,
you can trust your own judgment.
Here are a few quick tips to apply some
useful skepticism to your own life:
·
think, rather than believe or feel
·
question, rather than simply accept
·
keep
an open mind, rather
than a closed-mind
If you're not a skeptic...are you the
closed-minded one?
Links
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The
Biggest Little Skeptic's Organisation in the world!
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Using
science to investigate fire walking, spoon bending, water divining and
much, much more!
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Phil
Plait's not a Bad Astronomer... he's a bad boy...
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From
abracadabra to zombies, the Skeptic's Dictionary explains strange
beliefs, amusing deceptions, and dangerous delusions
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Ratbag (the good) is an indefatigable investigator of loons
(the bad) and shonks (the ugly)
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Who
says there's no God? There is...and His name is Richard Wiseman
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A
former member of the British Special Forces, Bear Grylls
proves that Naturalism can be smart and sexy.
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The
suave, the debonair, the eloquent Ian Rowland. Mindreader and fridge
magnet.
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A
monthly science magazine for the general public. Home of the Naked
Skeptic!
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Richard
Darwin...I mean...Dawkins' Clear-Thinking Oasis.
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No
Answers in Genesis... "Creationism is not the alternative to
Evolution - ignorance is"
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Psychics
caught cheating, fakes, frauds and exposés!
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Bad
Psychics' Aussie counterpart. Homegrown scamsters and nutters!
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Michael
Shermer's Skeptics Society and Skeptic
magazine.
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CSI -
The Committee for Scientific Inquiry. Encouraging the critical
investigation of
paranormal and fringe-science claims from a responsible, scientific point
of view.
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The
Amazing Randi's Educational Foundation. Home of the Million Dollar
Challenge - Can you prove your paranormal powers?
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Offers
the entire text of the King James version of the Bible, but without the
pro-Bible propaganda.
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From
vanishing hitchhikers to a fear of the number 13, Snopes is the Ultimate
resource for understanding Urban Legends.
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Bah!
Humbug! Exposing fallacious thinking with wit and bite.
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#$%@!
and Welcome to Bad Language
I'm Karen Stollznow
...(Cunning) Linguist,
Author, Skeptic and Investigator of the
paranormal and
pseudo-scientific.
The Pope Tart: Seeing Faces on Food And Mugs on Mars
Skeptical? Check out these videos
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