Would you consider yourself to be a skeptic?

[Jobar]

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself – and you are the easiest person to fool.”
-Richard Feynman

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

"A skeptic is one who prefers beliefs and conclusions that are reliable and valid to ones that are comforting or convenient, and therefore rigorously and openly applies the methods of science and reason to all empirical claims, especially their own. A skeptic provisionally proportions acceptance of any claim to valid logic and a fair and thorough assessment of available evidence, and studies the pitfalls of human reason and the mechanisms of deception so as to avoid being deceived by others or themselves. Skepticism values method over any particular conclusion." - Steven Novella

Longtime fan of Novella and his Skeptics guide to the Universe.

Yes, I am a skeptic, sometimes maybe too much so. I take almost nothing on faith and I continually question my own self, my own "side" on issues, and sometimes even my own sanity. I like Novella's final line in that quote, that skepticism values method over any particular conclusion. I would only add that no conclusion of a skeptic is ever 100%. There is always room for new evidence and further thought. This even applies to what we may think of as the most settled questions. I am 99% certain faeries and gods don't exist, but I'm not 100%. I'm 99% certain of the heliocentric solar system, but I'm not 100%. I could be in the matrix, in a geocentric system, where faeries and leprechauns run government and where basic physics as I know it is false.

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“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself – and you are the easiest person to fool.”
-Richard Feynman

I like how Randi, Pen & Teller, etc bring their illusionist skills into this, showing us just how easily fooled we really are.

 

[Tammuz]

I think if one reads Fox News online, your more likely to get those kinds of ads in your "news feed."

Really? Because I always associated that kind of nonsense with liberals. I certainly hear claims like that from the "I shop at Whole Foods" crowd.

Same here. I know several super liberals who swear by healing crystals and magnetic bracelets. The super right people that I know have their own different brand of idiocy like swearing that the illuminati controls the world and "9/11 was an inside job".

I thought 9/11 conspiracies were more associated with the left than the right, as the former would be more hostile to Bush than the latter. But I can certainly see the far-right endorsing it, at least the antisemitic versions of it.

9/11 conspiracies come in several flavors, take your pick based on who your bogeyman is.

 

[Tammuz]

I listen to that podcast too. Makes wonders for the brain. His NeurologicaBlog is also lovely.

I think the emphasis on method is sort-of skepticism's USP. It's what sets it apart from atheism, humanism, religions, or political ideologies.

 

[Tammuz]

"A skeptic is one who prefers beliefs and conclusions that are reliable and valid to ones that are comforting or convenient, and therefore rigorously and openly applies the methods of science and reason to all empirical claims, especially their own. A skeptic provisionally proportions acceptance of any claim to valid logic and a fair and thorough assessment of available evidence, and studies the pitfalls of human reason and the mechanisms of deception so as to avoid being deceived by others or themselves. Skepticism values method over any particular conclusion." - Steven Novella

"What skeptical thinking boils down to is the means to construct, and to understand, a reasoned argument and, especially important, to recognize a fallacious or fraudulent argument. The question is not whether we like the conclusion that emerges out of a train of reasoning, but whether the conclusion follows from the premises or starting point and whether that premise is true." - Carl Sagan

I very much consider myself a skeptic. I think skepticism is much more important than atheism. I am an atheist because I am a skeptic. If the evidence pointed in favor of the existence of some sort of god, then I would stop being an atheist, but still be a skeptic. Also, the world is full of atheists who are not skeptics.

Too many people confuse skepticism with refusing to accept changes in conclusions regardless of what evidence is shown.

A good example of this are "climate change skeptics."

It doesn't matter how much evidence you show a climate change "skeptic," they will keep their same beliefs regardless.

Many Christians will claim to be similarly "skeptical" of atheism (e.g. "I don't have enough faith to be an atheist").

9/11 conspiracy nuts insist that they are "skeptical" of the "official version."

Anti vaccine nuts insist that they are "skeptical" of medical science.

Anti GMO nuts are also eager to tell you how "skeptical" they are of medical science.

People who believe in alternative medicine are also quick to mention how skeptical they are of evidence-based medical science (which in their jargon is "big pharma").

This of course denies what actual skepticism is. Actual skeptics are willing to change their conclusions when shown evidence that they are wrong, whereas most who describe themselves as skeptics are merely obstinate, delusional, and utterly impervious to arguments and evidence.

I think you have it exactly right.

 

[Lion IRC]

100% skeptic, 100% atheist.

100% non stamp collector.
Bald is not a hair color, off is not a TV Channel, etc. etc. etc.

 

[JohnG]

I gotta admit, I think I am prone to magical thinking - I have to really give my head a shake sometimes. I tend to try and see the whole picture before the pieces are in place, and therefore get some wrongheaded ideas.

I make an effort to try and identify logical fallacies I may be making, consider my own bias (as much as one can) and try and use critical thinking skills at all times. Even just having a few critical thinking tools can save a person a whole lotta nonsense.

Even though I consider myself a magical thinker (I dwell in my own head a little too much) I have never been a religious person.

 

[steve_bank]

Depends on the circumstance. As an engineer even after something actually worked I was skeptical. At times I pissed people off by not accepting their word and askibg for data.

A sign on someone's office. In God We Trust, All Else Bring Data.

There are times for philosophy and religion and myths. One who is always ruthlessly logical and skeptical is probably unhappy and tends to piss people off when it is nit needed.

For me it generally means documented data and p[procedure subject to review over someone's generalizations and claims, and claims of subjective experience and perception as truth. Religion and alien abductions.

 

[DBT]

Faith is the very opposite of skepticism. Faith is a prime example of Credulity.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Faith is a terrible way to acquire knowledge, as the Suni Muslim said to the Liberty Road Baptist Christian.

 

[Tammuz]

100% skeptic, 100% atheist.

100% non stamp collector.
Bald is not a hair color, off is not a TV Channel, etc. etc. etc.

That surely applies to atheism. But to my mind at least, skepticism is not synonymous to non-belief. Sometimes the position warranted by logic and evidence is to accept a conclusion, or "belief". For example, evolution and global warming are both strongly supported by evidence. Those who oppose these are not really engaged in skepticism, but in pseudoskepticism, which is really denialism.

Furthermore, a lot of atheists are not skeptics. There are plenty of atheists who believe in astrology, oppose GMOs, reject global warming, etc.

I am happy that this thread was well-received, and that a lot of people share its sentiment!