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RandomJohn · 11-27-2006, 02:42 AM

Skepticism is also a useful tool in protecting yourself from quackery.

And therein lies the rub. Because in being a pseudoskeptic, you won't get sucked in by anything. Not the spam promising more, um, proportional body parts, not con-artists posing as psychic readers, not cults, not anything. And yet you won't be open to anything but a narrow and extreme set of views.

I've basically decided to stop engaging in conversations about paranormal, alternative medicine, or anything not "hard-science-y" with pseudoskeptics because it's an absolute waste of time. I have better uses for my temper, anyway

However, I love to discuss with or debate people who engage in honest skepticism (by that I mean that combination of curiosity and doubt, thrown in with a willingness or eagerness to experiment and gather data) because I tend to learn a lot (both in terms of personal development and in my job which requires a lot of scientific and critical thinking).

11-27-2006, 02:42 AM	#9 (permalink)
RandomJohn Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NC Posts: 155	Skepticism is also a useful tool in protecting yourself from quackery. And therein lies the rub. Because in being a pseudoskeptic, you won't get sucked in by anything. Not the spam promising more, um, proportional body parts, not con-artists posing as psychic readers, not cults, not anything. And yet you won't be open to anything but a narrow and extreme set of views. I've basically decided to stop engaging in conversations about paranormal, alternative medicine, or anything not "hard-science-y" with pseudoskeptics because it's an absolute waste of time. I have better uses for my temper, anyway However, I love to discuss with or debate people who engage in honest skepticism (by that I mean that combination of curiosity and doubt, thrown in with a willingness or eagerness to experiment and gather data) because I tend to learn a lot (both in terms of personal development and in my job which requires a lot of scientific and critical thinking).