Skepticism as Belief
August 19, 2010Henry Baum 1 Comment »Fundamentalism is everywhere – including those people who think they’re devoutly secular. Fundamentalism is probably the main thing that’s holding civilization back – not hate, but the entrenched belief in one idea. After all, that’s what hate is – unwavering belief in someone’s faults. Racism is fundamentalism.
And so too it goes for skeptics, who come to “non-science” topics with the preconceived notion that they’re stupid and beneath consideration. The result? These topics are rarely smartly considered by those with the non-speculative critical thinking skills that are required – that, or they think speculation is anathema to scientific consideration. Scientific investigation requires the imagination. Greg Taylor on The Daily Grail has a great post on fundamentalist skepticism, saying,
Yes, skepticism is a tough sell – it’s basically about doubting yourself, your beliefs and assumptions 24/7. However, skepticism should *not* be about conveying the message that there is “no afterlife, no higher moral authoritative father figure” etc. There may be doubt about these things – but in the end, they are unfalsifiable, and so no true skeptic should be arguing that they don’t exist as part of their central message. One of the core failings of the modern skeptical movement – and it goes back to its origins in the likes of Martin Gardner and CSICOP – is the belief that skeptics’ raison d’être is to fight off ‘irrational’, supernatural beliefs. It has become so entrenched in the skeptical system that I’d imagine only theistic skeptics would have noticed this statement during the talk….
I would quite genuinely say that I am more skeptical than, at the very least, 50% of self-described skeptics. So are some of the top researchers in ufology, near-death experiences, and other areas – and they regularly get labeled as ‘woo-woos’ by ’skeptics’ that are not deserving of the title. Skeptics would do well to realise that the title does not get bestowed simply because you don’t believe in God/magic/religion – it comes from doubting things and using critical thinking (if applicable) to come to your conclusions. By insulating themselves, skeptical ‘evangelists’ make it more difficult to engage with people, as they have already built a wall between them.
The reason that Leslie Kean’s UFOs is so important is that it can potentially reach the skeptical community – those who look to debunk certain ideas before understanding what they’re debunking. It’s important to remember that the earth revolving around the sun was seen as irrational, as was quantum theory, and other scientific advances. That’s a potentially slippery slope in that it could imply, “If it’s irrational, it could be true.” But this is no worse than, “If it’s irrational, it’s false.” And just because something is currently unprovable doesn’t automatically imply that it’s false. We’ll be able to prove the afterlife after we die. Today, not so much.
This is how skeptics seem to gauge their sense of importance:
We skeptics are not contrarians, we try to make the world a safer place and to encourage advancements in technology and medicine. We strive for intellectual enlightenment not solely for ourselves but for everyone. We are one-part science communicators and one-part consumer protection advocates. But even with these idealistic good intentions we are often times the odd woman/man out at parties or around the water cooler. We are looked at as naysayers and argumentative, faithless, curmudgeons out to ruin fun and hope for everyone else. We are called know-it-alls or incorrectly considered close-minded. We are after all the ones that stand up and speak out when the majority wants to believe in homeopathy or angels or some sort of warm and fuzzy magical thinking. We burst bubbles, we dispel myths and sometimes we squash the fun of irrational fantasy. We explain how things really are. This outspoken bravery in the name of rationality often places us in the minority and that can be a very lonely and difficult place to be.
Skeptics are superheroes! It’s difficult to imagine people so enamored with their importance are able to think entirely rationally. Perhaps they need to be more skeptical about their belief in themselves. This entire paragraph is full of “warm and fuzzy magical thinking.”
August 22nd, 2010 at 6:55 pm
[...] 100+ comments, but the skeptic’s view is the mainstream one. And as I wrote, skepticism is a form of fundamentalism, in danger of being as closed a circuit as any other. Anyone who looks at the sky and [...]