Episode 21 - Pseudo-Skepticism
Howdy Theoryologists. Today we are discussing the broad brush stroke term “skepticism”, and specifically the misuse and mislabeling of a falsely skeptical approach that hides an objective of debunking. See, underlying any topic we have had, or might have in the future on Conspiracy Theoryology, is the skeptical perspective. That point of view which says “I’m not just taking this at face value,” and rightly so. There would be no such thing as a conspiracy theory, or alternative belief, if things always were, or they weren’t, in our minds. In fact, there wouldn’t be much of anything if we never questioned the truth of what we know at that moment. There’d be no advancement. No discovery. No need for proof. Fortunately, that’s not the case. Skepticism is quite popular. It’s even trendy to consider yourself a skeptic. This is why I decided it needed its own devoted episode, otherwise it just goes piecemeal into every episode, and never adequately.
Skepticism is a part of our everyday lives, and something that most would consider pretty healthy. No one would debate the need to be a bit skeptical of the safety railing at a scenic lookout along a mountain path, or the need to be skeptical of the expiration date before taking a gulp of milk from the carton in the refrigerator when you aren’t sure how long it’s been there. Yeah, skepticism is healthy, but that’s not where skepticism causes an issue. In fact, it’s rarely called skepticism. That’s just safety consciousness, or good sense. No, skepticism has become an almost professional moniker for those that question beliefs, theories and experiences that fly in the face of mainstream accepted reality, as well as those that call into question our understanding of the world and how we live and interact. Skepticism, as a way of thinking, and "Skeptic" as a title, has been appropriated almost exclusively by those that ascribe to a mainstream position of scientific skeptical inquiry.
In reality, though, skepticism has an identity crisis.
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Music is by adamhenrygarcia.bandcamp.com
Links:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/what-is-unhealthy-skepticism_603148.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoskepticism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcello_Truzzi
http://amasci.com/pathsk2.html
https://atlantisrisingmagazine.com/article/pathological-skepticism/
https://scottbarrykaufman.com/podcast/science-skepticism-michael-shermer/
https://www.csicop.org/si/show/proper_criticism
https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/blog/3-simple-ways-to-debunk-relativism-skepticism-and-materialism/4747/
https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/esp_sociopol_mindcon57.htm
https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/esp_sociopol_mindcon57.htm#A_Modern_History_of_Debunkery_
https://debunkingdenialism.com/scientific-skepticism/
https://www.energypsych.org/page/Debunking_article
https://theethicalskeptic.com/2014/04/14/the-appeal-to-skepticism-fallacy/
https://files.turri.org/research/Appeal.pdf
http://ilj.law.indiana.edu/articles/15-Zamir-Ritov-Teichman.pdf
https://john.turri.org/about
CT019 - The Day Belief Persevered (Flat Earth Theory Pt. 2)
CT018 - The Day The Earth Fell Flat (Flat Earth Theory Pt. 1)
CT017 - The Day We Went To War With Christmas
CT016 - The Day Fluoride Controlled Us
CT015 - The Day The Polygraph Lied
CT014 - The Day A Psychic Detective Cracked The Case
CT013 - The Day Exorcism Gave Us Control
CT012 - The Day Alien Abductions Took Us into the Unknown
CT011 - The Day Bodies Were Buried in the Hoover Dam
CT010 - The Day Q Clearance Went Top Secret
CT009 - The Day Carl Jung Analyzed a Crop Circle
CT008 - The Day Ghosts Started Photobombing Our Selfies
CT007 - The Day Bacon Wrote Shakespeare
CT006 - The Day New Coke Fizzled
CT005 - The Day Area 51 Joined the Narrative (PART 2)
CT004 - The Day Area 51 Joined the Narrative (PART 1)
CT003 - The Day Paul McCartney Died
CT002 - The Day Bigfoot Stepped Into Scene
CT001 - Welcome to Conspiracy Theoryology
PILOT EPISODE - The Moon Landing Hoax
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