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Pragmatic Skepticism

Entry 391, on 2006-09-08 at 14:20:54 (Rating 3, Comments)

I have decided to dedicate more time to skepticism. If you have read many of my previous blog entries you will probably know that I am already pretty skeptical, but I think its time to create a skepticism section on my web site, and comment on a few areas where more skepticism is necessary.

I just keep seeing situations where people are too easily taken in by urban myths, pseudo-science, and illogical religious and political beliefs. I'm not naive enough to think that anyone who has convinced themselves that UFOs are real, or that the Biblical creation really happened will be instantly changed by my comments on these subjects, but I do hope to show that there is good reason for doubt, and that maybe this might just make a few people a bit more questioning of beliefs they haven't previously questioned.

A few subjects which I will cover are: urban myths, alternative medicine, ESP, UFOs, intelligent design, religious belief, the shroud of Turin, etc. There certainly seems to be no shortage of subjects where more healthy and balanced skepticism is needed.

Notice that I qualified the type of skepticism I support there. Pure skepticism leads to nihilism, which might represent the ultimate truth, but isn't really useful, so I concentrate on pragmatic skepticism, which is a form which might not be fully internally consistent but at least is useful.

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