The best source for learning about skepticism

What is skepticism?

The word skeptic derives from the Greek and originally meant doubt or inquiry. It was later associated with philosophical doubt, the position that all pretense to knowledge was just hubris and that we could never truly know anything for certain. And in the contemporary world, being a skeptic has come to mean someone who challenges conventional wisdom.

But the modern skeptical movement is based on what Carl Sagan called scientific skepticism, which although often misunderstood for cynicism, is really focused on determining the most accurate understanding of our universe using scientific methodology and reason to all empirical claims, even challenging their own beliefs. Skeptics are investigators of truth who try hard to remain open to all possibilities and to changing their minds if and when sufficient empirical evidence emerges. Skeptics focus particularly on distinguishing science from pseudoscience. And although there is much diversity of thought within the modern skeptical movement, it is often associated with a lack of belief in the supernatural.

Isn't a skeptic just a denier or a cynic?

Deniers typically begin with a conclusion and try to work backwards trying to seek evidence that confirms those predetermined beliefs. This is Confirmation Bias, the psychological tendency to seek out only information that confirms one's pre-existing beliefs while avoiding information that goes against those beliefs. As a result, while deniers typically insist they're in favor of further investigation, any investigation they conduct is almost certain to be corrupted by their bias.

Similarly, cynics are predisposed to dismiss.

Skeptics, on the other hand, recognize that they too are capable of being biased and therefore encourage challenges to their beliefs. They are not predisposed to dismiss any claim in which a reasonable case can be made. Further, skeptics make an effort to learn critical thinking skills that help them to spot a bad argument or faulty logic from a mile away. And they are encouraged to apply these skills to their own beliefs.

Some tools for helping to detect BS:

In his book, "The Demon-Haunted World," Carl Sagan described some tools in his "Baloney Detection Kit." Among these was a list of some common logical fallacies. Although everyone commits these errors of thinking sometimes, they are particularly common among those trying to convince you to believe in their pseudoscience, denialist claims, and other nonsense. Here is a list of the 20 most common logical fallacies.

Now often these individuals pushing nonsense are nice people whose hearts are in the right place; they simply have an emotional attachment to a particular worldview and have great difficulty challenging their own beliefs because they lack the necessary critical thinking skills to do so. But by learning the most common logical fallacies, you can spot the flaws in BS arguments a mile a way.

Possibly the most common tactics used by purveyors of pseudoscience or nonsense is the grand conspiracy theory. No one would deny that conspiracies do happen. Any group of two or more people working together to deceive is a conspiracy. But grand conspiracy theories are another story. The greater the number of people required for a particular conspiracy claim, the less likely that conspiracy claim is, because of the scientific precept known as Occam's razor. This precept can be boiled down to, all things being equal, the simplest explanation is usually the right one. The evidence for a particular claim should be proportional to the size of the claim. This means that extraordinary claims, like a conspiracy involving millions of participants, requires extraordinary evidence. And as journalist Christopher Hitchens says, what can be asserted without evidence can just as easily be dismissed without evidence.

Why are grand conspiracy claims so ubiquitous among pseudo-scientific and denialist claims? Many false beliefs are built upon people's fears and distrust of authority. That's why whenever you hear about a conspiracy that happens to fit in with beliefs that you already hold, it's always a good idea to apply extra skepticism. In the recent film, The Brothers Bloom, it is frequently said that the best con is the one where everyone gets what they want. Similarly, pseudo-scientists, charlatans, and hucksters of all kinds often feed into people's desires or reinforce what they already believe.  And the conspiracy theory is a favorite for the paranoid. It is a convenient answer when the numbers just don't add up. It requires no real proof, and often the absence of proof is just seen as further proof. Conspiracy theorists all just KNOW they have "The Truth" with a capital T and are uninterested in anything that might challenge that belief. (Big red flag) And while they will often insist on investigation, to them, science, reason, and exidence don't matter, except when they can be twisted to reach the desired conclusions. And any scientific evidence or investigation that conflicts with that belief system is written off immediately as the result of a coverup. This is precisely how cults operate.

There's an old adage that applies:  "Follow those who seek the truth, run from those who claim to have found it."

This is just a preliminary lesson in skepicism and critical thinking. And in my opinion, the best weapon against pseudoscience, denialism, and other nonsense is to compare the claims and tactics of multiple ideological groups. Amazingly, the tactics are identical. The only difference separating a Holocaust Denier, a Moon Landing Denier, and an Evolution Denier lies in the specifics of the thing that is being denied.

For more information on skepticism, click here or visit The James Randi Educational Foundation on the web or listen to the podcast, The Skeptics Guide To The Universe.

For more information on critical thinking tools, click here.

For more information on conspiracy theories, click here.

For more information on pseudoscience and supernatural claims, click here.