The Mentality of Skeptics

[Dave Rogers]

Then your statement was irrelevant to the question it was a response to.

No, it was entirely relevant. It was an attempt to point out that you were asking the wrong question.

Dave

 

[Cosmic Yak]

In broad terms, what percent of skeptics in general display this anxiousness?

What percent of people on this forum display this anxiousness?


.........
Please do not consider my questions a sign of anxiousness or a sign of my not being able to handle uncertainity. I am calmly and rationally asking for your estimate of the size of the problem.

Good luck with this one. You may have seen the difficulty I'm having getting Jango, jakesteele and bubba to post similar evidence in another thread. Three of them, and still nothing. It's almost as if this claimed behaviour has never happened here....

 

[OntarioSquatch]

In broad terms, what percent of skeptics in general display this anxiousness?

What percent of people on this forum display this anxiousness?


.........
Please do not consider my questions a sign of anxiousness or a sign of my not being able to handle uncertainity. I am calmly and rationally asking for your estimate of the size of the problem.

I don't know about the total, but from what I've seen, nearly every forum member who posts in the Bigfoot threads on a regular basis on this forum has this problem. It's less prominent in other threads on this forum that have to do with skepticism, but I've seen it in other threads as well. It's the driving force for many of these people.

 

[fagin]

Project much?

 

[deaman]

I don't know about the total, but from what I've seen, nearly every forum member who posts in the Bigfoot threads on a regular basis on this forum has this problem. It's less prominent in other threads on this forum that have to do with skepticism, but I've seen it in other threads as well. It's the driving force for many of these people.

If you spot it, you got it.

 

[Dave Rogers]

I don't know about the total, but from what I've seen, nearly every forum member who posts in the Bigfoot threads on a regular basis on this forum has this problem. It's less prominent in other threads on this forum that have to do with skepticism, but I've seen it in other threads as well. It's the driving force for many of these people.

Let me guess; this "problem" manifests itself in repeated demands for evidence to back up claims and suggestions that there are alternative explanations for phenomena declared to be only possibly caused by Bigfoot, right?

Dave

 

[William Parcher]

I don't know about the total, but from what I've seen, nearly every forum member who posts in the Bigfoot threads on a regular basis on this forum has this problem.

Are you talking about the problem that you describe as an anxiety that paralyses the mind?

It's less prominent in other threads on this forum that have to do with skepticism, but I've seen it in other threads as well. It's the driving force for many of these people.

Again, is this about the disabling anxiety?

 

[OntarioSquatch]

There's nothing disabling about it. All it does is make people not want to accept the fact that they don't know something. The entire reason these people are here is to remove any doubt because it's the uncertainty that's troubling them.

 

[abaddon]

There's nothing disabling about it. All it does is make people not want to accept the fact that they don't know something. The entire reason these people are here is to remove any doubt because it's the uncertainty that's troubling them.

You have several times made reference to the notion that so-called skeptics experience some kind of "anxiety" when confronted with paranormal claims, especially figboot.

Personally, I have only felt an urge to laughter at the notion of figboot. Where does this idea originate in your mind? To me it seems baseless.

 

[William Parcher]

There's nothing disabling about it. All it does is make people not want to accept the fact that they don't know something. The entire reason these people are here is to remove any doubt because it's the uncertainty that's troubling them.

You are painting your own position into a corner.

Did you not already say that the anxiety is disabling to such a degree that it prevents skeptics from understanding and knowing the natural world and the creatures (Bigfoot) that live in that world?

 

[Resume]

There's nothing disabling about it. All it does is make people not want to accept the fact that they don't know something. The entire reason these people are here is to remove any doubt because it's the uncertainty that's troubling them.

The last time you reappeared on this forum, I seem to recall you mentioning something about being nearly out of bigfootery, but somehow got dragged back in. Are you sure you aren't confused about your own insecurity and anxiety?

 

[OntarioSquatch]

You are painting your own position into a corner.

Did you not already say that the anxiety is disabling to such a degree that it prevents skeptics from understanding and knowing the natural world and the creatures (Bigfoot) that live in that world?

They're able to research the subjects that trouble them, but they will always take a stance and that's because they can't stand being uncertain. Take Crowlogic on the BFF for instance. She's constantly switching between beliefs, never accepting the fact that she just doesn't know the truth.

 

[John Nowak]

You have several times made reference to the notion that so-called skeptics experience some kind of "anxiety" when confronted with paranormal claims, especially figboot.

Personally, I have only felt an urge to laughter at the notion of figboot. Where does this idea originate in your mind? To me it seems baseless.

He probably noticed how people stopped visiting Loch Ness because they were afraid of the monster.

Wait...

 

[Dancing David]

There's nothing disabling about it. All it does is make people not want to accept the fact that they don't know something. The entire reason these people are here is to remove any doubt because it's the uncertainty that's troubling them.

Hi,
Old Bigfoot poster here, this is ridiculous.

There is no refusal to accept new ideas without evidence on my part, and I am a very anxious person.

There is however a refusal on my part to accept new ideas without evidence.

I do many new things, I even eat squash and brussel sprouts to which I had a major aversion, I accept many ideas that challenge my world view on a regular basis.

The problem with Bigfoot is not some anxiety I have about new ideas, it is about the lack of evidence and data to support the notion of a large hominid species wandering round the NA continent as yet unseen, unshot, unphotographed, etc...

Seriously I have seen all sorts of wildlife here in central Illinois (including river otters), and the game cameras catch quite a few interesting ones.

No Sasquatch however.

You thread and ideas just seem to be sophistry to avoid the fact that you don't have hard data and evidence.

Sincerely
David old time BF poster and lurker

 

[Dancing David]

They're able to research the subjects that trouble them, but they will always take a stance and that's because they can't stand being uncertain. Take Crowlogic on the BFF for instance. She's constantly switching between beliefs, never accepting the fact that she just doesn't know the truth.

the truth is limited to what you can demonstrate, not to disproving a negative.

But please continue to pretend you lack of evidence is proof of some mental state of scpetics.

 

[OntarioSquatch]

If you're as comfortable with uncertainty as you say you are, then I would say you're the exception rather than the rule. Most Bigfoot-devoted skeptics here aren't as comfortable with being uncertain.

But please continue to pretend you lack of evidence is proof of some mental state of scpetics.

The lack of evidence on its own isn't proof of the mental state of skeptics. It's the anxiety that certain skeptics get from being uncertain that's indicative of their mentality.

Being uncertain because there's a lack of hard evidence is a good thing. Getting anxious because of that uncertainty isn't.

 

[John Nowak]

Being uncertain because there's a lack of hard evidence is a good thing. Getting anxious because of that uncertainty isn't.

Why do you think anyone is anxious at all?

Bigfoot doesn't produce anxiety; it produces hilarity.

 

[Axxman300]

Most Bigfoot-devoted skeptics here aren't as comfortable with being uncertain.

The lack of evidence on its own isn't proof of the mental state of skeptics. It's the anxiety that certain skeptics get from being uncertain that's indicative of their mentality.

Being uncertain because there's a lack of hard evidence is a good thing. Getting anxious because of that uncertainty isn't.

Nobody's anxious about anything. Lack of evidence stands by itself.

Not too far from where I live the UC system has a nature preserve, and they set up thermal imaging trail cams to document wildlife. The #3 video on this page shows a mystery animal:

http://www.hastingsreserve.org/Mammals/Thermal_Imagery.html

They put up 3 photos of suspected creatures that their biologists list as probable suspects. One is a Ring-Tail Cat, and that would be super awesome, but without further evidence they're stuck with three probable animals, and the odds are that it's either a fox or a juvenile cougar.

That's how science deals with uncertainty:
1. Present evidence.
2. List options
3. Ask for opinions and ideas.
4. Wait for more evidence and repeat 1,2, & 3.

There are enough Bigfooters out there that money can be raised and a comprehensive multi-year search conducted in the Pacific Northwest. When Bigfoot advocates get serious about searching for the hairy one there should be results, and you will have to accept where ever they are in the end.

 

[John Nowak]

Not too far from where I live the UC system has a nature preserve, and they set up thermal imaging trail cams to document wildlife. The #3 video on this page shows a mystery animal:

Thanks for the reminder of how people who look for real animals behave.

Awesome, isn't it? We can detect something that might be a ring-tailed cat, but no bigfoot. There's never any bigfoot.

 

[bruto]

You have several times made reference to the notion that so-called skeptics experience some kind of "anxiety" when confronted with paranormal claims, especially figboot.

Personally, I have only felt an urge to laughter at the notion of figboot. Where does this idea originate in your mind? To me it seems baseless.

I think it comes from a deep inability to understand the actual meaning of the statement "I don't know." A new kind of being does not come into existence from the act of not knowing what you saw.

I've had a similar issue with some of the mystics here, who simply cannot wrap their minds around the idea that you can't describe what's inside an empty box. Non being is not a kind of being, and not knowing is not a kind of guessing.