How to spot a rookie skeptic

[xjx388]

I think a rookie skeptic is one who acts as if skepticism itself is a belief system or some philosophy in counterpoint to metaphysics, religion, whatever. It's not that. It's simply the application of critical thinking skills; nothing more, nothing less.

For example, many budding skeptics start out with a firm, "psychic powers do not exist," kind of outlook. Well, not exactly. A skeptic isn't trying to make a claim either way. A skeptic simply looks at the evidence, evaluates it critically and reaches a reasonable conclusion: "This demonstration/study/claim does not support the existence of psychic powers."

Skepticism might inform the skeptics personal philosophy, but I don't think it's a philosophy in and of itself. It's a tool.

 

[Hlafordlaes]

In short, the elimination of mental fluff is a lifelong journey. Still working on it, so a self-confessed rookie. Any other profoundly irritating questions?

 

[arthwollipot]

Are you suggesting that the Higgs boson was in the human mainstream thousands of years ago, or is it just a recent concept, say proposed in the 1960's?

The Higgs itself? Yes, it's been causing matter to have mass for as long as the universe has existed. It was there thousands of years ago. It was there millions of years ago. We've only had the idea of its existence for fifty years or so, and we've only really known that our ideas were right for about five.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Space Travel would be so much easier if Newton hadn't invented Gravity.

 

[steenkh]

If you subscribe to the ideas of Yuval Noah Harari, the Belief in Atheism is a kind of Religion.

The Belief in the lack of belief in Gods??

 

[The Great Zaganza]

The Belief in the lack of belief in Gods??

Yep

 

[arthwollipot]

I think we're going to have to try and interrogate that idea a little further.

Do you mean that the belief that atheism exists is itself a kind of religion? 'cause I'm pretty sure it's not.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

I think we're going to have to try and interrogate that idea a little further.

Do you mean that the belief that atheism exists is itself a kind of religion? 'cause I'm pretty sure it's not.

For Harari, every shared view of the world is serving a normative purpose that allows people from vastly different backgrounds to trust each other enough to cooperate: if you are a firm Atheist, you might be very open to listen to and even support an ex-Muslim-turned-atheist, because you feel a degree of kinship that you probably wouldn't with anyone else from the same background.
Your shared Belief that atheism is as least as good as religion serve a similar function as belonging to the same Religion would (in the absence of any other commonalities).

 

[arthwollipot]

Um... huh?

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Um... huh?

would it help if I tell you that for Harari, the belief in the Dollar as a global currency is also a religion?

 

[Darat]

In short, the elimination of mental fluff is a lifelong journey. Still working on it, so a self-confessed rookie. Any other profoundly irritating questions?

Where do the missing socks go?

 

[Darat]

would it help if I tell you that for Harari, the belief in the Dollar as a global currency is also a religion?

Yep, he's extended the meaning of religion to be pretty much any belief shared by people?

(Granted money is a shared belief.)

 

[arthwollipot]

Yep, he's extended the meaning of religion to be pretty much any belief shared by people?

(Granted money is a shared belief.)

Ah, got it. And with the money example, now belief in practically anything that exists is a religion. My belief in my weekly salary is a religion. Nice to know.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Well, belief in the existence of your company is belief in something completely fictional.

 

[arthwollipot]

Well, belief in the existence of your company is belief in something completely fictional.

I work for the government. Is that fictional?

 

[The Great Zaganza]

I work for the government. Is that fictional?

yes, of course. As is every nation state.

This is pretty easy to see from the number of people in America rejecting the Federal Government.

 

[Venom]

yes, of course. As is every nation state.

This is pretty easy to see from the number of people in America rejecting the Federal Government.

rejecting as in not recognizing the legitimacy of the Federal government?

 

[The Great Zaganza]

rejecting as in not recognizing the legitimacy of the Federal government?

yes.
Most claim that the US was legitimately established, but some disagree - and there is no objective way to say one is more right than the other: it is a social convention, a shared agreement to act as if the US was a real thing.
But countries get dissolved, taken over, merge with others all the time. If countries were a "real" thing, this should not be possible.

 

[Cosmic Yak]

yes.
Most claim that the US was legitimately established, but some disagree - and there is no objective way to say one is more right than the other: it is a social convention, a shared agreement to act as if the US was a real thing.
But countries get dissolved, taken over, merge with others all the time. If countries were a "real" thing, this should not be possible.

Surely a country is far more than just its government? What about ethnicity, culture, language, religion, customs or history? Are they not real, and do they not make up a large part of what makes a country a country?

 

[Dave Rogers]

Well, belief in the existence of your company is belief in something completely fictional.

That's stretching the meaning of the term 'fiction' beyond its breaking point. The belief in the existence of a company is the belief that a group of people have formed an agreement to co-operate in certain ways and assuming certain roles - the word 'company' actually means 'a group of individuals who work together for a common purpose' - and that agreement is not fictional. It is, of course, abstract, but that's a different concept.

Dave