Well, this blog is about skepticism. I think it’s about time that we started actually talking about some skeptical topics.

So, over the next few weeks we’re going to talk about some of the more basic areas of skepticism and why it is so important.

Let’s start quickly with a very good working definition of skepticism:

A skeptic is one who prefers beliefs and conclusions that are reliable and valid to ones that are comforting or convenient, and therefore rigorously and openly applies the methods of science and reason to all empirical claims, especially their own. A skeptic provisionally proportions acceptance of any claim to valid logic and a fair and thorough assessment of available evidence, and studies the pitfalls of human reason and the mechanisms of deception so as to avoid being deceived by others or themselves. Skepticism values method over any particular conclusion. — Dr. Steven Novella

As you can see, we’re not just talking about religion here. Sometimes the hardest thing a person can face is being wrong about something. We all have beliefs that we may never have considered or examined. As children, we un-questioningly absorb everything that authority figures tell us. This stays with us as we grow up and we always have gut-reactions to things, or mould world-views around these beliefs.

Obviously it is impossible to sit and question every minute of our day or every decision that we make. There are a great many things that we can take for granted – these can generally be based on probabiities. What we are talking about are claims. Not insurance claims, but what can be classified as extraordinary claims.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. — Carl Sagan

This is the most important lesson – if someone claims to be able to predict the future, that is not an ordinary claim. It breaks the physical laws of the universe and should be considered impossible. It would be absolutely amazing if someone could do it, but it is highly improbable that it is possible. This means that it requires a lot of evidence to show that someone can actually predict the future. We shouldn’t just accept some anecdotal evidence for this.

Many people mistake skepticism for cynicism, but these are very different beasts. Skeptics are very open to new ideas and possibilities (or at least should be!), they just require good evidence for claims i.e. scientific evidence.

Next time, we’re going to start talking about some of the basic tools of skepticism…