Skepticism

I am skeptical not pessimistic, so please do not confuse the two!

Skepticism in my opinion is a legitimate, intellectual if not academic area of interest. It attempts to bring together various disciplines. One is knowledge of logical fallacies, logic in general and the ability of how to make a valid argument. Another is mechanisms of self-deception, which include the psychology of memory, perception, delusion including stage illusion and magic. The importance of scientific research, peer review and replication bringing all these elements together to give us the tools to analyze claims to truth. Especially those that are on the fringe of science including those that are unusual and bizarre. The new direction of this Blog is to understand why people believe absurd and bizarre things and how they can come to conclusions that are so demonstrably false.

I am only a human being, therefore fallible like the rest of us. I have no axe to grind and have no unique claim on what is true and what is not. I feel we will never know with absolute certainty what is true and what is not. However, I do believe one truth exists for all questions, complex as they may be. In this world, science, reason and logic are the most appropriate tools for estimating truth and taking action that results in the most benefit to the greatest number of people possible.

Lastly, some postings published here are generalizations and I am aware… as I hope you are… there are always exceptions!