Director Roger Nygard traveled the world asking theologians, scientists, skeptics, and everyday people 85 tough questions to try to understand The Nature of Existence! Now that he’s asked the experts, it’s YOUR TURN! To offer your own insights on today’s question, “Is skepticism a good thing?“, Leave a Reply below!
All skeptics are idiots. enough said
I think complete skepticism of anything unknown is always healthy. Better to avoid traps then get caught.
@ E James, I agree with you – complete skepticism of anything unknown is always healthy. But, even “proven” things can be wrong – so what can you believe these days.
Skepticism is a part of life, some how we have to find the truth among all the lies.
@Patty, Well put.
Yes. They help prevent others from being tricked/decieved with negative outcomes.
I think skeptics are proof of a merciful devine being, because they rarely cause negative outcomes. The insensitive skeptics are usually the problem, as they don’t think/care about who they hurt in the process.
Sometimes skeptics enhance faith of others. Without skeptics, we may still be in the stone age.
Why certainly !
Absolutely! Otherwise humanity would be long dead!
Yes, all knowledge begins with skepticism, without it everything is just conjecture.
If you are at all interested in the progress of humanity and our long-term survival, yes. Skepticism is at the root of any process by which we come by actual knowledge.
Our biggest gap in this area is our usual failing to apply that skepticism to ourselves, our own thoughts and motivations. This lets the ego run unchecked, affecting everything from personal relationships all the way up to geopolitics.
Good for some; not for others. Choice to doubt is part of a personal experience.
Some people were born skeptics. The others are called religious.
[...] is religion? Why are there multiple religions? Should religions be challenged? Is skepticism a good thing? Why do people get angry when their beliefs are challenged? Which religion is right? Can all [...]
Of course! The world is filled with people who will tell you falsehoods for a variety of reasons – including simply being mistaken – and there is absolutely NO reason to take anything at face value. Nothing – and I mean absolutely NOTHING – is above examination.
Like all things, it is good in moderation. Excessive skepticism is nothing more than paranoia, however, insufficient skepticism is nothing more than gullibility.
It is wise to admit when one does not have an answer to an issue, but when that answer is lacking but the task remains to be done…that is when we must have faith that whatever we have chosen was correct. But even then we must still be wise enough to learn from the experience if we are instead wrong, rather than to ignore it as a fluke or divine action.
Absolutely. One of the thing that’s wrong with the world today is that there’s too much certainty in things that people really shouldn’t be certain about, such as metaphysical concepts and religion.
SWEJ says:
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January 30, 2011 at 4:20 pm
Skepticism is nothing more than the application of reasoned inquiry to claims. We do it all the time, and if you don’t you are by definition a fool.
So yes, of course skepticism is a good thing.
“If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.”
– Rene Descartes
Skeptical inquiry is how we learn about our surroundings, whether deciding on buying a used car or determining the shape of the planet (or if there are other planets).
Doubt leads to the seeking of evidence, justification for what you believe. And it leads to societal advancement.
Yes, be skepitical. Accept only the truth.
It’s crucial to survival and better living– to a point. Past that point, it can be contrary to those things.
Skepticism a good thing? I believe so, but it should not be limited to skepticism in the sense of religions and supernatural, it should also be applied to what we commonly believe to be the only means of finding the truth, that is science…..
Even if we class ourselves as skeptics, we can actually be religiously devoted to our religion, that is science, hence believing anything said that contains the word “scientific” in it (and no I’m not talking about pseudo-science), just like religious people would believe almost every statement that contains the word “Bible” in it. Reason being,the world that we live in has been overwhelmed by people who claim to have discovered the “truth” in the name of science, when all they really care about is publicity for their businesses. When a scientific discovery is made, we must ask ourselves, who did the research, how accurate and extensive was the research, who funded it, and what is there to gain for the sponsors. Don’t tell me that its for the better humanity, to enlighten the people etc. People don’t invest millions sometimes billions of dollars with nothing to gain ….Humans are made of genes whose only objective is to protect its existence and its offsprings’, which essentially makes us all selfish animals. Selfish animals like us don’t work simply for the benefit of others, we work for our own benefits, we don’t really care about other people’s lives let alone how enlightened they can become..
Philosophic skepticism isn’t. Philosophic skepticism claims that we should arbitrarily doubt all knowledge. Which is just a fancy way to say “maybe” with no reason or proof, just imagination.
In considering truth or falsity a healthy skepticism is good, particularly if something seems unlikely.
Well, duh! Our ultimate survival and well being depends upon our correct perception of what is. Naturally, we will make mistakes in interpreting what actually is, which is where skepticism comes in. Skepticism acts as a touch stone for truth. Accepting anything on the basis of blind belief is dangerous to us both as a species and as individuals.
Yes, always but, the catch is to be open to experience and knowledge beyond our present belief system.
The skeptic may become the converted so don’t resist too hard or become too fixed in your beliefs.
fuck ya! always question everything or else everyone will get away with everything. also, i’m a fundamentalist atheist.