Skepticism as belief....AGAIN

[Keneke]

A recent conversation. Please comment.

Me: I'm just a materialist of sorts.

Her: That's a good enough belief.

Me: I don't believe in the absence of the immaterial, I just go with what I can prove. Lowest common denominator.

Her: And that's what works for you.

Me: I'm not trying to say it's right for everyone, but there's no philosophic outlook created by my point of view. Yes, things are taken on trust, but I have no beliefs that stem from it.

Her: It's a methodology of looking at the world, including things that cannot be proven by science. Therefore, it colors your viewpoint. Therefore, it is a philosophy.

Me: No, if some sort of super-science comes along that's better than science, a skeptic would change. Skepticism isn't the same as science.

Her: It's still your eyes on the world. It works for you. You can't tell other people how to think.




The point is, this whole conversation strikes me as wrong. Is she correct? If not, what am I missing? Is the promotion of skeptical thinking the same as evangelizing your religion?

[Skeptical Greg]

Originally posted by Keneke
A recent conversation. Please comment.




The point is, this whole conversation strikes me as wrong. Is she correct? If not, what am I missing? Is the promotion of skeptical thinking the same as evangelizing your religion?

Sounds kind of like the ' Atheism is a Religion ' argument...

It is if you treat it that way...


Religion is is more noted for telling you what to believe while skepticism urges you to question it..

Someone who can't tell the difference has probably succumed to the former..

[Dancing David]

Scepticism is a tool for making decisions, I am afraid that it does have some core beliefs and by a philospher it could be called a belief system.

A very rational and self correcting belief system.

[Yahzi]

Materialism is a belief. Skepticism is very close: I would call it an attitude, but it could reasonably be referred to as a belief.

Athiesm is not a belief, it is the abscence of belief. But the skeptical attitude implies a value judgement on evidence and reason, so I think it could be called a belief.

However, none of these are a relgion, unless you want to degrade the word religion to merely being a synomym for belief. In which case collecting stamps becomes a religion. Some people are so eager to justify their religion by association, they are willing to discount the word into meaninglessness, but those people should be put on /ignore.

[Keneke]

Thank you. That then brings to mind...

With beliefs come the stigma of knowing your actions are colored. If, like me, you want to achieve as much objectiveness as possible, how would one about doing that, if skepticism itself harbors beliefs? Is my search for true objective and purely rational thought meaningless?

[Aussie Thinker]

Keneke,

You know I get this a bit too and wonder why it annoys me.

You have to understand that people who live their lives by a belief system “assume” that everyone else does to. It is “Normal” behaviour for them.

They cannot understand that our basic philosophy is “if a better explanation comes along the old one can be thrown out”

We sometimes seem “religious” because we only EVER see Natural explanations for thing and science NEVER provides supernatural explanations, So naturally (to us) we start to give short shrift to any supernatural suggestions.. our impatience is often viewed as “religious” when it is really just “don’t hand me that crappy line of BS again”..

[a_unique_person]

Originally posted by Keneke


The point is, this whole conversation strikes me as wrong. Is she correct? If not, what am I missing? Is the promotion of skeptical thinking the same as evangelizing your religion?

If she want's to get down with you, it's OK to accept this for a while.

[Aussie Thinker]

Unique…

LOL… yep I had a look at some of the photos of women on the Rapture Boards and I could get into the Rapture for as long as it took..

Trouble is .. it would take …waaaaay too long !

[Abdul Alhazred]

Sure skepticism is a belief. A belief in looking at claims a certain way. It's not a "faith", but it's certainly a belief.

Everybody believes something about something. I have opinions about lots of stuff. Those are my beliefs.

As for religion, Her pinkness is not negated by her invisibility. In the final hour She shall impale doubters on her one horn!

Meanwhile my buddy who lives with me now that he's left R'lyeh has devoured three soccer moms in Winnetka. :p

Updates later.

[calladus]

Originally posted by Keneke

The point is, this whole conversation strikes me as wrong. Is she correct? If not, what am I missing? Is the promotion of skeptical thinking the same as evangelizing your religion?

The reason why the conversation seems wrong is because she wasn't really thinking about what you said. Nothing you said had any effect on her. She didn't try to think from your viewpoint. None of her world view was altered in any way.

You would get better results explaining your beliefs to a housecat.

[Aussie Thinker]

Abdul.. It’s a belief in disbelief though.. I dunno wether that qualifies.

BTW Good work by your Buddy…

[Keneke]

Originally posted by a_unique_person
If she want's to get down with you, it's OK to accept this for a while.

Oh HELL no. Not this woman, not in a million years. I get your point though.