Mysteries

[canispeaktodave]

I have to say, I am not overstating, that Skeptoid has changed my life. I now have a completely new look on life after the reminder of critical thinking, I now view everything from a skeptical standpoint, instead of assuming the "paranormal" explainations are correct at face value. It's good on one had as you hear someone talking about some paranormal subject and see how ridiculous it sounds (very prominent watching Derren Brown Investigates). However, now I know that there is probably a mundane answer to every mystery, which is a bit of a bummer, as there is nothing left to really "wow" the mind in that way. It feels a little bit of the child inside has died.

So... For us skeptics, what actual mysteries are left out there for us to actually wonder at, instead of them having a very boring down to earth solution?

[Safe-Keeper]

I have been thinking the same thing. When I was little I believed in ghosts, UFOs, and certain other paranormal stuff like telepathy, and when I outgrew it I did miss it. It was cool to think about how we were being visited by extraterrestrials, or how you could theoretically learn to read other peoples' minds. Losing that, of course, isn't always fun.

So... For us skeptics, what actual mysteries are left out there for us to actually wonder at, instead of them having a very boring down to earth solution?Well... my take is that you can still muse about space ships and ghosts and whatnot without believing they're real, but yeah, it's a decent question.

[apopheniacMCMLXXXIX]

Hhhm, I don't think critical thinking removes all mysteries in the Universe. It just provides you with a mental toolset to solve those mysteries using natural causes. There's plenty of times that skepticism will lead you to the only real answer that you're capable of providing with the information you've given: "I don't know." I think that takes a lot more guts than just giving up and saying it's something paranormal or supernatural.

As for the thing about your inner child having died, I have to say it's the exact opposite for me. I find it exciting to be critical thinker, because it brings you closer to reality. Reality is always more exciting than fantasy. I still see plenty of "wow" factor in reality. In fact, you could say that successful skepticism is sort of based on having an unnatural fetish for reality.

Anyway, there are plenty of mysteries left out there that science has yet to find a definitive answer to. That doesn't mean that science is wrong, it just means we haven't found the answer yet. And even when we do find a "down-to-earth" solution, I don't find this mundane at all.

So I'll leave you with a quote from Carl Sagan:


"It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it not stirring to understand how the world actually works — that white light is made of colors, that color is the way we perceive the wavelengths of light, that transparent air reflects light, that in so doing it discriminates among the waves, and that the sky is blue for the same reason that the sunset is red? It does no harm to the romance of the sunset to know a little bit about it."

[Matilda]

1. Languages of ancient civilisations still to be translated. Linear A of the Minoan civilisation, Indus Valley civilisation etc. What did they say? What was important to them?

2. Did anything come before the big bang, and if so, what? Is there one universe or many?

3. How the hell does my family get through so much cheese?

In almost any area of human study there are mysteries and frontiers. If that wasn't the case there would be no study of any kind. Pick a subject (other than the paranormal) and study it. My guess is you will be filled with wonder, and find plenty of mystery in the Universe. We live in an incredible world, in a universe filled with wonder. And for mysteries that are solved - I don't think all the answers are mundane. Natural, yes, but rarely mundane. I think explanations for the paranormal often do seem very mundane, because the belief that it's something supernatural sets you up for disappointment. That's not true of the real mysteries of the world.

[Nursedan]

I have to say, I am not overstating, that Skeptoid has changed my life. I now have a completely new look on life after the reminder of critical thinking, I now view everything from a skeptical standpoint, instead of assuming the "paranormal" explainations are correct at face value. It's good on one had as you hear someone talking about some paranormal subject and see how ridiculous it sounds (very prominent watching Derren Brown Investigates). However, now I know that there is probably a mundane answer to every mystery, which is a bit of a bummer, as there is nothing left to really "wow" the mind in that way. It feels a little bit of the child inside has died.

So... For us skeptics, what actual mysteries are left out there for us to actually wonder at, instead of them having a very boring down to earth solution?

Yes, adults should act like adults.

It's my belief that all "paranormal" or mystical beliefs are explained in a reality based way. However, puppy dogs, babies, and sunsets are beautiful things to be enjoyed. It's a truer form of enjoyment and understanding when the BS is taken away.