Skepticism and Ethics

Noteworthy, 12 December 2012

2012-12-12T20:30:00.001-08:00

Ed Clint's recent post on his IncrEDulous blog, Why teaching critical thinking fails, argues that while critical thinking skills can be taught, doing so is not enough to turn people into critical thinkers.

The Sinking of the Titanic

2012-11-27T14:55:00.001-08:00

We’ve hit an iceberg, and there is confusion, hysteria, and not enough life boats to save us all.

With respect to respect

2012-09-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

"Everyone deserves respect!"

"No, respect must be earned!"

Sigh. I get tired of hearing exchanges like this, especially when they are presented as prescriptive moral or ethical guidance. As usual, the reality and the ethics are more complicated than that.

Some much-needed discussion

2012-08-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

There has been quite a bit of activity in the blogosphere and on Twitter and Facebook in recent weeks on two subjects that our regular reader(s) know have been topics of concern to Ardent Skeptic and me.

Noteworthy, 08 July 2012

2012-07-08T12:09:00.001-07:00

Advice for a 'Freethought' blog, by Notung, has advice that skeptic bloggers should consider as well.

Noteworthy, 17 May 2012

2012-05-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

Steve Cuno has a new post up on his personal blog that's worth a look: The Value of Dissent. And while welcoming informed alternative points of view is useful for everyone, it is essential for skeptics.

Noteworthy, 09 May 2012

2012-05-09T20:15:00.001-07:00

This is from last week, but in case you missed it, Barbara Drescher has an excellent post about skepticism on her blog: You Can't Judge an Argument by its Conclusion.

An Open Letter on Disagreement

2012-04-04T04:25:00.000-07:00

by Steve Cuno

Author’s note: The inspiration for this article was an angry note from a friend. Any attempt to guess which friend or to point fingers risks missing a great opportunity to see if the shoe fits.

Dear Friend:

Disagreement is inevitable. When it happens, let’s see if we can handle it sans ad hominem attacks.

Noteworthy, 11 Mar 2012

2012-03-11T08:08:00.001-07:00

Steve Cuno has a new post up on his personal blog: The Art of the Dodge

Noteworthy, 08 Mar 2012

2012-03-08T18:34:00.001-08:00

Ben Radford has a new post up on the CFI blog: Rush Limbaugh, Being a Dick, and Skepticism

Noteworthy, 16 Feb 2012

2012-02-16T14:03:00.001-08:00

Steve Cuno has a new post up on the JREF Swift blog on how easy it is to switch off critical thinking: The Care and Feeding of Homunculi
This week's episode of Skeptoid covers some common types of reasoning errors.

Delicate Balance

2012-01-25T05:15:00.000-08:00

by Steve Cuno

In Why People Believe Weird Things, Michael Shermer describes his experience as the “guest skeptic” on a program for NBC. The other guests claimed to have experienced a close encounter of the third kind. He writes that after the taping, he and they went out for dinner and talked about...

Noteworthy, 18 Jan 2011

2012-01-18T19:40:00.001-08:00

Steve Cuno has a new post up on the JREF Swift blog: How to Sabotage Skepticism from the Inside: Entwine the Claim with the Cause
Steve also recently posted this on his personal blog: Denying human nature is no way to fight racism

A picture of Internet wildlife

2012-01-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

by human nature photographer A. Skeptic

A huge flock, honking and flapping their wings, but going nowhere.

In Which I Admit to a Bias

2012-01-05T02:00:00.000-08:00

by K.O. Myers

I generally eschew the annual ritual of New Year's resolutions. If I don't have the mental discipline to positively alter my character or behavior in June, I'm not sure how passage from one arbitrarily demarcated solar orbit to another is supposed to provide the necessary willpower. If the psychological signpost of the beginning of a new year affords you sufficient impetus to tack toward a course of self-improvement, you have my sincere congratulations. I've never found it particularly motivating.^*

Of Foul-ers and Foul-ees

2011-12-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

by Steve Cuno

Like a befuddled Great Dane that backs off when it could just as well swallow whole an annoying terrier, I continually turned the other cheek to a diminutive eighth grade classmate who enjoyed brandishing bravado in my direction. But one day I’d had enough and hit him back.

Certitude

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Absolute certainty in one's position may make for compelling, impassioned arguments, but it can be a sign that even facts and reality will fall by the wayside to maintain that certainty.

Sharon and I were looking around for a pithy quote about certainty, and found a few that we thought were worth sharing:

Noteworthy, 05 Nov 2011

2011-11-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

A couple of articles worth reading:

Steve Cuno wrote a follow-up to his last Swift post on the JREF website, and has cross-posted it to his personal blog.
I'm not sure how I missed this when it first came out, but Barbara Drescher posted an in-depth discussion of skepticism and values on her blog a few weeks ago.

Noteworthy, 26 Oct 2011

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Check out Steve Cuno's post at the JREF website, Tempests in Skeptical Teapots .

Who are The Skeptic Illuminati?

2011-10-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

We were approached by a group calling themselves The Skeptic Illuminati and asked to post the following, as several of the qualities they are looking for in members have been discussed on this blog.

An open letter to all who identify as Skeptics:

It was the best of times...

2011-10-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us....

Quoteworthy

2011-10-03T21:11:00.001-07:00

The small-minded find in skepticism a handy bludgeon. What a waste. Skepticism serves humankind best when used as a mirror.

--Steve Cuno

I'm going to print this out and tape it to my bathroom mirror, as a reminder of the importance of applying skepticism to myself. Thanks, Steve.

The Most Important Thing to Know...

2011-10-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Over the last few months, I have spent a great deal of time reading blogposts and comments on skeptical sites on the Internet, and one important fact has become readily apparent: that many in our community aren't aware of one of the most important things a skeptic should know.

Skepticism and Values

2011-08-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write something in response to Daniel Loxton's Skepticblog post on the scope of the skeptical movement for some time now, but having been otherwise distracted with work and the seemingly endless Elevatorgate feuding, PZ Myers has beaten me to the punch. And while I sympathize, to an extent, with Loxton's desire to put clear boundaries around skepticism, I also agree with some of the points Myers makes in his post.

These arguments are nothing new; they've been a staple of debate among skeptics for a long time. See the links below for fairly recent discussions in which the different views are articulated (some better than others, of course). The arguing will likely continue, because, in my opinion, they're about what we value, individually and collectively, as skeptics.

Noteworthy, 05 Aug 2011

2011-08-05T05:12:00.001-07:00

Steve Cuno has a new post up on his personal blog about dogmatism and how to avoid it.

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