Who are we?
The Skeptic Express is made up of an informal group of like-minded people who are united in their search for the truth in all manner of claims and their desire to fight misinformation, ignorance and untruths wherever they are found.
Our aims are quite simple:
- To complement and contribute to the work of other skeptic organizations;
- To encourage a rational and logical approach to fringe claims and magical thinking;
- To provide a source of information and explanation on everyday issues;
- To promote the teaching and application of critical thinking skills;
- To provide a forum for debate, discussion and rational argument on a range of relevant topics;
- To encourage the active involvement of people from a wide range of backgrounds;
- To publish a range of articles for information and comment.
Skepticism - an approach to life.
What is Skepticism?
For many skepticism conjures up cynical closed-minded attitudes spouted by terse, crusty old curmudgeons intent on spoiling everyone’s fun – but that negative image couldn’t be further from reality.
Skeptical not Cynical.
Put very simply, a skeptic is someone who is committed to logic, reason and critical thinking when making assessments or decisions. In short, skepticism is a method of inquiry not a position. Despite the image as nay saying killjoys a real skeptic will always approach any claim with the same positive rational and enquiring manner. If we say we’re skeptical of a claim, we mean that we must see compelling evidence before we believe. It’s as simple as that.
Why is Skepticism Important?
In a society where we are expected to accept much at face value, thinking critically about the barrage of claims presented before us is a demanding but valuable skill to master bringing real and positive rewards. Only by being unafraid to ask hard questions can we ever hope to sift fact from fiction, sort good ideas from bad amongst the myriad of claims made in the name of science, culture, religion and politics by manufacturers, scam artists, fraudsters, modern day myth makers, hoaxers and cheats.
Our Areas of Interest:
- The Paranormal – Can mediums really communicate with the dead? Can psychics predict the future or look back into your past? What about psychic surgeons, psychic detectives, faith healers, tarot, astrology and ghosts?
- Pseudoscience – What are we to make of Intelligent Design and creationist theory, alternative medicine and therapies, conspiracy theories, current fads and diets, inflated manufacturer’s claims for their products, modern myths and legends packaged as science based fact?
- Spin and Misinformation – political fluff and flannel, bogus and misleading claims in advertising, schemes and scams, cults, religion, nittwittery and nonsense wherever it occurs.
An Open Mind.
Skeptics are open minded to the possibility that an idea may be true or false and will seek to objectively discover which it is rather than be so open minded as to be credulous. Similarly, close mindedness reflects the position wherein someone cannot accept the possibility that an idea may be false. The role of the skeptic is to critically examine all ideas but to reject if there is no evidence to believe them either true or false. There is a balance to be achieved between being ‘so open minded that your brains fall out’ and rejecting potentially useful ideas. The key is evidence.
reposted from: http://theskepticexpress.com/my highlights / emphasis / comments
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