Beliefs and skeptics
Once again, the media provides an interesting look at something I consider very important; how beliefs are really vital to us all.
The stimulus for this comes from that mighty organ, The Cochrane Times of Cochrane, Alberta. (Dear Lord, where would we be without the internet?)
It is written by a skeptic and it is about how we need some magic in our lives.
Basically, the premise is that some people believe in strange things (strange to a skeptic, that is) and can’t admit they’re wrong because to do so would be to admit they had wasted years in believing something stupid. He does drag in the old ‘If-dowsing-works-why-hasn’t-anyone-claimed-the-Randi-million-dollar-challenge’ thing, but I’ll let that go for now.
He says there are two reasons for believing in magical things (like dowsing and Bigfoot, aliens and alternative medical treatments). One reason for magical beliefs existing is because,
it feels good to believe in them. It’s a sort of mental stimulation when one thinks there is something magical out there that can’t be explained that is going to show ‘them’ that they’ve been wrong all along.
The second reason is the one stated earlier; personal commitment is hard to deny later.
Then the honest question comes, do skeptics suffer from the same problem? Well, he says, a true skeptic should always be convinced by hard facts. (Actually, the term he uses is ‘hard scientific proof’, which opens up the whole question of whether science would ever allow such things to be included and who determines what is accepted as scientific proof anyway? But let’s not get involved in small squabbles here.)
Let me just give you the full beauty of the closing paragraph…
It is my hope that folks can balance magical beliefs and reality in such a way that they don’t lose money to charlatans or con artists bent on taking advantage of those prone to certain beliefs. After all, if a belief doesn’t hurt anyone, it really doesn’t matter what anyone believes; it’s just unfortunate some beliefs do, in fact, have the capability of injuring both financially and physically.
Ah! Everything is now clear. Skeptics are humanitarians at heart. They only want to stop people being hurt by believing in wrong things.
So, presumably, science doesn’t have any beliefs which could negatively affect people? Hmmmm. Let’s think… The whole field of prescribed drugs perhaps? Or maybe the leukemia and power stations not being connected? Perhaps the categoric denial that scientists are not responsible for what other people do with their discoveries?
Oh skeptics are wonderful people. Really!
Maybe you have some suggestions to add?
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