Skeptic: one who is yet undecided as to what is true; one who is looking or inquiring for what is true; an inquirer after facts or reasons. the method of suspended judgment, systematic doubt, or criticism that is characteristic of skeptics
Debunker – one who holds an a priori belief that it does not exist, therefore, it is just a matter of finding a way to explain it away.
Debunkers cloak denialism in the language of skepticism and critical thinking. They start with a conclusion and look for evidence to support what they already believe.
Healthy skepticism is a very important tool to have. It allows you to cut through the bullshit and get down to a base line reading. Every one's heard of the saying, "If it's too good to be true, it probably is." You should be skeptical of things like that; get rich and instant enlightenment schemes in particular.
I employ much skepticism when it comes to all of the areas that fall into the category that a debunker would call woo. I have found that most of it is crapola and sometimes you just have to wade through all of that bullshit and get down to the few that defy explanation. I believe Occam's Razor is an extremely valuable tool but one has to keep in mind Occam's Beard (the simplest solution isn't always the best).Statistics: Posted by jakesteele — 30 Mar 2010, 02:12
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