It's so strange how sensitive these skeptics are to criticism. Even the more strange if you consider what they call other people all the time.
Interesting video: I am a skeptic
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7618367/im-a-skepticThis is the text of the video:
Hi! I’m a skeptic.
Hi. I’m a scientist.
Me too. I’m a skeptic.
Well, skepticism is only a part of science, not the whole thing.
Science is skeptical. It must be skeptical.
Are you familiar with the scientific method?
Of course! I’m a skeptic.
Do you understand that science is a process? As scientists we observe new phenomena. We come up with hypotheses to explain them, and then we put those hypotheses to various tests to see if our explanations really fit, or whether we’re just fooling ourselves. That’s where skepticism should come in. Then if our hypothesis passes those tests, we call it a theory. That’s the end-point of our process. A theory is a best-fit, to the observed phenomena. It’s not absolute truth. Science is open-ended, and its conclusions are always provisional and subject to change when new observations or better explanations come along.
No. As a skeptic I begin with an existing explanation and go directly to the end point — the same existing explanation. It’s more definitive. It’s also much faster and cheaper, and it doesn’t force me to think or to change my mind. Instead of your clumsy process we skeptics use a simpler and more streamlined approach. It’s called summary dismissal,and ridicule. It easily disposes of bunk and Bee Ess.
Now wait a minute. Are you saying that ridicule and dismissal are part of science?
Of course. They help us to be dispassionate and objective skeptics. Name calling, helps, too.
You call yourself a skeptic, but what you really are is a debunker.
A skeptic by any other name is still a skeptic. We skeptics are against ridiculous things. We know what’s ridiculous and what’s not.
How do you know what’s ridiculous without actually studying it?
We skeptics know it when we see it. For example, the whole idea of continental drift is ridiculous.
I think you’re a little behind the times. Science verified continental drift years ago.
That’s not possible. The earth is flat. So what would make continents move?
I’m afraid you’ve got some catching up to do. In any case, the absence of a plausible mechanism does not forbid the existence of a phenomenon. If it did, we would have had no diseases prior to the discovery of microbes ,and the sun would have given no light before we became aware of nuclear fusion.
We skeptics are very careful in our methodology. We scan the supermarket tabloids microscopically for any articles about weird stuff. When a tabloid publishes something, we know for sure it’s ridiculous.
I might not know whether weird things, You know, like powered flight, and continental drift, are real or not, but as a scientist I would not dismiss either of them unless I’d actually done my homework, red the literature, asked questions, and made up my own mind.
We skeptics believe that if you even inquire into weird stuff you must believe it’s absolutely true from the getgo. You’re gullible. But speaking of powered flight, did you know that it took three years for the Scientific American to acknowledge the Wright Brothers first flight? That’s an example of prudent scientific journalism.
Speaking of history, did you know that science and democracy both appeared at about the same time? Did you know that they both sprang from the same impulses of independent thought, the freedom to do one’s own experiments, and the rejection of imposed beliefs and institutional authority?
You non-skeptics have no respect for institutional authority!
Many scientists today do actually find themselves having to obey institutional authority in order to keep their jobs, funding and reputations, and avoid ridicule and dismissal. But, in their heart of hearts they wish they could get their freedom back and once again apply their talents to expanding human knowledge and meeting real human needs.
I think you non-skeptics are simply superstitious.
Superstitions are like rumors that just go around mindlessly from one person to another. It’s like a contagion. Many self-described skeptics base their beliefs on such rumors without engaging any of their own critical thinking.
I’ll bet you believe in crop circles, the easter bunny and santa claus.
We scientists don’t confuse reality with fairytales. Crop circles actually exist, but I have no opinion about them because I haven’t researched them. However, I can tell you that aliens exist because I’ve seen them with my own eyes.
You’re crazy. I’m outta here.
Bye!