Skeptic Exchange

added by Laura Jul 11 at 12:48

So subjective.. – Heath Hunnicutt Jul 11 at 15:38

Great question! And not subjective at all, there are studies and theories about why people do this, see for example cognitive dissonance, and how do people deal with it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance – Juan Antonio Jul 13 at 7:32

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26 great on-topic example

added by Laura Jul 11 at 12:51

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25 great on-topic example

added by rjstelling Jul 11 at 10:59

Well you can drown – Notthinking Jul 14 at 10:50

I was thinking more along the lines of diabetes first. – majjie Jul 21 at 12:21

1 great on-topic example

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added by user9449 Jul 11 at 11:16

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23 great off-topic example

added by Mark Robinson Jul 12 at 21:45

This is intended to be an off topic example! That is, it is unnecessarily argumentative and the question contains an unfounded assumption. – Mark Robinson Jul 12 at 21:46

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23 great on-topic example

added by Leo Jul 15 at 17:18

21 great on-topic example

added by rjstelling Jul 11 at 10:53

21 great off-topic example

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added by Laura Jul 11 at 13:02

a question about the existence of ET life is one thing, but who could do more than speculate about the appearance of these theoretical ETs? and what is the significance of their appearance? – danzein Jul 22 at 0:30

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20 great on-topic example

added by rjstelling Jul 11 at 10:58

DDT wasn't that bad; it's banning was stupid and resulted in millions of unnecessary deaths The UN have been using it again since 2006. – Philip Painter Jul 15 at 14:08

Don't argue the question people, wait for the beta site for that! :) Or go to the original skeptic exchange in the meantime where it was originally asked... – Skrivener Jul 21 at 23:01

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20 great off-topic example

added by Laura Jul 11 at 12:59

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11 great on-topic example

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added by Mark Robinson Jul 13 at 13:22

I think this has to be on-topic; it's so crucial to current discussions in the skeptic community, and to rational positions on religion and by extension supernaturalism of all forms. Sure, it might invite a certain amount of discussion, but that can be managed through comments, editing answers to improve them, and by users up-voting rigorously presented answers in the first place. Given the huge issue that is skepticism and religion, I just don't see how this can be off-topic even if you don't think it's a good example. – Skrivener Jul 21 at 23:06

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13 great on-topic example

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added by user9449 Jul 11 at 11:16

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added by user9449 Jul 11 at 11:16

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added by Leo Jul 15 at 17:19

This feels much fuzzier to me than tilting at homeopathy or quackery. It is more akin to asking whether skeptics should be <insert religion here>. Certainly, there are rational arguments for and against any of the political movements, but IMHO there are no standards by which to judge a "right" answer. – RBerteig Aug 6 at 8:42

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8 great on-topic example

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added by rjstelling Jul 11 at 10:55

-1 presuppose that people should be convinced of something without establishing that this something is actually a good idea. I think a valid question could be "Is the swine flu vaccination a good idea?" Questions which amount to "How best to proseletyze" and "How best to expose myself to the same views repeatedly" don't seem skeptical to me. But then, I am not a skeptic although I like my energy stated in ergs. – Heath Hunnicutt Jul 11 at 15:35

+1 Given that vaccines have been exhaustively considered by most active skeptics, it's entirely reasonable for a skeptic who has already come to a rational and widely held conclusion among the skeptical community to ask other skeptics the best way to argue that case, particularly to non-skeptics. – Skrivener Jul 21 at 21:12

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added by user9449 Jul 11 at 11:15

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added by user9449 Jul 11 at 11:17

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11 great off-topic example

added by murgatroid99 Aug 2 at 17:10

I created this to be off topic because the site should be about discussing "woo" instead of validating it. – murgatroid99 Aug 2 at 17:11

Take out the chips and beer, obviously. – Stefano Borini Aug 15 at 18:43

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3 great on-topic example

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added by Notthinking, edited by Peter Mortensen Jul 21 at 22:42

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7 great on-topic example

added by Mark Robinson Jul 15 at 11:21

@Skrivener thanks. Indeed, it might be in definition, though "mythology" is clearly recognised as not true whereas religious beliefs are the subject of huge debate. One rephrase of the question is - when does any belief, widely held by society at one moment to be true, come to be recognised as false. It's like if, in 30 years time, people stopped believing in Evolution - when is the "tipping point"? – Mark Robinson Jul 22 at 7:33

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6 great on-topic example