Hi Bodhisattva:
Your remarks are (and quite classically) very prejudicial. Skeptics are not
armchair philosophers. They are scientists, with a varying degree of skill,
that are quite active in world of inquiry. Granted, there are many people
who don't understand the term and claim to be one, but this is universal
with any belief system.
The true skeptic ideology ignores belief altogether as absent of real
existance. A belief is only a form of energy (a very feeble one, usually)
and has only a fleeting connection with reality (objective or perceived).
And while most ardent skeptics are very existential, they ***do not ever***
fall into the trap of discounting anecdotal evidence. This of course means
that a good skeptic cannot afford an atheistic viewpoint any more than a
good skeptic can afford a perspective of fervent religious faith.
This usually makes the true skeptic a highly successful, achieved, and
qualified scientist. However, like most disciples of truth, finding a good
practitioner can be extremely rare.
http://www.skeptic.com
Most people of spiritual concerns are deeply resentful of skepticism. This
is quite sad, as I was personally taught to apply this very buddhistic idea
first and foremost with the mental and emotional realm as a part of a
healthy spiritual discipline. Equally, however, people neglect to remember
that the end result of inquiry is either a demonstration of fact or a lack
of conclusion.
With most actual real spiritual pursuits, the act of inquiry will lead to a
lack of conclusion... and yet, hopefully, the collection of useful data. A
skeptic is ok with being left in doubt; a believer is usually NOT ok with
that uncomfortable concept. However, there are times when skepticism has
demonstrated beyond any possible doubt the reality of certain religious,
spiritual and philisophical practices.
I could list some of the spiritual greats of world history (few of which
have come from the English speaking world) that embrace the art of Inquiry
(need I neglect to mention the Indian sage who perfect the art of Self
Inqiry from atma-vicara?)... but someone else already did a good job with
historic figures for me:
http://www.healthyskepticism.org/global/quotes/list/science/
I actually view your weak and unsubstantiated (not to mention not very well
thought out) negativity against the idea of the skeptic as an attack which
needs a few moments of reasonable defense. While the off topic list is the
perfect place for such things to be discussed, I think that THIS list needs
to remain very open to inquiry and questioning and doubt... for the benefit
of the people who do not believe as you do.
If you had stated that you are a Nazi and hate jews, you would have been
banned from this list. However, it appears that other forms of prejudism
are well tolerated.
Best Regards,
Jason
----- Original Message -----
From: "bodhisattva" <bodhisat...@mutemail.com>
To: <silver-list@eskimo.com>
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2010 3:06 PM
Subject: Re: Skeptics was // Re: CS>Magnesium Oxide Prill Beads - 20 June
You put it directly, I said the same thing nicely. Basically, skeptics
are 'dead energy', nothing moves either way, nothing happens.
Jane MacRoss wrote:
I have found skeptics to be basically fence sitters which means they are
usually pains in the A*se whereas I walk a razor's edged path so it's my
feet that are sore.
Jane
http://www.eamega.com/HighFieldHealth
~The Highest Field of Energy Healing you now!~
----- Original Message ----- From: "Jason R Eaton"
<resea...@silvermedicine.org>
To: <silver-list@eskimo.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 7:35 AM
Subject: Re: CS>Magnesium Oxide Prill Beads - 20 June
...wow, what great science.
Let's thus toss out electromagnetism, abstractionism, aphorism....
Actually, the word skepticism is a very revealing word with an
interesting
history and word origin.
The word ism actually means doctrine, system, manner, condition, at and
characteristic.
The history of the word skeptic started with philosophy of the Pyrrho of
Elis, who fought dogmatism by showing reasons for doubting it, but which
today is the position that absolute knowledge is impossible but that
science
can succeed with relative certainty. The word comes from the latin word
scepticus and Greek skeptikos "skeptic" from skeptesthai "to examine
closely". This word comes from a the root, PIE *spek-/*spok- "look,
see"
(i.e. spectator, inspect, and even spice ). Spice via the French version
of
Latin species, which originally meant "kind, type", but later came to
mean
"wares" and then "spice". Finally, the [p] and [k] traded places in
Greek
(metathesis), where we find skopein "to see", like in some great words
words
telescope, microscope, and the new (slang) verb to scope out.
Thus, the word skepticism literally can be translated to mean: To
examine
closely in an orderly manner.
Nice word that. In my experience, 9-10 People who don't like the word
skepticism or skeptics usually don't because the things they say fall
apart
quickly under "close examination".
Your experience may be different though.
Best Regards,
Jason
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