\Hi Alan:
Not at all... Sites such as Quackwatch, et al. aren't run by skeptics, they
are run by individuals posing as some sort of authority.
A skeptic, by definition, would actually DO the science to see if the claims
made by CS had any valid (many of us skeptics did exaclty just that... I've
personally commissioned several scientific studies, as well as run test groups
actually testing the effectiveness of CS for a basic data pool... ). If a
skeptic was not in a position to do the science, the skeptic would work
diligently examining any and all scientific data available.
Best Regards,
Jason
----- Original Message -----
From: Alan Jones
To: silver-list@eskimo.com
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2010 5:39 PM
Subject: Re: Skeptics was // Re: CS>Magnesium Oxide Prill Beads - 20 June
Jason, don't most so-called skeptics dismiss colloidal silver as quackery?
Alan
On Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 5:37 PM, Jason R Eaton <resea...@silvermedicine.org>
wrote:
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
--
Alan Jones
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor
prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to
the people." (Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution)
