Now *that* is a very well thought out, reasoned argument, and worthy of being taken on board. I bet it won't be in some quarters though. dee
On 21 Jun 2010, at 23:37, Jason R Eaton 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 > > -- The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver. Rules and Instructions: http://www.silverlist.org Unsubscribe: <mailto:silver-list-requ...@eskimo.com?subject=unsubscribe> Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/silver-list@eskimo.com/maillist.html Off-Topic discussions: <mailto:silver-off-topic-l...@eskimo.com> List Owner: Mike Devour <mailto:mdev...@eskimo.com>
