111 replies to this topic

[JamesThomas]

According to the dictionary a sceptic (skeptic) is:
1. a person who habitually doubts the authenticity of accepted beliefs
2. a person who mistrusts people, ideas, etc, in general

What the hell happened?!!!

Now days a skeptic is a *snip* who parrots the mainstream of media and closed-minded science.

And the person who doubts authority is now a "Conspiracy Theorist".

What's going on?

Edited by Saru, 04 October 2012 - 09:51 PM.
Removed flame - please try to avoid derrogatory generalisations

[Ryu]

All part of social conditioning; if you want to be thought of as acceptable and normal then you best better march along with the rest of the drones. Don't question, don't research, don't dispute.

This sort of mindset permeates every facet of society be it politics, education, religion or whatnot.

Edited by Ryu, 04 October 2012 - 09:31 PM.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

I'd have thought it was someone who distrsuted unauthenticted beliefs, so there you go, learnt something today and I've been up five minutes!

[Hasina]

So... The people who are labeled 'skeptics' are... actually the conspiracy theorists?! That just wrinkled my brain.

[Likely Guy]

I go with dictionary.com's version; "a person who questions the validity or authenticity of something purporting to be factual." Or, I think that a person who opposes the views of a 'conspiracy theorist' would be more properly, a 'conspiracy denier'.

[Hasina]

Anyway, the first definition would be the 'conspiracy theorists' the ones who don't take what's being said as the truth and go looking through the evidence for an alternate view or theory.

The secondary definition is both the 'skeptics' that you say 'parrots the mainstream of media and closed-minded science' and the 'conspiracy theorists'.

In actuality, both sides are 'skeptics', the 'CT's' distrust the mainstream beliefs, the 'Mainstream Skeptics' are the ones who distrust the alternate theories.

Who's right? Who's wrong? Neither until they can prove their argument.

[hacktorp]

JamesThomas, on 04 October 2012 - 09:24 PM, said:

According to the dictionary a sceptic (skeptic) is:
1. a person who habitually doubts the authenticity of accepted beliefs
2. a person who mistrusts people, ideas, etc, in general

What the hell happened?!!!

That's nothing compared to the complete hijacking and bastardization of the term:

"Patriot"

[Idano]

1. a person who habitually doubts the authenticity of accepted beliefs..  

Who's beliefs?  Just because people accept beliefs, does not mean they are true.  The world is flat was once an accepted belief, see how that worked out.  Be careful you don't poke your own eye out with that finger your waving around.

[Kasey2601]

Dunno which dictionary you were looking at, but my Merriam-Webster (copyright 2005) states the following:

skeptic - 1. one who believes in skepticism. 2. a person who is disposed to skepticism esp. regarding religion.

so I looked up skepticism...

skepticism - 1. a doubting state of mind. 2. a doctrine that certainty of knowledge cannot be attained. 3. doubt concerning religion.

[JamesThomas]

The definition I referred to were from: dictionary.com

[Euphorbia]

JamesThomas, on 04 October 2012 - 10:14 PM, said:

The definition I referred to were from: dictionary.com

It's always a good idea to view definitions from several different sources. You get a bigger picture of the true meaning that way.

[JamesThomas]

Hasina: "So... The people who are labeled 'skeptics' are... actually the conspiracy theorists?! That just wrinkled my brain."

That's exactly what happened to me. I may be crazy and perhaps reading it wrong...but it all seems backwards.

Most skeptics I know, don't really research very deep into anything, but rather trust the mainstream. It's the "conspiracy theorists" gawd I hate that term, that generally don't trust and so dig deeper to find what the masses gloss over.

[JamesThomas]

From: http://www.thefreedi....com/skepticism
skep·ti·cism also scep·ti·cism  (skpt-szm)
n.
1. A doubting or questioning attitude or state of mind; dubiety. See Synonyms at uncertainty.
2. Philosophy
a. The ancient school of Pyrrho of Elis that stressed the uncertainty of our beliefs in order to oppose dogmatism.
b. The doctrine that absolute knowledge is impossible, either in a particular domain or in general.
c. A methodology based on an assumption of doubt with the aim of acquiring approximate or relative certainty.
3. Doubt or disbelief of religious tenets.
skepticism, scepticism
a personal disposition toward doubt or incredulity of facts, persons, or institutions. See also 312. PHILOSOPHY. — skeptic, n., adj. — skeptical, adj.
See also: Attitudes
the doctrines or opinions of philosophical Skeptics, especially the doctrine that a true knowledge of things is impossible or that all knowledge is uncertain. Cf. Pyrrhonism. — Skeptic, Sceptic, n.
See also: Philosophy

Here again we have a reversal where the modern day conspiracy theorist being the one who questions and the skeptic being one who buys wholesale the mainstream.

[JamesThomas]

Who is it that believes JFK's murder was planned by members of our own government? Generally one with a doubting or questioning attitude who has spent hundreds of hours looking at the data (qualities related to a skeptic).
Who is it that sees that 9/11 points to an inside job? Generally one who has looked at the hundreds of questions and discrepancies that unfolded that day and days following (qualities given to a skeptic).

Yet it is now the skeptics who laugh at those who have done the investigations and who have walked away with deep questions. Now days the skeptic is not a brave soul who questions and goes against the crowd. He is the crowd.

[Hasina]

Everyone's a skeptic.