Skeptic

1249 readers

20 users here now

Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism, sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence.

Do not confuse this with General Skepticism, Philosophical Skepticism, or Denialism.

Things we like:

Civility
Thoughtful discussion based on evidence and facts
Humor

Things we don't like:

Personal attacks or disrespectful attitude
Wild speculation on events with no evidence
Low-effort comments and posts

Other communities of interest:

Fediverse vs Disinformation

"A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence." -David Hume

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

Why Smart People Believe Stupid Things (youtu.be)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

88 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Steven Pinker explains the cognitive biases we all suffer from and how they can short-circuit rational thinking and lead us into believing stupid things. Skip to 12:15 to bypass the preamble.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Don't let me get started in what Isaac Newton used to believe. It ought to be a crime that we still teach his laws of motion in school.