Clear, To the Point and Loaded with Truth(tm)
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kaizasosei
Master Black Belt
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Very true although i would have liked to hear a bit more about the other side.
-An open mind will let in alot of rubbish.- , i take it a closed mind will not let anything in at all. I gather a happy medium is ideal.
Honestly though, what really makes me seeth internally is when people start attacking one another without trying to understand or at least accept the other persons views. It was put very perfectly in the videoclip-they are no longer communicating but merely rehearsing their prejudices-and i'd like to add haterhetoric.
Although i have come to find words and strategies over time, the dark side in me still says that upon meeting such ignorant attitudes, one should simply walk away silently or... swiftly proceed to beat the ignorant persons face to a bloody pulp before attempting any further communication.
Ofcourse misunderstandings do happen, and communication is not a subramification but rather the box that includes all of lifes phenomena-so whatever the case, listening is always good.
j
-An open mind will let in alot of rubbish.- , i take it a closed mind will not let anything in at all. I gather a happy medium is ideal.
Honestly though, what really makes me seeth internally is when people start attacking one another without trying to understand or at least accept the other persons views. It was put very perfectly in the videoclip-they are no longer communicating but merely rehearsing their prejudices-and i'd like to add haterhetoric.
Although i have come to find words and strategies over time, the dark side in me still says that upon meeting such ignorant attitudes, one should simply walk away silently or... swiftly proceed to beat the ignorant persons face to a bloody pulp before attempting any further communication.
Ofcourse misunderstandings do happen, and communication is not a subramification but rather the box that includes all of lifes phenomena-so whatever the case, listening is always good.
j
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A mind is like a parachute. Letting someone else pack it is asking for trouble.
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2006
- Messages
- 3,692
- Reaction score
- 176
The trick must be never to open your mind so much that your brain falls out.
What a very good short educational film. It has the feel of being an introduction to a course on critical thinking or the philosophy of science.
It also served to cause me to have a look at some of my own attitudes to see if I'd unwittingly become closed minded i.e. if I'd reached the stage of having a 'view' on something and was refusing to accept any new evidence.
That's a useful excercise to perform every now and again I reckon.
It also served to cause me to have a look at some of my own attitudes to see if I'd unwittingly become closed minded i.e. if I'd reached the stage of having a 'view' on something and was refusing to accept any new evidence.
That's a useful excercise to perform every now and again I reckon.
Mirror mirror on the wall who's, the........ It is optimal to self examine ourself daily, to look within, to see what others see. It is not conducive for life. and not for martial arts, to be closed or narrow minded. Always looking forward and never looking back or within will cause undo complications, for us and others. Thought for the day, something to ponder.
Yup, that was good enough to use in school. Thanks, Todd. I'll review it one more time to make sure, but as I talk about various phenomenon all day, its good to remind the guys of the process in which they are engaged.
After watching this video I spent about an hour watching other videos by the same guy. They are all very good, though they tend to harp on the same subject. I would recommend them to others.
-Rob
-Rob
When Skepticism Crosses the Line and Becomes Special Pleading
In science, skepticism is an ideal for which many people strive. This, in and of itself, is often a very powerful tool in the pursuit of knowledge. However, more often then not, skepticism transmogrifies into a logical fallacy called special pleading. This presents a large barrier to the pursuit of knowledge in our society. The ideal of scientific skepticism is becoming an excuse to ignore evidence that does not conform to the view of reality accepted by the so-called skeptic.
Thus, I think that it is important to understand what skepticism really means…
skep·ti·cism also scep·ti·cism (skěp'tĭ-sĭz'əm)
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.
Overall, the picture painted above is one that stresses questioning. The ancient school of thought cited above was famous for producing students that were good at coming up with questions regarding the various phenomena that surrounded them at the time. This questioning attitude did much and still does much to advance the pursuit of knowledge.
The crux of this problem lies not in questioning itself, but in how much questioning is reasonable before a piece of information should be reasonably accepted. This is important because when we draw conclusions in science, we do so based on the amount of evidence we have the supports this or that conclusion. If an individual can question one piece of information more vigorously then another in order to prevent from using it to draw certain conclusions, then they are engaging in the fallacy of special pleading.
Special Pleading
noun
1. An argument that ignores unfavorable evidence.
2. (law) a pleading that alleges new facts in avoidance of the opposing allegations
Special pleading is a great impediment to the pursuit of knowledge. People often use special pleading to protect established ideas in which they have invested much intellectually and often economically. When one uses scientific skepticism as an excuse to special plead, the institutional weight of the scientific establishment is assumed to back the fallacy.
The end result is that the spirit of skepticism is used as a tool to confirm one’s own biases. These pre-existing prejudices and programs regarding how we think can be challenged by skepticism used in the spirit in which it was intended, but if the mind is unable to shift when an idea has met standard after standard regarding the burden of evidence, then “skepticism” becomes a tool for fallacy. The mind becomes locked and is unable to accept new information, is unable to learn.
There are no set boundaries as to where skepticism crosses the line and becomes fallacy. This causes a lot of confusion in our society because we are bombarded with images of bombasts who proclaim the current flavor of dogma and support it with fallacious skepticism (special pleading). In my opinion, the line is not something for other people to point out, but for the individual to be educated and aware of.
Skepticism can be a powerful tool to differentiate between the good ideas and the bad ones. It (in name only) can also be a tool shut down growth and learning and truly close the mind. It is up to the individual to decide when skepticism has crossed that line.
In science, skepticism is an ideal for which many people strive. This, in and of itself, is often a very powerful tool in the pursuit of knowledge. However, more often then not, skepticism transmogrifies into a logical fallacy called special pleading. This presents a large barrier to the pursuit of knowledge in our society. The ideal of scientific skepticism is becoming an excuse to ignore evidence that does not conform to the view of reality accepted by the so-called skeptic.
Thus, I think that it is important to understand what skepticism really means…
skep·ti·cism also scep·ti·cism (skěp'tĭ-sĭz'əm)
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.
Overall, the picture painted above is one that stresses questioning. The ancient school of thought cited above was famous for producing students that were good at coming up with questions regarding the various phenomena that surrounded them at the time. This questioning attitude did much and still does much to advance the pursuit of knowledge.
The crux of this problem lies not in questioning itself, but in how much questioning is reasonable before a piece of information should be reasonably accepted. This is important because when we draw conclusions in science, we do so based on the amount of evidence we have the supports this or that conclusion. If an individual can question one piece of information more vigorously then another in order to prevent from using it to draw certain conclusions, then they are engaging in the fallacy of special pleading.
Special Pleading
noun
1. An argument that ignores unfavorable evidence.
2. (law) a pleading that alleges new facts in avoidance of the opposing allegations
Special pleading is a great impediment to the pursuit of knowledge. People often use special pleading to protect established ideas in which they have invested much intellectually and often economically. When one uses scientific skepticism as an excuse to special plead, the institutional weight of the scientific establishment is assumed to back the fallacy.
The end result is that the spirit of skepticism is used as a tool to confirm one’s own biases. These pre-existing prejudices and programs regarding how we think can be challenged by skepticism used in the spirit in which it was intended, but if the mind is unable to shift when an idea has met standard after standard regarding the burden of evidence, then “skepticism” becomes a tool for fallacy. The mind becomes locked and is unable to accept new information, is unable to learn.
There are no set boundaries as to where skepticism crosses the line and becomes fallacy. This causes a lot of confusion in our society because we are bombarded with images of bombasts who proclaim the current flavor of dogma and support it with fallacious skepticism (special pleading). In my opinion, the line is not something for other people to point out, but for the individual to be educated and aware of.
Skepticism can be a powerful tool to differentiate between the good ideas and the bad ones. It (in name only) can also be a tool shut down growth and learning and truly close the mind. It is up to the individual to decide when skepticism has crossed that line.
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