Skepticism

Those who try to convince you that skepticism is negative, pessimistic, or destructive are either profoundly clueless on the matter, or they are being deceptive because they hope to sell you something that you don’t need. Skepticism is positive, optimistic, and constructive. It’s the invaluable defensive weapon that you want and need every day of your life. The only people who should not be good skeptics are those who have a deep desire to be a victim, to be foolish, to waste time and money, and perhaps to risk their life for nothing.

Becoming a good skeptic is about making a promise to yourself that you will not be an easy victim. You really have to view this as a war, not against people but against lame ideas. Tell yourself that you won’t go down without a fight when people try to convince you to believe in outlandish things that they can’t back up with very good evidence. Some individuals push irrational beliefs with a strange enthusiasm and can be relentless about it. They are like starved zombies banging on the door in search of their next meal, their goal being to bring you into their undead legion of the unthinking. Don’t let it happen. Don’t let them in. Better they and their vacuous claims splat against your force field. Nudge these people and their claims into the meat grinder of the scientific process and see how well they hold up. Ask good questions and demand plenty of evidence. Stand up for yourself always. Think for yourself always.

Three things make it abundantly clear why it is wise to be a good skeptic:

1. There are dishonest people in the world who are ready to trick you out of your money by getting you to believe claims that are very likely to be untrue because the evidence is weak or nonexistent.
2. Thanks to science, we now understand more than enough about how the human brain works to know that we have to be very careful when trying to determine what is real and what is not, what is true and what is false. If you are human, you can and will be fooled by your own brain in various ways many times throughout your life. Being a good skeptic is the only way to reduce these missteps and minimize harm from them.
3. Smart doesn’t mean safe. No matter how brilliant you may be, don’t fall into the trap of assuming that intelligence alone will keep you safe from nonsense beliefs and clever frauds. One of the most important messages is that we are all vulnerable. Arrogance can lead any one of us right into the open arms of those who peddle irrational junk. We must be on guard all the time. Many wacko claims are customized and packaged in ways that make them seem reasonable to reasonable people. Some may be crafted precisely to appeal to people who are exceptionally smart. Even worse, crazy claims and bogus beliefs don’t always come to us from creepy strangers. They are often delivered to us by trusted loved ones, people we admire, and respected authority figures. Good skeptics know to always be ready to think, regardless of where they are or whom they are listening to.

You are free to believe before you think if you wish. But just know that taking such a stance in life puts you at risk. You may end up as one more human piñata, a fat juicy target of opportunity for all those eager to fill your head with their baloney or empty your pockets in exchange for lies. They will come for you, again and again, and they will hammer you relentlessly with delusions and deceptions. The force field of skepticism is the only thing between you and them. Keep it running at full power. And whatever you do, don’t let them in.