The Skeptic's Toolbox

Always ask whether the hypothesis can be, at least in principle, falsified. Propositions that are untestable, unfalsifiable are not worth much. Consider the grand idea that our Universe and everything in it is just an elementary particle--an electron, say--in a much larger Cosmos. But if we can never acquire information for outside our Universe, is not the idea incapable of disproof? You must be able to check assertions out. Inveterate skeptics must be given the chance to follow your reasoning, to duplicate your experiments and see if they get the same result.

~Carl Sagan, [i]The Demon-Haunted World

And this concludes the series of skeptical tools. Hopefully it will serve as not only a pretty good guide for the budding skeptic, but will also help explain what a skeptic is and how he thinks.

0 Thanks, 0 Likes, 0 Dislikes