Editor Eric: Skepticism, Science and Critical Inquiry

<body> <table width="550" border="0" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="580" height="300" valign="top"> <p style="margin-right: 0"><font face="Verdana" color="#800000"><b><font size="3">Modern skepticism</font></b> is an approach to life that demands evidence and reason for beliefs and practices. </font><font color="#800000"><font face="Verdana">Skeptics may be best known for debunking stories of the paranormal — like ghosts</font><font face="Verdana" color="#800000">, </font><font face="Verdana">psychics</font><font face="Verdana" color="#800000">, </font><font face="Verdana">UFOs</font><font face="Verdana" color="#800000">, </font><font face="Verdana">Bigfoot</font><font face="Verdana" color="#800000">, and the </font><font face="Verdana">Bermuda Triangle — and of pseudosciences, such as alternative medicine</font><font face="Verdana" color="#800000"> and </font><font face="Verdana">creationism.</font></font> <font color="#800000"><font face="Verdana">But skepticism can be beneficially applied to all human experience from the mundane to the profound.</font></font></p> <p style="margin-right: 0" align="center"><b><font face="Verdana" size="3">An illustrated introduction to skepticism: </font></b></p> <div align="center"> <center> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="510" style="font-size: 9pt"> <tr> <td width="170" valign="top"> <p align="center"><a href="intro.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="grey%20face%20small.gif" width="146" height="21" align="top"><br> </a><font face="Verdana"><a href="intro.html" target="_self">I. What we're up against</a></font></td> <td width="170"> </center> <p align="right" style="margin-right: 10"><a href="intro2.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="OS%20Cottingley%20fairies%20small.gif" align="right" hspace="12" width="77" height="89"></a><font face="Verdana"><a href="intro2.html" target="_self">II.<br> Famous<br> fabulous<br> photos</a></font></td> <center> <td width="170" valign="bottom"> <p style="margin-left: 10"><font face="Verdana"><a href="intro3.html" target="_self"><img border="0" src="OS%20Nessie%20small.gif" width="71" height="75" align="left" hspace="12">III.<br> Famous<br> fabulous<br> creatures</a></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="170" valign="top" align="center"> <p align="center"><a href="intro4.html" target="_self"><font face="Verdana"><img border="0" src="Roswell%20small.gif" align="top" width="105" height="81"> <br> IV. Alien cover-ups</font></a></td> <td width="170"><font face="Verdana">               </font> <p align="center"><font face="Verdana"><a href="intro5.html" target="_self">V. Magical Meds<br> </a><img border="0" src="Popoff%20small.gif" width="157" height="100"></font></td> <td width="170"> <p align="center"><font size="6" face="Verdana"><b><font color="#800000">???</font><br> </b></font><font face="Verdana"><a href="intro6.html" target="_self">VI. "What's the harm?"</a></font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </div> <p style="margin-right: 10" align="center"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana" size="4"><b><img border="0" src="../sharedimages/arrow%20right.gif" width="18" height="18"> <a href="answers.html" target="_self">What to answer when they say...</a> <img border="0" src="../sharedimages/arrow%20left.gif" width="18" height="18"><br> </b></font>The first response to an unsubstantiated claim from a believer, of course, is "What's your evidence?" Beyond that though, there are certain dubious arguments that come up time and again from honest believers and charlatans alike. Here's what skeptics can say to dispense with these bogus points.</p> <p style="margin-right: 10" align="center"><b><font color="#000000" face="Verdana" size="4"><img border="0" src="../sharedimages/arrow%20right.gif" width="18" height="18"> <a href="quotations.html" target="_self">Skeptical Quotations</a> <img border="0" src="../sharedimages/arrow%20left.gif" width="18" height="18"><br> </b></font>Famous and not-so-famous words about belief and skepticism from<br> skeptical and not-so-skeptical thinkers and writers.</p> <p style="margin-right: 10" align="center"><b><font color="#000000" face="Verdana" size="4"><img border="0" src="../sharedimages/arrow%20right.gif" width="18" height="18"> <a href="skeptical%20links.html" target="_self">Skeptical links</a> <img border="0" src="../sharedimages/arrow%20left.gif" width="18" height="18"><br> </b></font>Sites to find out more about the movement for critical inquiry.<font color="000000"> </font></td> </table> </body>