#talk nerdy

[seaxoxo]

Jus started reading talk nerdy on Wattpad, feeling alive and shi (it’s so good)

[talknerdy]

Rainbow family - twin bonus. Look at these cuties! The Niche game has me hooked!

[biocheminpics]

On Evidence Based Thinking

So I am a large proponent of evidence based thinking and skepticism but there is a problem within the skeptical community that greatly needs to be taken care of.

I became aware of this problem because​ of two separate incidents the first of which came from Cara Santa Maria’s podcast “Talk Nerdy”, (Shameless plug, follow it you won’t be disappointed). In her recient interview with Kiki Sanford she spoke about how many in the skeptical community consider themselves correct on the basis of their skepticism alone. A sort of pseudo-intellectual, I’m right because I question things thinking. This, to me, is just as intellectually lazy and dogmatic as many of the things skepticism fights against. But at the time I brushed it off as I had not experienced it directly; until I did.

The second event was, as are many things that make you go “hum…”, From an interaction on Facebook. A certain friend of mine, whom I found through a skeptical group, got into an argument over a climate ​change. His reason for not accepting the overwhelming evidence was, mainly, that he did not know how to evaluate the data and didn’t “trust” those who had the knowledge to do so. This sounded far too close to a conspiracy argument for comfort and, in addition, his only reason for the lack of trust was an argument based entirely on anecdotal evidence and semantic arguments. Despite the obvious flaws in his logic he maintained an air of superiority because of his self proclaimed position as a skeptic.

This is a problem. As skeptics we cannot feel that our positions will be right without fail simply because we question; often times the best answer we have is wrong simply because we are incapable of finding a better one yet. We must go beyond that. If we are to truly be critical of all position we must start with our own; this means learning, at least at an entry level, how to evaluate evidence placed before you. “I don’t trust it because friends said it was untrustworthy” is an unacceptable position; learn for yourself how to evaluate it. This means learning how to recognize when you are falling into a particular logical fallacy and changing your positions accordingly. Most importantly, figure out how to separate your positions from your personality; taking a valid criticism of your opinion personally will only disrupt critical thought.

Remember, question everything.

[mindhiatus]

My weekly go-to podcasts

[haveyouheardthispodcast]

Have you heard Talk Nerdy?

Yes

No

Haven't heard of this podcast

Voting ended onFeb 29, 2024