Skepticism: A Good or Bad thing?

1347 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Arguments against skepticism

Consider this: a random doctor comes up to you, professing to have a cure for any and all kinds of viruses. He presents a syringe of the “antidote”, he has not provided background nor the results of his experimentation. Would you take the antidote? Within a person's life time, there will be various moments of skepticism. Skepticism can be both beneficial and detrimental, it can also lead to the arising of various knowledge claims. One of the ways by, which a person can gain knowledge is through their level of skepticism. Some knowledge claims that can arise as a result of too much or too little skepticism include; does this approach allow for knowledge to be gained with some degree of certainty? Is this approach to gaining knowledge reliable? Within the various areas of knowledge, the manner in which we absorb the information and knowledge provided can vary. With some areas of knowledge, the information we gain we may take in without questioning. In other areas of knowledge, we might take in the information with a grain of salt; presenting our skepticism. My thesis is that while skepticism can be a beneficial approach to gaining knowledge in the AOKs of the natural sciences and history, it can also be detrimental, based on the impact the AOK has on the person observing it, as well as the perspective of the person. The subsequent knowledge issues that arise as a result, will need to be analyzed in order for me to be able to evaluate the “skeptics” approach in the AOKs of natural science and history. In the AOK of the natural sciences, having a skeptical approach can be quite beneficial. The natural sciences utilizes extensive methods in which they come to conclusions about the information presented, based on the various experiment... ... middle of paper ... ...use it is used to justify and solidify theories. Every time scientists take experiments and replicate them, they utilize the skeptical approach. Contrary to that history focused more so on a skeptical approach by those in society, not necessarily scientists. Miguel de Unamuno comments that, “The skeptic does not mean him who doubts, but him who investigates or researches, as opposed to him who asserts and thinks that he has found.” This approach is very important to gaining knowledge. It allows us to ensure that the knowledge and information we have, is supported with evidence and logic. This approach plays a significant role in gaining knowledge in various AOKs and is highly valued by some, including myself. Works Cited "Emile M. Cioran Quote."BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014. "Famous Skepticism Quotes."Ranker. Ranker, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.

Show More
Related

  • On Epistemology and Skepticism

    1682 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines skepticism as denial or doubt of a particular belief, fact, or action. Skepticism deals primarily with questioning knowledge from an opposing perspective and refrains f...

    Read More

  • Understanding of how Skepticism Works

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    A skeptic is described as someone who “is willing to question any knowledge claim, asking for clarity in definition, consistency in logic, and adequacy of evidence.” To evaluate this approach, it is valuable to examine the ways in which ethics and the human sciences require evidence and experience in order to validate knowledge. By exploring how we are able to understand something more clearly by obtaining clear evidence and experience, as well as determining the validity of our moral codes, which aid us in our decision making process, a conclusion can be drawn as to just how we can validate knowledge.

    Read More

  • The Fine Art of Baloney Detection

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ools and skills for skeptical thinking that are essential to survive in society today, many of which rely on critical thinking and common sense. In order for someone to be able to discern between true and false, right and wrong, they must be able to discuss the hypothesis, ignore any position of power, cast aside personal attachment to the subject or hypothesis, create a sound argument, have an understanding of Occam’s Razor, and have the ability to test the subject or hypothesis for falsities. These skills all prove necessary and important when comparing and contrasting anything, whether it’s from a scientific perspective or something that affects one’s daily life.

    Read More

  • Sex, Drugs, Disasters, and the Extinction of Dinosaurs by Stephen Jay Gould

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    Any hypothesis, Gould says, begins with the collection of facts. In this early stage of a theory development bad science leads nowhere, since it contains either little or contradicting evidence. On the other hand, Gould suggests, testable proposals are accepted temporarily, furthermore, new collected facts confirm a hypothesis. That is how good science works. It is self-correcting and self-developing with the flow of time: new information improves a good theory and makes it more precise. Finally, good hypotheses create logical relations to other subjects and contribute to their expansion.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Coe's The Winshaw Legacy

    1525 Words  | 4 Pages

    For a student trustful of today's scientific prowess, the realization that science cannot prove anything came as a surprise to me in high school science class last year. Indeed, a skepticist would say that finding real truth is never possible given the chaotic nature of our world. Such a worldview is among the several interconnected themes in Jonathan Coe's The Winshaw Legacy.

    Read More

  • Bayes' Theorem

    3823 Words  | 8 Pages

    New York: Science Editions, 1994. Redhead, M.L.G. & Co., Inc. (1980, November ). The New York Times. A Bayesian Reconstruction of Methodology of Scientific Research Programs. Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science, pp.

    Read More

  • Essay title-6:“A skeptic is one who is willing to question any knowledge claim, asking for clarity in definition, consistency in logic and adequac...

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to the definition of skepticism-a doubting or questioning state of mind. This means that although we are forced to live in society and follow their norms but with scientific discoveries with our burdened outlook and enlighten develop one’s own ideas and not always trusting others blindly.

    Read More

  • The Difference Between Scientific Knowledge and Other Types of Knowledge

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    The issue shall discuss the various differences between science and other types of knowledge and discuss the argument whether the science can rely without the separate theories posted by non-scientific educational bodies. ...

    Read More

  • Knowledge Essay

    1128 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although it is a fact that knowledge is subject to change, we cannot question everything we know and consider our knowledge as just a temporary truth which has no actual scientific value even though it is, at times, discarded and proven wrong. This essay will attempt to answer the knowledge issues stated above, in relation with the Area of Knowledge: Natural Sciences and the Area of Knowledge: History, showing how the strength of justification and reason impacts the everlasting validity of some knowledge, as opposed to widely accepted beliefs which solely rely on imagination, faith or even emotion. In addition to this, we will also discuss how that which has been discarded still has its value in the way that it helped provide a certain basis for the further development of knowledge.

    Read More

  • Why Should Science Be Trusted?

    665 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first reason to why science can be trusted is the method or process that they use. The process that scientists use is called the scientific method and consist of multiple steps.Step One is Posing a Question which allows scientists to give a more specific finding. Step Two is Form a hypothesis which allows scientists to give an educated guess on what will happen and see if what people think is close to what the actual answer is. Step Three is Setting Up the Experiment which allows scientists to figure out the end result of the question being asked. Step Four is Reading The Data which allows scientists to determine the answer and figure out why that was the answer. A piece of evidence shown in class about this method should be trusted is when we looked at the different variables that can occur during a scientific process. The scientific method takes this into account and can be proven invaluable when performing a scientific process.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Hume's A Treatise On Human Nature By David Hume

    1721 Words  | 4 Pages

    This is a result of a person’s cognitive limitations and technology’s limitations. It is for this reason, though, that it is not necessary of science to be beyond any possible doubt. That is not the purpose of it. As people further pursue their interests in characterizing the natural world, they build upon each other. Scientific inquiry is subject to change, yet it still amounts to knowledge. One should not be skeptical in this respect. If a theory is disproved, it is still a fact in the sense that it is not the case anymore. All experimentation whether wrong or right is knowledge. This is what scientists do in the sense of “building upon” one another; it amounts to progress. People are able to judge whether or not specific investigations into matters of fact are legitimate. Because people can evaluate their experiences (i.e. pick out what is truly characteristic of the external world on the basis of justified empirical inquiry), people can learn from their inquiry into matters of

    Read More

  • Miscellaneous Critics on Waiting for Godot

    1859 Words  | 4 Pages

    The reader, like modern man, must not give into “the arrogant presumption of certitude or the debilitating despair of skepticism,” but instead must “live in uncertainty, poised, by the conditions of our humanity and of the world in which we live, between certitude and skepticism, between presumption and despair “(Collins 36).

    Read More

  • “When the only tool you have is a hammer, all the problems begin to resemble nails” (Abraham Maslow). How might this apply to ways of knowing, as ...

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people would prefer to rely on logic and reason to determine truth. The concrete facts legitimize information and provide justification for ideas. Especially in an area of knowledge like science, people rely heavily on logic and demand the presentation of evidence to support claims. We associate science with a process that specifically aims to find truth. I, personally, lean towards the scientific process as a valid way of seeking truth. I value logic as a way of knowing above the other ways of kn...

    Read More

  • Human sciences and natural sciences and the attainment of truth

    1280 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beginning with the scientific revolution in the fifteen hundreds, the Western world has become accustomed to accepting knowledge that is backed by the scientific method, a method that has been standardized worldwide for the most accurate results. This method allows people to believe that the results achieved from an experiment conducted using the scientific method have been properly and rigorously tested and must therefore be the closest to truth. This method also allows for replication of any experiment with the same results, which further solidifies the credibility and standing of natural science in the world. Another aspect that allows for the reliability on the natural sciences is the current paradigm boxes, which skew the truth to remove anomalies. This affects the outcome of experiments as the hypotheses will be molded to create results that fit the paradigm box.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Augustine And Al Ghazali

    1881 Words  | 4 Pages

    The argument that is used in the idea of skepticism has comparable and incompatible views given from Augustine and Al-Ghazali. Both monologues cover and explain the doubts one should have, due to the

    Read More

More about Skepticism: A Good or Bad thing?

Open Document