Life: Skeptically

A year ago, in a similarly named post, I wrote here about skepticism, and the idea that it is far larger and deeper that the mere process of debunking faulty information. A year later, I found myself trying to debunk. Some time ago I had the opportunity to write a response to an article that was published in a local monthly newspaper called La Voz, a publication directed toward the Hispanic community in Rochester, NY. That article provided a platform for my first attempt at formal skepticism. The experience was interesting, uncomfortable, and vital. Here is a link to the relevant edition of the newspaper (March 2012), the article is named "El sistema de salud está fallando, ¿cuáles son nuestras alternativas?" (mind you, it is in Spanish): http://www.rochesterlavoz.com/current_edition/2012/LaVoz_03_2012_web.pdf The article's thesis was established on the premise that mainstream medicine has failed, in some respects, and suggests the use of alternative medicines to...

That critical-thinking is a powerful tool both in reasoning and in decision-making is undeniable. It allows us to scrutinize information instead of accepting it at face value, and promotes the pursuit of a greater and deeper understanding in whatever domain we choose to use it in. Just like any other powerful tool, however, its power can become misused. What happens when critical-thinking is applied without basic understanding of human heuristics and biases? When considering what characteristics all critical-thinkers share, some can be quite visibly illustrated. All seem to promote doubt for accepted assumptions, seek alternative explanations for whatever phenomena they are thinking-critically about, and all seem to argue for a greater transparency within a variety of aspects in social contexts.  In other words, the critically-turned are all of us, blog readers and writers (and sometimes influential movie-makers). We are those who, among othe...