Skeptics & Debunkers
Skeptics are everywhere, but objective unbiased skeptics are few and far between!
Declared Debunkers often have an agenda and no intention of objective open minded discourse.
We all especially in our culture today need to be skeptical of everything. Facts are ignored by many as are obvious truths. We live in an age of great self-deception and gullibility.
We should all be skeptics until WE know what is possible, logical and truthful.
And there will be times we will discover we may never know!
And even then there may remain questions.
In the soup of claims being made about "The Phenomenon" which includes everything from UFO's to Thunderbirds the need for skepticism and yes debunking is needed.
But can there truly be a person who is unbiased enough to be a real skeptic?
Maybe!
Lets explore the possibilities.
Can we be objective or do we let our desires or wishful thinking lead us down rabbit holes of un-verified assumptions?
Can we be skeptic and object enough to allow for discovery?
While many people will jump right into a belief that there are aliens, Dog Men, you name it there are also skeptics that will deny the possibility of new discoveries without any study or research.
We see this currently within everyday things, politics has become a "Land of Fantasy" with declarations of supposed truth which in reality is just wishful thinking. In the broad subject area of "The Phenomenon' we also find many declarations of opinion as "fact".
"I believe" something to be true does not make it true!
I have put together several videos and articles that may help you in understanding that some things contain facts and truth and many things contain neither. - Enjoy! Andy
"Simply calling ourselves skeptics is no guarantee that we will objectively apply the methods of skepticism. Self-awareness that we have limitations in expertise combined with built-in biases that hinder our consistent application of skepticism may help to minimize our own selective skepticism." from the book: When Good Thinking Goes Bad: How Your Brain Can Have a Mind of Its Own by Dr. Todd Riniolo
When Does Skepticism Become Bias In Science?
"I am a big college football fan. I like the Florida State Seminoles because I have three degrees from that institution. I like the Georgia Bulldogs because I have been a professor there for almost 11 years. It is likely that I have a biased opinion on the potential outcome of games these two teams play in or calls by the referee. Increasingly scientific evidence suggests that there is some combined human and natural contribution to climate change.
16% of the American public, in a 2015 study, had doubts that climate change was happening at all. A recent study by Paul Matthews explored some of the reasons people are skeptical about climate change. Even some well-respected scientists, though a small minority, express doubts about anthropogenic climate change. The scope of this piece is not to convince anyone to change their viewpoint. The intent here is to explore my own curiosity, as an atmospheric scientist, about observations I see in the science community, media, and social media.
Skepticism is a healthy tenet of any good scientist irrespective of viewpoint. I have been fascinated over the years with where the line is between healthy skepticism and bias. I often wonder: if a person is always (and immediately) skeptical of every single aspect of climate science or any new finding, is that really a manifestation of bias?.." from the article: When Does Skepticism Become Bias In Science?
A Skeptical Look at Confirmation Bias
How powerful is confirmation bias? As skeptic Michael Shermer says: “It’s the mother of all biases.” In truth, we all believe in things we can’t prove. If you’re intelligent, well-educated, and good at pulling facts, you’re going to be even better at confirming your own beliefs than someone who’s less intelligent or well-educated. [Photo by Colonel Robert Wilson]
Our brains are wired so that we make better lawyers than we do scientists, in that a lawyer will look for and use evidence to support their client, while ignoring and definitely not using evidence that does the opposite.
I know — depressing.
We only want to watch television shows or read articles or listen to podcasts that confirm what we already believe — what we already think we know.
Right now, you might be thinking, “I don’t do that!” Well, the reality is that you probably do. Because everybody does.
It’s called confirmation bias, and it’s one of the most powerful biases we have. Confirmation bias means we find what we want to be true to be true.
This is why Michael Shermer is a skeptic..." from the article: A Skeptical Look at Confirmation Bias
Why People Believe Weird Things - Michael Shermer
Video from TED
"Why do people see the Virgin Mary on cheese sandwiches or hear demonic lyrics in "Stairway to Heaven"? Using video, images and music, professional skeptic Michael Shermer explores these and other phenomena, including UFOs and alien sightings. He offers cognitive context: In the absence of sound science, incomplete information can combine with the power of suggestion (helping us hear those Satanic lyrics in Led Zeppelin). In fact, he says, humans tend to convince ourselves to believe: We overvalue the "hits" that support our beliefs, and discount the more numerous "misses." from video introduction
Mick West
"My name is Mick West. I’m a writer and a skeptical investigator. I used to be a video game programmer. I focus on investigating and explaining conspiracy theories such as Chemtrails, 9/11 controlled demolition, and False Flags. I also cover more esoteric topics such as UFOs, pseudoscience, Flat Earth, photo analysis, and quackery.
Email: mick@mickwest.com" from his website: mickwest.com
Eric Weinstein Λ Mick West on UAPs, Evidence, Skepticism, and Stigma [Theolocution]
Video from Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal
"Eric and Mick discuss UFOs and the evidence behind them.
TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:12 What does Mick respect about Eric? 00:04:20 What does Eric respect about Mick? 00:05:24 What does Curt respect about each 00:06:55 Skeptic vs. Debunker (Mick... which are you?) 00:09:32 Salutary role of skepticism and Eric's thoughts on Mick 00:14:53 The "woo" that's concomitant with UFO research 00:19:00 UFO research isn't a "hobby" 00:23:34 Mick's "agenda" (or non-agenda) 00:25:19 There's no convincing data on UFOs available to the public 00:30:58 The "superposition" argument: Exotic explanations that Mick entertains 00:35:03 Where is the evidence? 00:36:28 Outlying data points matter 00:40:07 Some debunkers stifle the UFO community, but not all debunkers 00:43:34 What's the disagreement between Eric and Mick 00:45:50 Mick has changed his mind about UFOs 00:50:38 CE5 and invitations to Skin Walker (would Mick / Eric go?) 00:53:26 Cattle mutilation? Remote viewing? 01:06:14 Classifying different UFO craft 01:07:31 Why are there so many sober UFO witnesses? 01:09:22 Brandon Fugal's story 01:16:46 UFOs as "technology" vs. "new physics" 01:23:37 The secret history of anti-gravity research with Lefschetz and DeWitt 01:30:58 What terrene explanations are left? 01:41:26 Eric's "sighting" in 1988... 01:44:57 The Skin Walker TV show doesn't help the stigma 01:46:30 Does Brandon have any high quality data points he's not releasing? 01:47:45 Opinions on Bob Lazar 01:48:52 The opprobrium because of stigma is too much. Most can't handle it. 01:51:45 Clearing the air: the Twitter squabble between Eric and Mick 01:54:11 The opprobrium thrown at people who have first hand accounts (continued) 01:58:46 Defending claims made without physical evidence 02:03:05 Some conspiracies are real 02:07:56 Rectifying the ridicule in ufology (from both sides) 02:21:41 What does Eric think should happen, to precipitate disclosure? 02:24:48 What does Mick think should happen, to precipitate disclosure? 02:27:21 Eric asks Curt: "What do you want to see happen?" 02:33:00 FOR THIS QUESTION, CHECK DESCRIPTION. THERE WAS A VIDEO RENDER ERROR. "Is it so improbable we're visited? If it was us, we would visit other species." from video introduction