Supposed Skeptics?

[Mudhammam]

Hey guys, just had a conversation about something on which I'd like your input.

The majority of people that I know and hang out with would describe themselves as a 'skeptic' as a positive thing, and use it as a label as important to them as the label "Christian" might be to others. However, so many times I've noticed my friends and others who self-define as a skeptic being distinctly un-skeptical about a ton of issues. The most common gap in skepticism I see is in regards to Eastern or alternative medicine, like acupuncture or balance wristbands or homeopathy and shit like that, even things as simple as buying into an infomercial about a miracle pill* sets off my eyebrow-raise-meter. I wouldn't deign to label someone as a 'true skeptic' or anything silly like that, and I'm sure I could be more skeptical about a lot of things, but buying into blatantly obvious woo and snake oil like that really grinds on me when people describe themselves as being skeptical and secular.

Do you guys share this (possibly unjustified) irritation with anyone you know? Doesn't even have to be the whole alternative medicine bullshit, could be just about anything.

Additionally, do you think that skepticism, properly applied, leads necessarily to atheism?

Thanks!

I'm not very informed about Eastern medicine but I think skepticism is warranted for any medicine, even practitioners in the West, when the results are so often unpredictable and effect each person quite differently, not to mention we don't really understand certain variables such as the Placebo effect. Add hefty profits and you have the ingredients for a politically protected scam on a massive scale, and that's what I largely take psychiatry to be. I would probably encourage a person towards Eastern medicine before I'd advise them to take a plethora of pills that leave them chemically broken and shackled.

As to skepticism and atheism, I can't see any logical consistency between skepticism and faith in the existence of Superman, er, God, so yes, I'd say one naturally leads to the other.