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RE: Formulating a rational defense of skepticism (a work in progress)
September 4, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Yeah, absolutely, lets be skeptical about that. Has it been useful for you? Are there any instances in which skepticism kept you from becoming a hapless rube? A pattern of such instances perhaps? I mean, lets not take it at face value, lets look for demonstrable benefits.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Formulating a rational defense of skepticism (a work in progress)
September 4, 2012 at 2:41 pm
Why are you all of a sudden unwilling to grapple with the question?
Have you suddenly become aware of how self-contradictory unmanaged, unregulated, irrational skepticism can defeat itself? Good, I'm glad you're coming to see it.
And so you must see the need to regulate skepticism so that it doesn't defeat itself. Now you're going from the tribal, backwards understanding of grade-school skepticism to a more nuanced version of rational skepticism. Something grown-ups can truly appreciate.
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RE: Formulating a rational defense of skepticism (a work in progress)
September 4, 2012 at 3:01 pm
Wait, wait, are we not going to be skeptical about skepticism now?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Formulating a rational defense of skepticism (a work in progress)
September 4, 2012 at 3:03 pm
Yes, it's as I suspected. I have bad news, Rhythm. Your skepticism looks to be irrational.
People don't dodge and weave difficult questions unless the answers are too difficult for them.
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RE: Formulating a rational defense of skepticism (a work in progress)
September 4, 2012 at 3:05 pm
(This post was last modified: September 4, 2012 at 3:08 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
You'll have to point to where I'm dodging anything, it's unclear from over here. You asked me to be skeptical about how and why I leverage skepticism, did you not? Well, I'm willing to do precisely that. Strangely I haven't turned into a raving lunatic just considering it, I haven't disappeared into any rabbit holes, and I'm still capable of functioning. Our initial reactions to things are quite often in error, skepticism wouldn't escape this, but I'm not sure why it's supposed to. Again, I don't understand what you're expecting out of skepticism.
The only rational defense a tool requires (for me at least) is that it is useful, it works, it performs sufficiently for it's intended purpose. Skepticism seems to do precisely that, have you had different experiences with this tool?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Formulating a rational defense of skepticism (a work in progress)
September 4, 2012 at 3:09 pm
The fact that you imagine I'm expecting anything out of skepticism itself shows you to be misguided.
All I'm saying is, if you don't have any rational boundaries to skepticism, if you don't have any rational reason not to ask the question "Why should I believe skepticism is good?", then your skepticism is irrational.
And it seems that you don't have such a reason, meaning your skepticism is irrational.
Just sayin, brah!
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RE: Formulating a rational defense of skepticism (a work in progress)
September 4, 2012 at 3:11 pm
(This post was last modified: September 4, 2012 at 3:14 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Except that I don't believe "skepticism is good", something I made plainly clear posts ago. Argue with yourself on that count all day long, that's your business. You still haven't provided anything that would support the conclusion that my skepticism is irrational, you just keep saying that it is..lol. It's starting to seem odd that you spend so much time trying to out irrationality in a thread that was so specifically titled "Formulating a rational defense of skepticism". Especially considering that whether or not I have irrational thoughts or proclivities was never an issue of contention to begin with. I most definitively do, but is my skepticism one of those things? You haven't shown this to be the case.
I use tools when they work. If they don't..I don't. Pretty simple stuff eh?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Formulating a rational defense of skepticism (a work in progress)
September 4, 2012 at 3:18 pm
Well, you certainly made the truth claim that "Skepticism is useful". Why aren't you skeptical of that claim, seeing as skepticism is so useful?
I mean, you can't think of any other reason. I can't either.
There's only one possible reason- your skepticism isn't rational.
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RE: Formulating a rational defense of skepticism (a work in progress)
September 4, 2012 at 3:21 pm
(This post was last modified: September 4, 2012 at 3:22 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
(September 4, 2012 at 3:18 pm)Vincenzo "Vinny" G. Wrote: Well, you certainly made the truth claim that "Skepticism is useful". Why aren't you skeptical of that claim, seeing as skepticism is so useful?
I mean, you can't think of any other reason. I can't either.
There's only one possible reason- your skepticism isn't rational.
Except, again, that I already explained that I am. So, again..argue with yourself on that count,. Your call. You were the one that pulled the dead stop once we started down that route, not I. Only one possible reason eh..I think there's a term for that sort of a statement......
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Formulating a rational defense of skepticism (a work in progress)
September 4, 2012 at 3:26 pm
Except, again, your skepticism is irrational.
Good job. Way to be an atheist.
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