Gourt > Science > Science in Society > Skeptical Inquiry (7)
Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism (UK spelling, scepticism) sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a scientific, or practical, epistemological position (or paradigm) in which one questions the veracity of claims unless they can be empirically tested. In practice, a scientific skeptic generally focuses on debunking theories which they believe to be far beyond the mainstream of science, as opposed to a professional scientist, who focuses on extending scientific knowledge.
Scientific skepticism is different from philosophical skepticism, which questions our right to claim knowledge about the nature of the world and how we perceive it. Scientific skepticism utilizes critical thinking and is the opposite of what is known as the true-believer syndrome.
Characteristics
Like a scientist, a scientific skeptic aims to decide claims based on verifiability and falsifiability rather than accepting claims on faith or relying on unfalsifiable categories. Claims that such skeptics focus on are generally those they personally consider to be seemingly outrageous, dubious and/or clearly contradictory to generally accepted science. This distinguishes the scientific skeptic from the professional scientist, who often concentrates her or his enquiry on verifying or falsifying hypotheses created by those within her or his field of science. More on [ Scientific skepticism ]
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Climate change is shrinking sheep
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:38:03 -0000
Climate change is causing a breed of wild sheep in Scotland to shrink, according to research in the journal Science.
New dinosaurs found in Australia
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:48:58 -0000
Three new dinosaur species are found in Queensland, Australia, and named after the Outback song Waltzing Matilda.
Moon probe returns first images
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:55:17 -0000
The US space agency's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft sends back its first images since reaching the Moon.
L.A. Times - Science
Roadside assistance for Mars rover
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700
The Spirit rover is stuck in the Red Planet's fluffy soil, so engineers at JPL have re-created the scene in a sandbox to figure out how to get it free. Getting your car stuck is irritating enough, but what do you do when your vehicle is dug into the sand of another planet and the nearest auto club is 180 million miles away?
El Nino more like Los Ninos, weather study finds
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:59:00 -0700
The Pacific Ocean warming can be broken down into two distinct patterns, Georgia Institute of Technology researchers say. The finding could help improve North Atlantic Hurricane predictions. El Nino, the seasonal Pacific Ocean warming that affects the world's weather, may not be just one little boy -- it seems to be two little boys.
Sheep getting smaller in Scotland due to climate change, study says
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700
The average weight and size of sheep on a remote island have been falling in small but steady increments since 1985. Milder winters mean smaller animals but a larger herd. Along with polar icecaps and sandy beaches, sheep on a remote Scottish island are gradually shrinking as a result of global warming, according to a study published today in the journal Science. The finding offers unusual proof that large animals are already evolving to adapt to changes wrought by climate change, experts said.
Reuters: Science News
Australia discovers 3 new large dinosaurs
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:45:59 -0400
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Fossils of three new species of dinosaurs have been discovered in Australia, including a meat-eater larger than Velociraptor from the Jurassic Park movies, suggesting Australia may have a more complex prehistoric past.
More than 800 wildlife species now extinct
Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:05:27 -0400
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 800 animal and plant species have gone extinct in the past five centuries with nearly 17,000 now threatened with extinction, the International Union for Conservation of Nature reported on Thursday.
Loss of world's seagrass beds seen accelerating
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:24:01 -0400
MIAMI (Reuters) - The world's seagrass meadows, a critical habitat for marine life and profit-maker for the fishing industry, are in decline due to coastal development and the losses are accelerating, according to a new study.
AP Top Science News At 9:18 a.m. EDT
Australian dinosaur that lived 98M years ago found
By ROD McGUIRK Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:27:38 -0000
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Scientists have confirmed for the first time that Australia was once home to a dinosaur that was big, fast and terrifying, and they've named it like something from an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. Meet the Australovenator....
Plant disease hits eastern US veggies early, hard
By HOLLY RAMER Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:04:50 -0000
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- Tomato plants have been removed from stores in half a dozen states as a destructive and infectious plant disease makes its earliest and most widespread appearance ever in the eastern United States....
Baaad news? Global warming now shrinking sheep
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:14:04 -0000
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Like the wool sweater that emerges from the dryer a size too small, global warming seems to be shrinking sheep....
NOVA scienceNOW | PBS
NOVA scienceNOW: Phoenix Mars Lander
NOVA
NASA's latest robot has already found frozen water and is looking for more signs that the Red Planet could support life.
NOVA scienceNOW: Brain Trauma
NOVA
Even so-called "mild" head injuries turn out to be anything but.
NOVA scienceNOW: Mammoth Mystery
NOVA
A pair of mammoth skeletons is found locked together by their tusks. What happened?
Newsweek Technology Headlines
Innovation
Security analyst says he could hack into your iPhone – via SMS text
It was bad enough that your iPhone might suddenly catch a wicked sunburn. Now a prominent security analyst is raising concerns that the touch-screen phone could be hacked via text message. Speaking at the SyScan conference in Singapore today, Charlie Miller said a coding loophole made it possible for attackers to ...
What the future of the auto industry will look like
John Waters is leaning against a vehicle that looks like a delivery van as imagined by Pixar Animation. The IDEA – that’s its name – is blocky, yet curved, with wheel skirts and a little upswoop at the back that adds attitude. You can almost hear it speaking in a ...
A cellphone plan to bridge digital divide
A year ago, Christina Beck had no access to a telephone. The single mother of a 2-year-old son, she could no longer afford her monthly phone bills and was forced to use her roommate’s work cellphone to make doctor’s appointments or call her family. Then, sitting in front of the television ...
Science News - UPI.com
No DNA link between Etruscans, Tuscans
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:07:38 -0400
FLORENCE, Italy, July 3 (UPI) -- Modern Tuscans show no genetic relationship to the Etruscans who occupied the area during the Bronze Age, Italian researchers have found.
New 'river blindness' drug shows promise
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:03:17 -0400
GENEVA, Switzerland, July 3 (UPI) -- A new drug to be tested in three African countries could greatly reduce cases of onchocerciasis, commonly called "river blindness," health officials said.
Fewer California sea otters reported
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:37:25 -0400
MONTEREY, Calif., July 3 (UPI) -- A decrease in California's endangered sea otter population likely means their water has grown more contaminated, scientists said.
The Skeptic's Dictionary - Skeptical definitions and essays on occult, paranormal, pseudoscientific ideas and practices with references to skeptical literature.
Meta Description: [ critical thinking ]
#Skeptic IRC - Weekly internet relay chat for skeptics.
A Skeptical Manifesto - Article by Michael Shermer defines and discusses skepticism. Includes a section that asserts a skeptic can also be open to scientific reason. Written in 1992.
Astronomical Pseudo-science: A Skeptic's Resource List - A bibliography from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, for those who want to examine with a skeptical eye some of the claims at the fringes of science that seem connected to astronomy.
Meta Description: [ The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is an international nonprofit scientific and educational organization founded in 1889 that works to increase understanding and appreciation of astronomy. ]
Bad Science - About well understood phenomena which are persistently presented incorrectly by teachers and writers.
BookTalk - Dedicated to the advancement of critical thinking, reason, intelligence, freedom of inquiry, philosophy and the scientific method. Forums include chats with the authors.
Meta Description: [ BookTalk.org - online book discussion community ]
Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit - Tools for testing arguments and detecting fallacious or fraudulent arguments, based on Sagan's book The Demon Haunted World: Science as a candle in the dark.
Meta Description: [ There are cults out there that need to be exposed, because they destroy people. The Church of Scientology is such a cult, to back up this strong claim I need to collect some of their secret literature. I want you to read it and make up your own mind. ]
Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal - World-wide organization that encourages the critical investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims from a responsible, scientific point of view.
Meta Description: [ World-wide organization that encourages the critical investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims from a responsible, scientific point of view. ]
Crank Dot Net - Skeptic provides categorized directory, both alphabetical and hierarchical, to a variety of kooks, cranks, loons, and crackpots on the net.
Meta Description: [ Crank Dot Net: cranks, crackpots, kooks, & loons on the net ]
Criticism of Scientific Skepticism - Criticizes self-identified skeptics, saying that their skepticism translates into scorn and condescension toward people and data that contradict current scientific beliefs. Gives examples of the excesses of skeptics.
Meta Description: [ Skeptics, skeptics, skepticism, the skeptic, controversial ideas, extraordinary claims, pathological skeptics,pathological skepticism,revolutionary ideas, investigating pseudoscience and the paranormal,inconvenient facts,promotion of science,skeptic magazine, skeptics Society, skeptic's dictionary ]
Danny's Skeptic Resources List - Features list and highlights of skeptical information available on the web.
Debunker's Domain - Dedicated to debunking all manner of dubious claims.
Meta Description: [ The Debunker's Domain by Robert Sheaffer. Skeptical resources on UFOs, paranormal claims, so-called feminist 'scholarship' ]
Eric's Skeptic Page - A skeptical look at all sorts of sciences and pseudosciences.
Meta Description: [ a skeptical look at physics, epistemology, schizophrenics, racists, genetics, futurism, religion, searchfor truth, history, anthropology, meaning, insanity, darwinianism, spiritualism,skepticism, humor, destiny, metaphysics ]
Fortean Times - The Journal of Strange Phenomenae. Online version of the print magazine.
Meta Description: [ Fortean Times Magazine – the world of strange phenomena featuring weird news, strange pictures, videos, books, film reviews and more ]
Free Inquiry - Argues for free inquiry and thought; the philosophies of naturalism, empiricism, rationalism, and skepticism.
Massimo's Skeptic and Humanist Web - Addresses the topic of skepticism and secular humanism. Page includes lectures. handouts, and online column. Also, has links to book reviews and essays.
Meta Description: [ This site contains essays, columns, online presentations, and book reviews by Dr. Massimo Pigliucci. ]
Nova: Kidnapped by UFOs? - Companion site for TV program in which believers and skeptics, including Carl Sagan, explore case histories of alien abductions.
Number Watch - Monitors the media in search of misleading numbers in news, politics and science.
Meta Description: [ Number Watch monitors the media in search of misleading numbers in news, politics and science ]
NYTimes.com - Odds Are Stacked When Science Tries to Debate Pseudoscience - Essay. Having a debate inevitably suggests that each side has some credibility. As a result, opponents of the scientific method try very hard to appear in debates with scientists. [Requires free NYTimes.com registration to view]
Practical Skepticism - A how-to guide for examining claims and debunking myths, math abuse, and misleading arguments.
Psychologists Educating Students to Think Skeptically - PESTS is a meeting place for educators (specifically psychologists, although anyone is welcome) to discuss issues involving skeptical thinking and ways to introduce and teach skeptical thinking in the classroom.
Reality Matters - Debunks religion, the origin of God, the Bible, near death experiences and paranormal contacts with spirits.
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sci.skeptic FAQ - Frequently asked questions about the sci.skeptic newsgroup.
SIMPOS - Netherlands foundation for information on social problems and occult tendencies.
Meta Description: [ Occultism: tendencies A-Z. Influences on problems like racism, economy, ecology, education, and democracy ]
Skepchick - A woman's skeptical science and life blog.
Skeptic Friends Network - Examines a variety of claims with emphasis on debunking creation science.
Meta Description: [ The mission of the Skeptic Friends Network is to promote skepticism, critical thinking, science and logic as the best methods for evaluating all claims of fact, and we invite active participation by our members to create a skeptical community with a wide variety of viewpoints and expertise. ]
Skeptic News - Tracks new information on various skeptical web pages.
Meta Description: [ The "What's New" page for skeptics. ]
Skeptic Report - E-zine featuring writings on skeptical inquiry and critical thinking. Also lists related books and provides links to numerous websites on topics including skepticism, alternative science, creationism, and health fraud.
Skeptic's Digest - Here you can access the best skeptical articles on the Web about the occult, paranormal, pseudoscience and other weird things
Meta Description: [ Here you can access the best skeptical articles on the Web about the unexplained, paranormal, pseudoscience and other fringe phenomena. ]
Skeptical Information Links - Links to materials for skeptics, and about skepticism.
Meta Description: [ Jim Lippard's Skeptical Information Site ]
Skeptical Investigations - Criticism of skepticism, including information about fraud in mainstream science and questioning of the methods and motives of skeptics.
Meta Description: [ investigation into skepticism in science ]
Skeptical Pages by Tommy Persson - Links to newsletters, organizations, and websites.
Skeptical References - A bibliography of materials for skeptics.
Skepticality Skeptic and Critical Thought News - Roughly mongthly podcast of interviews with prominent skeptical thinkers.
Skeptix Mailing List - Forum discussion about extraordinary phenomena. Includes post archives and subscription information.
The Crackpot Page - Dedicated to all the Flat Earthers, Circle Squarers, Angle Trisecters, Cube Halvers, Perpetual Motion Mechanics, UFO and Elvis sighters, and all the other true believers who adamantly refuse to accept mathematical or physical proof that their convictions are untenable.
The Daily Skeptic - Online newsletter, devoted to skeptical inquiry.
The James Randi Educational Foundation - Foundation headed by professional magician exposes psychics, faith healers, and such. Offers $1.1 million to anyone who can actually demonstrate something supernatural.
Meta Description: [ James Randi Educational Foundation - an educational resource on the paranormal, pseudoscientific, and the supernatural. ]
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The Left Hemisphere - Skepticism, religion, and secularism on the WWW.
The Nasty Side of Organ Transplanting - The secrets of organ harvesting and transplanting known only to the professionals in the business.
The Secular Web - Agnosticism, atheism, freethought, humanism, and rationalism on the Web
Meta Description: [ The Secular Web is the world's most comprehensive website devoted to the promotion and defense of a naturalistic worldview, the view that our natural world is all that there is, a closed system in the sense that nothing that is neither a part nor a product of it can affect it. The Secular Web inc... ]
The Skeptic Magazine - United Kingdom publication, taking a skeptical look at pseudoscience and claims of the paranormal.
The Skeptic Tank - The Skeptic Tank is a BBS which maintains extensive archives on scientifically questionable groups, individuals, and ideologies. Message board and articles.
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The Skeptic's Bunker - A personal page, intended to advance logic and rational thought over blind faith.
Meta Description: [ Web hosting, domain names, web design, free web site and email address providers. We offer affordable hosting, dedicated ad-free web hosting, domain name registration and free web space. FortuneCity is the best place to host your small business website or personal web site. ]
The Skeptic's Refuge - Gateway to The Skeptic's Dictionary with skeptical articles on the occult, the supernatural, the paranormal and the pseudoscientific.
The Skeptics Society - The Skeptics Society is a scientific and educational organization of scholars, scientists, historians, magicians, professors and teachers, and anyone curious about controversial ideas, extraordinary claims, revolutionary ideas and the promotion of science.
Meta Description: [ The Skeptics Society is a scientific and educational organization of scholars, scientists, historians, magicians, professors and teachers, and anyone curious about controversial ideas, extraordinary claims, revolutionary ideas, and the promotion of science. ]
The Skeptomaniac - Skeptical commentary on paranormal belief and thought, including a message board for readers.
The View from Number 80 - Lists sites pertaining to, amongst other things, pseudoscience, flim-flam or irrational claims and tries to give them critical attention and, in many cases, a certain amount of ridicule.
Tony Youens - Skeptic articles, information, books from Tony Youens - parapsychology investigations.
Meta Description: [ Articles and investigations into psychic claims by UK Skeptic Tony Youens ]
TrueAuthority.com - Experts test claims on subjects including dinosaurs, creation/evolution, and cryptozoology.
What is pseudoscience? - How it differs from science, how to spot it. Junk science, pathological science, quackery and pseudoscientific scams.
Meta Description: [ What is pseudoscience, and how can you recognize it? ]
X-Project Paranormal Magazine - Web e-zine featuring a series of skeptical articles.
Meta Description: [ The X-Project Magazine is a daily paranormal news magazine investigating the paranormal, UFOs, cryptozoology, the occult, and Fortean events from a critical and rational perspective. ]
Zetetics Laboratory - Laboratory at the University of Nice where paranormal phenomena are studied.
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