http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPs_j1EEplI&feature=player_embedded#!
For you critical thinkers out there, thought you might enjoy this song.

I thought the song was stupid.

Some people who pride themselves on being "skeptics" are limiting themselves.

They don't have a clue about the power of mind and the "magic" of it.

Just because you can't "prove" it or don't understand it, or you think it does not "make sense" don't feel superior.

One day you will see a UFO.

Doesnt U F O mean unidentified flying object?

I think the person who came up with that was a skeptic . . .

That is what it actually stands for.

And it should stand for that, even if the UFO looks just like some alien craft. You can not know if it is an alien craft unless you actually see the aliens and verify that they are not human.

Right . . . so whats wrong with being skeptical, and requiring a high standard of evidence for spectacular claims?

Seems like seeing a UFO wouldn't really do anything . . . I mean based on the unidentified part of that . . . You know?

Some people who pride themselves on being "skeptics" are limiting themselves.

Just because you can't "prove" it or don't understand it, or you think it does not "make sense" don't feel superior.

And it should stand for that, even if the UFO looks just like some alien craft. You can not know if it is an alien craft unless you actually see the aliens and verify that they are not human.

There are some skeptics who were abducted. They are not so skeptical anymore.

To me, skepticism is not a position on a topic, its an approach to determining whether something is true. When you gain new evidence, it can be intelligent to change your position.

Well said!

JB, the song was supposed to be funny, was there a particular part of the song you felt was derisive of any particular belief of yours?

Aliens?

That kind of thinking shuts the door on possibility

There are some skeptics that insist that there are no psychics or mediums.

(And there are those who know they are wrong.)

Myself, I consider all possibilities.

That kind of thinking shuts the door on possibility and implies that considering (or believing) in something that is unproven is ignorant, untrue, or stupid.

It kills possibilities and stifles imagination. It kills progressive exploration of the mind into the unknown.

I disagree, Id say it sets standards on evidence, and provides a structure for investigation.

The best inventors, scientists, and discoverers are skeptics. Imagination and possibilities are endless, however to really gain intellectual ground one must have a strong grasp of critical thinking skills.

Your posts suggest that you consider the existence of psychics and aliens to be 'a fact', and that you therefore wish to reject the culture of skeptics who believe otherwise.

Are you open to the possibility that you might be wrong?

I disagree, Id say it sets standards on evidence, and provides a structure for investigation.

The best inventors, scientists, and discoverers are skeptics. Imagination and possibilities are endless, however to really gain intellectual ground one must have a strong grasp of critical thinking skills.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and every single attempt to provide rigorous evidence of abilities beyond the norm have fallen short again and again.

In my own imagination I have thought of many ways a person could gain ability beyond the norm and still be a totally natural adaptation, however that is only my own imagination as it is fueled by science fiction, that however must be explored with an honest investigation that plainly lays out all possible bias and works to remove that bias as the highest priority. This means to withhold belief in the face of a lack of evidence.

Proper understanding requires testing nature against the claim. When that testing fails the truly honest must accept the results even if they remain open to future testing.

The sad reality is that there is far more to be gained from making unsubstantiated claims then the kind of honest and critical examination of the data I am referring to. For me the equally sad, and yet sometimes humorous fact, a fact the song points out, is that it is also easier to remain silent and not challenge the extraordinary claims.

JB if you think you are not biased then you have not worked hard at an honest self introspection. Everyone is biased, and understanding that accepting that and being able to learn the skills to test reality against that bias is the job of every honest intellect.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and every single attempt to provide rigorous evidence of abilities beyond the norm have fallen short again and again.

JB if you think you are not biased then you have not worked hard at an honest self introspection. Everyone is biased, and understanding that accepting that and being able to learn the skills to test reality against that bias is the job of every honest intellect.

Your posts suggest that you consider the existence of psychics and aliens to be 'a fact', and that you therefore wish to reject the culture of skeptics who believe otherwise.

There is another 'kind of thinking', different from true, rational, skepticism. I see that there are people who simply reject beliefs other than their own without investigation. We can find these people in any group, if the group gets large enough . We also find some of them calling themselves 'skeptics', and advocating the 'majority skeptical opinion' of the time and place (for example, today in the US that majority skeptic opinion is: "alien abduction stories are ********". These knee-jerk self-labelled 'skeptics' believe this basically because other (actual) skeptics believe it, rather than having better reasons of their own).