ok…. let me think on this a bit…

Maybe that’s why most of my friends are male. Maybe it’s the constant bashing of astrology and magic…

You’ll get limited visibility asking here. Other people came because of the calendar.

Bring your questions to the JREF (forums.randi.org) and people will debate that with you.

Well, that is what I am asking about you see. What constitues evidence to a skeptic.
Science tend to operate out of a pramatist/objectivist epistemology which is really pretty flawed. But it does’nt matter a great deal since the it always has a defined purpose, an objective that exists within the same context as the scientific investigation.
So it is pragmatic and contextual.

But it seems to me that “skeptisism” tries elevate it to something universal and absolute, by asuming that it applies to, and can be used to shoot down anything that lies outside of its realm.

In essence making science a religious practise and objectivism a doctrine.

Okay, I’m finished plugging now.

I don’t know why but Amateur Astronomy Clubs are populated by guys with a tiny sprinkling of women.
Single, female amateur astronomers just don’t exist here
in suburban Philadelphia

And oh, buy the way, don’t mess with professional female astronomers unless of course you are a professional male astronomer..doesn’t work.

Maybe I should try to find one of these Skeptic clubs around here?

Phil, you got us beat man, don’t worry be happy!:)

Best wishes,

Ed

Skepticism is like the polar opposite of credulity. A credulous person may believe or disbelieve things for any number of reasons, but a skeptical person should believe or disbelieve things based on evidence. Also, beliefs and disbeliefs about the world should fall on a scale of certainty/uncertainty, not into black and white categories of “believe” or “disbelieve.”

You see, ultimatly, there can be no such thing as absolute proof, because we can not trancend the boundaries of sensory preception. All we know is that we have experiences but nothing is known about how/where those experiences originate.
So all knowlege is belief except that something exists, that is capable of having the experience of being a human on planet earth.

So, how does skeptisism deal with this gap? Not at all as far as I can tell, which sort of invalidates it.

Skepticism is considered a cerebral process – it is applied critical thinking. As such, it is not perceived as an emotional act, an empathic activity. It is not about sensing and sharing feelings, it is about evaluating logically. Women seem more inclined to lean toward “feeling� activities, to sharing emotional experiences and validating them rather than evaluating them. I do not know whether there is a hormonal factor or whether this difference is purely socially driven, but what I’ve learned about research suggests there may be some biological influences.

I do not mean to imply that women cannot think critically or rationally, or that women are not intelligent. Just that their interest and attitude is more inclined to emotional sharing rather than logical processing. Consider the stereotypical reaction of men vs women. Woman comes home and starts telling her husband all the problems of the day, man starts trying to offer suggestions on how to fix the problem. They end up having a fight because she just wants him to listen and understand, and he sees problems that need fixing rather than a moment for emotional exchange. (Obviously this is a generality and not necessarily applicable to any specific case.)

Add to this that active skepticism (i.e. group activities, community activism) is predominately white men of a certain age. This is probably a combination of factors including socioeconomic standing as well as the aforementioned predispositions in attitude. There may be other interfering factors, such as prioritizing time to childcare and tending the home. (Not to say that women are the only ones who should do those things, just that our culture seems to behave that way.)

All of which is to say “Way to go, Skepchicks�. We need to spread the word that skepticism is not just for men.

Alternatively, do you have a shed in your garden (backyard)?