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Why are Skeptics of the paranormal so obsessive.

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posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 04:28 AM
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Been reading a bit on various Skeptics like James Randi, Joe nickels, Micheal Shermer etc and from my view a lot of them come over as aggressive tunnel visioned "I'm right your wrong" type's in which you find you get in certain religious, argumentative, ideology and political types.I know a lot of the stuff out there in reports, book's, internet and film, Youtube is either fake, bollocks or easily explained but if a skeptic hasn't had an experience then why are they hell bent on proving your wrong ?



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 04:34 AM
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As someone who considers himself a passionate (not obsessive) skeptic, I think I can answer this one.

We aren't trying to prove you wrong, we are trying to get you to prove yourselves right, there's a difference. As for why we can be passionate about skepticism, it goes way beyond claims of the paranormal. It's an entire way of scientific and critical thinking we are trying to teach people the beauty and importance of. This branches into politics, religion, wars, etc, and affects every element of our lives.

The way we think literally shapes the world, if our method of investigation is faulty, the consequences can be absolutely dire. It's absolutely a big deal.
edit on 18-11-2016 by humphreysjim because: (no reason given)

edit on 18-11-2016 by humphreysjim because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 04:34 AM
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a reply to: 808Funk

My best answer...Some people like to step on things, just because they can. This condition does manifest in levels, from "just to do it" from boredom ...all the way up to "getting off" and enjoying or feeding on it.

ETA: the Paranormal subjects are just low hanging fruit to them because there are no easy proofs or answers..as are all conspiracy related topics..

edit on 11/18/2016 by jappee because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 04:37 AM
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Yes, you're right about that. My only logical answer would be that they are paid for doing that and that for some of them it's their unofficial occupation. Why? They serve an agenda...



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 04:38 AM
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originally posted by: 808Funk
Been reading a bit on various Skeptics like James Randi, Joe nickels, Micheal Shermer etc and from my view a lot of them come over as aggressive tunnel visioned "I'm right your wrong" type's in which you find you get in certain religious, argumentative, ideology and political types.I know a lot of the stuff out there in reports, book's, internet and film, Youtube is either fake, bollocks or easily explained but if a skeptic hasn't had an experience then why are they hell bent on proving your wrong ?


Personal experiences are not evidence of paranormal activity being real. Human beings are influenced by all sort of factors, such as their own mental perceptions and confirmation bias.

And yes, the majority of youtube videos are fake. But please, post one here you think is genuine and let us analyze it.



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 04:41 AM
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Look what's happening in America today, Donald Trump is president.

If ever there was evidence of something going catastrophically wrong with our critical thinking skills, that is it. You have members of his team who believe the Earth is thousands of years old, that Global Warming is a hoax, that homosexuality can be cured by electro-shock therapy, and the list goes on and on.

Whether you agree with all those things or not, or whether you think I'm completely wrong, the consequences of being wrong on these things is yuuuge. How can we not be passionate about critical thinking on all these topics?

Our approach to Global Warming could be the difference between the survival and the end of the human race, that's something we need to get right. I think we all need to start being obsessive about these things, and if you don't see the connection to claims of the paranormal, then you need to step back and have a think.

HINT: It's science versus pseudo-science and/or anti-science.
edit on 18-11-2016 by humphreysjim because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 05:25 AM
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a reply to: 808Funk

Passion, probably the same feeling that drove you to compose this thread....



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 05:40 AM
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I am glad there are some die-hard skeptics out there. If everyone just accepted everything presented as paranormal, things would get just...silly. When you have something that even those hardcore skeptics can't explain in a satisfatory way, then you know you might be onto something.



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 05:53 AM
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a reply to: 808Funk

Same as us who DO believe. Its the "ying-yang" of life. Everything in life has its polar opposite.

For those who dont believe...extraordinary proof is required. And for those of us who DO believe...no proof is necessary.



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 05:58 AM
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Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, same rule applies to the UFO phenomenon. I've never seen one single shred of evidence of the paranormal that could hold up in a court of law.



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 06:06 AM
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a reply to: 808Funk

to open up the discussion - could you share the " reading list " - that lead to the views you express in this thread ?



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 06:39 AM
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a reply to: humphreysjim
Greats responses. Well put. People always thinking you are being rude/ disruptive when all we ask is a lil objectivity. To ask all the questions before being "certain".how can this be? Why? What?

If you have a problem with clarifying your point with evidence than these people cant be as sure as they want to. All we require is some form of proof then we will jump on board.



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 06:39 AM
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Thanks for all the posts and I apologise for my poor grammar ( mild form dyslexia ) but I find it easy talking in person then in writing but the net and forums are much needed places for information and discussion.
I believe that 9.99% of the youtube stuff and I find hoaxers the worst offenders for people who really believe are into the Paranormal but for those people like myself have witnessed things a number of times in the same house as have a number of other neighbours.
I also think over enthusiastic paranormal hunters don't help as well as if you go looking for ghosts/spirits it never happens as encounters for the non skeptic in my eyes happens then and there and you can't go looking for it ?

In fact I should of but a lot more thought before posting the subject as I bet there are a number of skeptics that have an open mind or such.



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 06:48 AM
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a reply to: 808Funk

This thread reeks of tunnel vision because there are TONS of believers who are obsessive and aggressive too. PLUS there are skeptics who AREN'T in your face about being skeptics. Did it ever occur to you that the reason you don't know any skeptics who are subdued about their beliefs is because you don't know them for that very reason? They have no reason to interject their opinion because they don't care that you have it.



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 06:49 AM
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a reply to: Krazysh0t

Maybe or maybe not but yes my first post was a bit tunnel visioned against Skeptics so as i said before I apologize for it and I don't believe most of the stuff so maybe I have started a pointless thread.
edit on 18-11-2016 by 808Funk because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 06:51 AM
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originally posted by: skyblueworld
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, same rule applies to the UFO phenomenon. I've never seen one single shred of evidence of the paranormal that could hold up in a court of law.


Just fyi. A court of law accepts anecdotal evidence as legit evidence. Science doesn't. It's likely that there IS UFO evidence that would hold up in a court of law.



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 06:52 AM
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originally posted by: 808Funk
a reply to: Krazysh0t

Maybe

No. Definitely. That is how humans are. You see and experience the ones who are the most passionate about a topic while you don't see the ones who aren't passionate about it. So it skews your perception of how that total group thinks. There are literally scientific papers written on how your brain lies to you and fuels your biases.

EDIT: Look it even has a name in Psychology (a field of science): False-consensus effect

In psychology, the false-consensus effect or false-consensus bias is an attributional type of cognitive bias whereby people tend to overestimate the extent to which their opinions, beliefs, preferences, values, and habits are normal and typical of those of others (i.e., that others also think the same way that they do).[1] This cognitive bias tends to lead to the perception of a consensus that does not exist, a "false consensus".

This false consensus is significant because it increases self-esteem (overconfidence effect). It is derived from a desire to conform and be liked by others in a social environment. This bias is especially prevalent in group settings where one thinks the collective opinion of their own group matches that of the larger population. Since the members of a group reach a consensus and rarely encounter those who dispute it, they tend to believe that everybody thinks the same way. The false-consensus effect is not restricted to cases where people believe that their values are shared by the majority, but it still manifests as an overestimate of the extent of their belief. For example, fundamentalists do not necessarily believe that the majority of people share their views, but their estimates of the number of people who share their point of view will tend to exceed the actual number.

Additionally, when confronted with evidence that a consensus does not exist, people often assume that those who do not agree with them are defective in some way.[2] There is no single cause for this cognitive bias; the availability heuristic, self-serving bias, and naïve realism have been suggested as at least partial underlying factors. Maintenance of this cognitive bias may be related to the tendency to make decisions with relatively little information. When faced with uncertainty and a limited sample from which to make decisions, people often "project" themselves onto the situation. When this personal knowledge is used as input to make generalizations, it often results in the false sense of being part of the majority.[3]

The false-consensus effect can be contrasted with pluralistic ignorance, an error in which people privately disapprove but publicly support what seems to be the majority view (regarding a norm or belief), when the majority in fact shares their (private) disapproval. While the false-consensus effect leads people to wrongly believe that the majority agrees with them (when the majority, in fact, openly disagrees with them), the pluralistic ignorance effect leads people to wrongly believe that they disagree with the majority (when the majority, in fact, covertly agrees with them). Pluralistic ignorance might, for example, lead a student to engage in binge drinking because of the mistaken belief that most other students approve of it, while in reality most other students disapprove, but behave in the same way because they share the same mistaken (but collectively self-sustaining) belief. In a parallel example of the false-consensus effect, a student who likes binge drinking would believe that a majority also likes it, while in reality most others dislike it and openly say so.

edit on 18-11-2016 by Krazysh0t because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 06:57 AM
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Many so-called skeptics are not skeptics at all. Their mind is already made up. Their focus is not careful and objective analysis of evidence or arguments, but rather defending their decided position.

True skeptics might be obsessive because their are passionate about finding the truth.
edit on 18-11-2016 by VegHead because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 07:00 AM
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To debunkers, these guys are their idols. They will actually pay money to hear them debunk and ridicule subjects, and laugh while they do it. Why do these people do this.

Its like a new age science religion thing. And people like to be part of this group because it instantly means they are intelligent because they use words like "critical thinking"

Off course. all these people have done good work, but the problem is, they use their belief to the extreme. Hence the reason we get silly explanations for certain cases, because they just can't say "hey, I don't know what that was"

But saying that, we do need these guys because there is a lot of crap out there, and my mind has been changed many times regarding many things.

Michael Shermer came out and talked about an experience he and his wife had that, at the time, shook his scepticism to the core. Once his said this, his followers went crazy on his forum. It was like they were saying "how could you do this to us" He was becoming an outcast, and the next one in line to be riciculed.

That moment tells us a lot about the mind set of people, and it is really all about being part of a group. This seems to be more important than getting the truth to this subject, or wanting the truth.



posted on Nov, 18 2016 @ 07:06 AM
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originally posted by: skyblueworld
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, same rule applies to the UFO phenomenon. I've never seen one single shred of evidence of the paranormal that could hold up in a court of law.



Ufos, meaning something unexplained flying in our airspace at amazing speeds, has a lot of evidence behind it. At least for the subject to taken seriously. military sightings alone with multiple witnesses and radar evidence is enough to convince people that this subject needs to be taken seriously, which, to the public it is not, but look at official documents about ufos, and you will know that behind closed doors, it is taken very seriously.



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