Are there reasons to be skeptical of your knowledge claims?
I think that it is good to be skeptical of your own knowledge claims. Skepticism maintains an open-mind, which paves the way to possibly uncovering a deeper truth. I read an article several months ago in which it detailed how the human mind was originally wired to believe what it heard. The mind was meant to believe what it wanted to believe and what it already believed. However the human mind began to change to be skeptical and question common claims. Skepticism is beneficial but only to the right degree. For example, someone who is too skeptical would be stuck in a bubble, unable to believe or trust anything. Conversely, someone who is not skeptical at all would be used by other people because they were too gullible. A moderate level of skepticism would be someone who has an open mind, but questions certain things. If no one was skeptical, everyone would believe what they were told and people would accept possible discrepancies in common knowledge.
I 100% agree with your reflection! While I was reading I was wondering how we decide what is the perfect balance and how do we achieve it. If someone were too skeptical or not skeptical enough, how would they figure that out or how do we get them to the middle or to a balance? How do we ourselves know if we are too far to one side? I think more open minded people in this world is beneficial to decrease the amount of conflict and increase the amount of human understanding. Great reflection!
ReplyDeleteI also believe your reflection was spot on with this topic and question about skepticism. Alot of problems in this world arise from people not being informed or aware of their surroundings. As a former newspaper staffer, I think specifically about politics and a quote from Thomas Jefferson, who said that an ignorant population is the first step to corruption. Although he meant it in a more political sense, I think it can apply to almost anything. Like you talked about, when people don't question their surroundings or knowledge, they will get then advantage of. One question I would raise is how do we find that balance of being skeptical and smart, while still remaining open minded?
ReplyDeleteTo help get at an idea of balance, consider the other end of the spectrum: If everyone were skeptical, would we be left with knowledge?
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