The Endless Dance

Some things never change. Some things seem to change but actually don't. A few things seem to not change but really do. A tiny number of things appear to change and do, in fact, change.

What's interesting here is not so much that the above is true, but the fact of it being true. That is to say that we, as a species, are poor judges of our own reality. You hear people say that things are not always as they seem. This is true. You hear them say that there is a massive amount that we do not know. This is also true. Individually we know almost nothing and as a species we know a smidgen more than almost nothing. What worries me is that our lack of knowledge and understanding of reality is frequently used to justify belief in things about which which we know even less.

Does the below scene ring a bell to anyone?

Person 1: So I heard this sound on the stairs and I went to see what it was and there was no one there. Then, a second later there was a big bang and I went to the front room and the chair was on it's side! It must have been a ghost!
Person 2: I don't believe in ghosts.
Person 1: Well how else could the chair have turned over?
Person 2: I don't know.
Person 1: Well there you go then!
Person 2: Well . . .
Person 1: You're such a skeptic!

You see what has happened here? The lack of information about one thing has been taken as confirmation of something of which we know even less. The only sensible conclusion would be that something happened but we don't know what. We can't know what. Insufficient data available.

The lack of logic is not surprising really. We see this sort of thing all the time. What worries me more is the fact that the term 'skeptic' has now become almost entirely a derogatory term. To be skeptical is considered awkward, boring and mean. You are expected to believe. If you ask for data, information, evidence or proof you're a kill joy. It seems that to question a deeply held belief is in itself rude. You may make someone feel bad if you point out flaws in their worldview.

Well this is my stand. I can't claim this is the greatest and noblest stand ever made. This isn't civil rights or women's lib. This is merely a call to arms for the forces of reason. You don't have to believe. You don't have to accept. You can be a skeptic! You can demand reason. You can request clarification. You can choose to hold no position. It's better to know that you don't know than to fool yourself that you do. Skeptics of the world, unite!