Definition
Skepticism is a philosophical and scientific approach to knowledge that emphasizes the suspension of judgment and the requirement for rigorous evidence. It is not the denial of truth, but the commitment to proportional belief—adjusting the strength of one’s conviction to the quality and quantity of available evidence.
Why It Matters
Skepticism is the ‘filter of the mind’; it is not about cynical denial, but about the commitment to proportional belief, ensuring that the strength of our convictions never exceeds the quality of the evidence supporting them.
Core Concepts
- The Burden of Proof: The principle that the person making a claim is responsible for providing the evidence to support it.
- Falsifiability: The requirement that for a claim to be scientifically meaningful, there must be a way to prove it wrong.
- Hume’s Maxim: “No testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more miraculous than the fact which it endeavors to establish.”
- Bayesian Updating: The formal process of adjusting the probability of a hypothesis as new evidence is acquired.