Are you a SKEPTIC? If not, maybe you should be.

Some people say:

“Skepticism kills innovation and creativity. It creates static beings.

We are made to grow, learn, and seek TRUTH. Not to tear it down.”

But some “TRUTH” isn’t true!

How can we know what is and what isn’t TRUE?

Scientists are skeptics, they question everything until it is proved with EVIDENCE, the available body of facts or info indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.

Thinking like a scientist leads to MORE intuition and creativity.

So, what does being a skeptic entail?

It means withholding your opinion until SOLID EVIDENCE has been presented.

Skepticism stimulates creative thinking by encouraging questions rather than settling for absolute answers.

What do you know?

We think we know all sorts of things, but how and on what grounds can we defend those claims?

Our supposed knowledge of the world is based on perceptions gained through our senses, but aren’t perceptions prone to error?

5th century BC Greeks originated skepticism to fight dogmatism, which is inflexible principles laid down by “authorities”.

Skepticism got going in the 15th and 16th centuries when the first stirrings of the scientific revolution led people to question the basis of existing knowledge and the validity of theological truth.

So, lets get down to the nitty gritty.

You say you don’t want to be a skeptic!

So, that means, you want to trust everything people tell you.

Who needs facts when your gut speaks the truth!

You are ready to live the dream!

Now, who wants to Think Like A Scientist?

“I do,” you scream!

Okay you are ready to THINK!

What does it mean to think like a scientist?

It means that you want to maintain a healthy level of curiosity and doubt.

You ask questions and strive for evidence.

You don’t draw conclusions until you have good reason to do so.

You must also be ready to change your mind if your conclusions turn out to be incorrect.

Why should we question everything?

Well, the human brain does a poor job of separating truth from fiction!

What is conformation bias?

Our brain does this well, this bias prevents us from thinking clearly about our beliefs.

We remember info that supports our beliefs.

But tend to discount info that challenges our beliefs.

You need to resist this bias and keep an open mind and really consider other ideas.

Why our memories are unreliable:

The brain constructs our memories from bits of info, things are left out and things are added.

Don’t trust your memory!

Your brain constructs and interprets what you see.

What you see is something the brain has interpreted for us, based on what comes through our eyes.

It can be deceiving.

To be a skeptic you might have to give up some of your beliefs and that scares a lot of people.

They claim that their treasured beliefs are necessary to find joy, comfort and meaning in life.

But if you are a skeptic you will always ask:

“Where’s the evidence?”

In conclusion:

Always try to think like a scientist, so that you can distinguish truth from fiction.

Question Everything.

Don’t pretend to know things you don’t know.

THINK BEFORE YOU BELIEVE!