http://answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=2...
In my opinion, a person who is %26#039;skeptical%26#039; keeps an open mind and is willing to consider all sides of an issue, even if he doubts one side is correct. A person who is not willing to consider that he might be wrong is not a %26#039;skeptic%26#039;, in my opinion.
What do you think - if they%26#039;re not willing to consider the mere possibility that they might be wrong, do these self-proclaimed %26#039;skeptics%26#039; deserve that title? If not, what do you believe is a more appropriate label?
Additional Details
2 months ago
Boatman - thanks for saying so. I can appreciate a true skeptic.As for the common tactics of %26#039;why don%26#039;t *you* consider you might be wrong?%26#039; or %26#039;we do consider that we%26#039;re wrong%26#039; - to the former, I do at all times, to the latter, if that were true you would have answered my previous question.
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Other Answers (17)
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Take a deep breath Dana.
Are you skeptical about global warming being the end of the world? B/c it sounds like YOU lack an open mind. You are only open to immediate drastic action.
What would have to happen for YOU to become skeptical of AGW. You seem to think you already have all the answers and anything still unexplained (much! according to Hansen) is just boring details.
You might benefit from Kuhn%26#039;s %26quot;The Structure of Scientific Revolutions%26quot;.
The earth isn%26#039;t sick - but you just might be. (notice the 2)-- Yahoo Answers folks are coordinately invited to contribute to the blog-- it is NOT strictly a GW blog but more of a political and economic blog covering the energy issues facing us today. (However GW can be discussed if it has to do with Energy policy or economics.) You must register to post-- but it is free -- this is a Dallas Morning News web site.
Dana--- sorry for trying to hijack your question-- but I agree with your statement------- NON-flexible thinking is very BAD.
How do you think this graph will look next year when NOAA completes their summary of 2008 and includes the huge drop in globally averaged temperatures.
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%26quot;A troll is deliberately crafted to provoke others with the intention of wasting their time and energy. A troll is a time thief. To troll is to steal from people. That is what makes trolling heinous.
Trolls can be identified by their disengagement from a conversation or argument. They do not believe what they say, but merely say it for effect.
Trolls are motivated by a desire for attention by people and can%26#039;t or won%26#039;t acquire it in a productive manner.%26quot;
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?TrollDefinition
It%26#039;s simply a cheap tactic to avoid and disrupt rational discussion on the topic of global warming. The value and usefullness of Yahoo Answers is severely undermined by that sort of activity.
To answer the question, here%26#039;s a definition of %26quot;skeptic%26quot;:
%26quot;a person who maintains a doubting attitude, as toward values, plans, statements, or the character of others.%26quot;
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/s...
In other words, a skeptic would be equally skeptical of information from all sides of this discussion. I see few if any skeptics among the people who generously identify themselves as skeptics here, since their skepticism is entirely focused on supporting their fixed view and no critical examination or thought is applied to the information they offer or the sources it comes from.
2http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionar...
3.1. Observe some aspect of the universe.
2. Invent a tentative description, called a hypothesis {read a skeptical conclusion}, that is consistent with what you have observed.
3. Use the hypothesis to make predictions.
4. Test those predictions by experiments or further observations and modify the hypothesis in the light of your results.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until there are no discrepancies between theory and experiment and/or observation. http://phyun5.ucr.edu/~wudka/Physics7/No...
For an interesting discussion of Data and Models:%26quot;All models are wrong, but some are useful.%26quot;
So proclaimed statistician George Box http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries...