What's a Sceptic

What's a Sceptic
The word sceptic is a term that I think is used fairly loosely throughout society.
According to the Internet, specifically an online dictionary and Wikipedia.
From the Free Online Dictionary.
sceptic or US skeptic [skep-tik]
Noun
1. a person who habitually doubts generally accepted beliefs
2. a person who doubts the truth of a religion [Greek skeptikos one who reflects upon]

From Wikipedia (The following was taken from Wikipedia, so it's accuracy is not guaranteed.)
In ordinary usage, skepticism or scepticism (Greek: 's??pt?µa?' skeptomai, to look about,
to consider.
* (a) an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or
toward a particular object;
* (b) the doctrine that true knowledge or knowledge in a particular area is uncertain; or
* (c) the method of suspended judgment, systematic doubt, or criticism that is
characteristic of skeptics (Merriam–Webster).

Philosophical skepticism
In philosophical skepticism, pyrrhonism is a position that refrains from making truth
claims. A philosophical skeptic does not claim that truth is
impossible (which would be a truth claim).

Scientific skepticism
A scientific (or empirical) skeptic is one who questions the reliability of certain kinds
of claims by subjecting them to a systematic investigation. The scientific method details
the specific process by which this investigation of reality is conducted. Considering
the rigor of the scientific method, science itself may simply be thought of as an
organized form of skepticism.

Activist skepticism
Activist skeptics, self-described "debunkers" are a subset of scientific skeptics who
aim to expose in public what they see as the truth behind specific extraordinary claims.
Debunkers may publish books, air TV programs, create websites, or use other means to
advocate their message. In some cases they may challenge claimants outright or even
stage elaborate hoaxes to prove their point, such as Project Alpha.
Because debunkers often challenge popular ideas, many are not strangers to controversy.
Critics of debunkers sometimes accuse them of robbing others of hope. Debunkers
frequently reply that it is the claimant, whom they many times accuse of exploiting
public gullibility, who is guilty of abuse.

Religious skepticism
Religious skepticism is skepticism regarding faith-based claims. Religious skeptics may
focus on the core tenets of religions, such as the existence of divine beings or reports
of earthly miracles. A religious skeptic is not necessarily an atheist or agnostic.
That ends the Wikipedia definitions.

What is a Sceptic?

1. Is it a person who is close minded, negative, a party pooper, only content when they have disagreed with everyone and made a proper "bastard" of themselves.
2. Is it an anal-retentive type who is annoying everyone with their obsessive urge to challenge everything.
3. Is it a fence sitter.
   
4. Is it someone who requires the evidence.

Probably many people think of Sceptics in one of those terms.
Believers often say we reject whatever belief they have based on preconceived bias and close mindedness . Such claims I think come about as a result from psychological projection. They are incapable of coping with the fact that there are some people who genuinely do not believe in their beliefs. Believers can become very incredulous of our non belief.
Some people use the term in different ways. Kevin Rudd our Prime Minister uses the term "Climate Sceptic" when he is running down the people that don't believe in or deny climate change. To me his use is wrong, I think Kevin Rudd should use the term "Climate Denier" when he is referring to them.
Some people of course describe themselves as sceptics, but are they?
Are some sceptics more cynical than sceptical. Do they disagree with everything that they do not agree with not because the evidence is not there, but because it suits their world view.
For me a sceptic is someone who requires the evidence. Simple, but this covers it's use for me.
This brings me to the point of can someone be a sceptic on some topics but a believer on others.
Can a Theist be a believer when it comes to a God, and a sceptic on other topics? This is often asked when it comes to Theists and Science. If you have a belief in the Bible but maybe understand and accept an old Earth from the Geological record as opposed to the version of a young Earth from the bible.
Well over to you bloggers, what do you think. What is your idea of a sceptic.

Psychics and Cold Reading.

Psychics and Cold Reading

I want to discuss the connection between Psychic readings and cold reading.
When I say psychic I am referring to this in a generic way and maybe a paranormalist may be a better term. But I will use the term psychic.
Cold reading can be used in all areas of paranormal readings.
Talking to the dead (spirits), reading tarot cards, crystal balls, vibrations from jewelry or other personal items, etc.
All of these readings rely on as much as I can work out on communicating with spirits or energy,
vibrations etc. to get the information.
It is often claimed by believers and psychics that there are frauds and charlatans in the psychic industry. But of course they are not, or the psychic that the believer believes in is not.
For me the psychic has not got off first base because they have to give me evidence for spirits, energy and vibrations, etc. that they tune into and get information. This evidence is not forth coming, so the possibilities of these "gifts' are virtually nil or are nil until credible evidence can be shown to me. You can have an open mind on all of this but unless there is evidence you can't be too open. The old saying of, I think this is how it goes. "You can have an open mind but not too open that your brain falls out", would be relevant to me here.
So a pertinent question here is how do you know the frauds from the real ones?
How do you know the fraud from the genuine psychic?
I say the fraud uses cold reading.
Or do they all use cold reading?
I have not had a psychic reading or seen one first hand so don't know if they all use cold reading. So I can only go on what I have seen on TV or YouTube.
I am not prepared to pay $500 to talk to a Psychic for about 1 hour on the phone. This is what a well known "true" psychic (Deb Webber) charges for a reading to jump over all of the other people waiting for a regular reading. In other words pay the bucks and jump over the plebs.
Recently on Australian TV they had the series "The One", the search for Australia's most gifted Psychic. This show had a psychic task each episode that the Psychic had to complete. Well the result of all of these tests were woeful. No one got any of the tasks done successfully except for the first task which was completed successfully by 2 psychics, but no psychic ability as far as I could see was needed. They did readings in each show of people in the audience. All of these readings to me were done by cold reading, and this was an edited version of the readings. What were the whole readings like, bloody woeful I would say.
So to me these Psychics on "The One" are probably not real.
Here below is a YouTube video of John Edward, possibly the best known psychic in the USA and maybe Australia as well. He is shown on this video giving some readings. Well he is definitely cold reading with all of the names he is churning out and J and T etc sounding names, pretty pathetic. If this is the best the psychic world has, it does not have much.
John Edward
Cold reading is a powerful tool in the armory of any psychic if they are skilled at it.
It would do us all well to find out more about cold reading and it's uses in psychic readings.
Surely it would be to the benefit of all "genuine psychics" to advertise and encourage their believers to know all about cold reading. If their followers knew this they would then know the difference between a genuine and charlatan psychic. But do they encourage this? Not that I know of, I wonder why?

Stop Sylvia Browne an alleged Psychic

There has been a recent upheavel in the campaign to stop a well known American psychic by the name of Sylvia Browne. A website has been running started by Robert Lancaster. He recently had a stroke and was unable to take care of the site, and it was eventually bought by someone who is friendly to the paranormal and changed the whole concept of the site.
Here is the link to what happened on the JREF forum.