#skepticism

The chief deficiency I see in the skeptical movement is its polarization: Us vs. Them — the sense that we have a monopoly on the truth; that those other people who believe in all these stupid doctrines are morons; that if you're sensible, you'll listen to us; and if not, to hell with you. This is nonconstructive. It does not get our message across. It condemns us to permanent minority status. ↗

— Carl Sagan

#skepticism #science

I mean, you could claim that anything's real if the only basis for believing in it is that nobody's proved it doesn't exist! ↗

— J.K. Rowling

#hermione-granger #knowledge #logic #reason #skepticism

Most institutions demand unqualified faith; but the institution of science makes skepticism a virtue. ↗

— Robert K. Merton

#skepticism #faith

I am too much of a skeptic to deny the possibility of anything... ↗

— Thomas Henry Huxley

#skepticism #thinking #skepticism

Skepticism is a virtue in history as well as in philosophy. ↗

— Napoleon Bonaparte

#philosophy #skepticism #virtue #well

We all approached doing a sequel with great trepidation and skepticism. ↗

— Jason Biggs

#doing #great #sequel #skepticism #trepidation

I always got a bit pissed off with those broadsheet sceptics who make their living being passionately angry about homeopathy, God, synchronicity or whatever, because it's as if they can't get past their emotions, and in their rage they become as faith-driven as the beliefs they criticise. I always said they give scientists a bad name. After all, science has to be about asking unthinkable questions, not closing down debate. ↗

— Scarlett Thomas

#religion #scepticism #sceptics #skepticism #skeptics

Where journalists have gotten themselves in trouble over the last few decades is that their skepticism often extends only to American officials, the U.S. military and Republican politicians. ↗

— Linda Chavez

#decades #extends #few #gotten #journalists

So my antagonist said, "Is it impossible that there are flying saucers? Can you prove that it's impossible?" "No", I said, "I can't prove it's impossible. It's just very unlikely". At that he said, "You are very unscientific. If you can't prove it impossible then how can you say that it's unlikely?" But that is the way that is scientific. It is scientific only to say what is more likely and what less likely, and not to be proving all the time the possible and impossible. ↗

— Richard P. Feynman

#scientific-method #skepticism #science

No one, in the world's whole history, ever attempted to substantiate a truth by a miracle. Truth scorns the assistance of miracle. Nothing but falsehood ever attested itself by signs and wonders. No miracle ever was performed, and no sane man ever thought he had performed one, and until one is performed, there can be no evidence of the existence of any power superior to, and independent of nature. ↗

— Robert G. Ingersoll

#miracles #religion #science #skepticism #nature