How does one tell when a Social Skeptic is lying? It is of course tempting to retort with the old adage “When his lips are moving.” But indeed this is not the case. The modern Social Skepticism movement has not always universally promoted falsehoods, having sponsored many science-friendly actions historically. There exist of course oppressive religions and pure Woo subjects which need diligent countering.  But it is not the things one is correct about after all which justify one’s actions; rather, those things which the Social Skeptic is religiously adamant, incorrect and prejudiced outside the bounds of science, which compose a damaging contribution on their part. These are the characteristic methods of ignorance which are enabled through the enforcement of the social lie. This is where the well expired point of diminishing returns becomes most manifest inside the actions set of Social Skepticism.

Triangulating a Fix

In navigation at sea, one can determine ship’s position via several methods. Older systems like Loran and Omega existed which allowed a mariner near shore to obtain position information via specialized receivers. Radio direction finding was always an added excitement to seafaring. One never knowing for certain if you were lost or not. Celestial sight reductions, sun lines and Local Apparent Noon can allow for a fix in blue water passage making. Today, satellite GPS provides a very accurate fix for open sea navigation; however sometimes when navigating a channel or tight formation of islands, it is useful to triangulate a fix off of nearby measured and charted objects.  In this method one simply takes a bearing shot with compass enabled binoculars, or through a shot-sighted compass, converts the bearing shot to True bearing via the “Can Dead Men Vote Twice At Elections” (Compass Deviation Magnetic Variation True Add East) convention, and then marks that bearing line across the observed (shot) fixed structure on the chart. Perform this three times, and where the three lines intersect as a group, that is approximately where you were when you made the bearing shots.

This is called a Terrestrial Fix and is shown as a circle with the dot inside it on the chart to the right.  From there, the prudent mariner knows where to set safe course and speed, from which to extrapolate, or dead recon. The skilled skipper can do this innately, sometimes almost in his head, in familiar waters or in situations where speed is of the essence. Tools such as the Three Minute Rule or the Radian Rule can provide fast access to key data which allows insight into a Inland Rules of the Road or Collective Regulations situation at sea. The key is the ability to run the fix at the right in your head, along with an estimate of set, drift, course and speed while you stand watch at the helm.

In similar fashion, for those who navigate the complexities of truth, social enforcement and the scientific method, it is useful to be able to spot the key indicators which elucidate when Social Skepticism is promoting a lie. A lie in the name of enforcing their cult and religion as opposed to real science.  This is where the skill of triangulating a lie comes in to play.

I can forgive a lie issued to protect one’s self, and may fathom what motivates the starving thief. But it is those who lie, only in purpose to harm others as entertainment, which evokes a most august objection.  ~TES

Triangulating a Lie of Social Skepticism

Social Skeptics speak often of “triangulating the truth,’ and indeed this is a useful analogy to some of the deliberative challenges inside of society and science. Lies however are typically enforced by means other than diligent research, hypothesis reduction, observation, objective neutrality and ethical curiosity. There are a number of subjects which are blocked from science by Social Skepticism. Social Skeptics bear none of these traits of ethical scientific method, rather are fixated on declaring a subject dead before any of these actions of science have ever been undertaken.  There are a variety of reasons for this, which I have cited in the Ten Pillars. But more importantly, it is incumbent upon the honest researcher to be able to spot the habits of a social liar, and use these hints to triangulate the lie itself.  The promoted religion of Nihilism is the lie of Social Skepticism, which one must ethically reject as actively as one did with oppressive Abrahamic religions. Watch the social actions of SSkeptics and you will note that on certain subjects, ones which threaten them, the traits of the social lie will become manifest:

• Targeting a woo group whom they imply is less than human and of lesser mental skill or capability
• Employment of one liners, weapon words, celebrity intimidation and propaganda
• Intimidation of students, researchers and direction of media along methods of social enforcement/passing off themselves as “experts” or “investigators.”

True science involves the courage to set one’s prejudices aside in favor of real questions and new discovery.  Not to promote circumstantial methods of social control – and here is the key – EVEN if the answer promoted ends up being correct in the end, the method is still wrong, and will eventually result in social oppression and cultural mistakes.

Today we suffer, as a direct result of the ignorance cultivated by Social Skepticism. There exist serious sets of data, questioning, consistent observation, insight and discovery which lay derelict, victim of the prophylactic, pretentious and pseudoscientific phrase “I am a skeptic.”

Through Ethical Skepticism as a movement of science and a movement of conscience, we can fix this.