The Two Goals of Ethical Skepticism: Value and Clarity
Value
A primary goal of Ethical Skepticism: “Value – as measured by achieving beneficial outcomes in their research”
Value is the watchword of humanity. It is the measure by which we are all appraised. It applies from fields as diverse as medical research, metallurgy, information systems and on certainly into issues of economics and national wealth. Our current economic woes stem indeed from a shift of value-laden activities offshore and into the hands of horizontal monopolies or those countries who have enslaved their populations. As well the current malady is festering where there exists a divestiture of value oriented professions on the part of socialized countries in the Middle East and Europe. Indeed the principle of Inflation itself, inside of value based economics, is simply a dilution in value, and is not necessarily constituted and characterized by a rise in pricing, nor by the increase in M1 to M3 conversion leverage rates. Value is the measure of how we as persons and institutions are doing at earning our keep. It can be born by innovation, creativity, the ability to entertain, inspire, repair, engineer, support, be productive, efficiently turn money or invest hard work. Any or all of these very human virtues each produces value in a socioeconomic context. Where value goes, so goes the wealth of a nation.
Where Value Goes, So Goes Wealth
If I take a dollar as compensation for my job or service, and do not provide a commensurate value in return, I have increased the amount of burden placed on everyone. I have increased Inflation, and Inflation is an equal opportunity employer. A society can produce Inflation through theft, bureaucracy, inefficiency, skimming, excessive taxation, monopoly and oligopoly, squelching of ideas, prohibiting disdained thinking, intimidation and the instilling of fear, destroying dreams, allowing infrastructure decay, excessive militarization, protocol formalizing, institutionalizing, regulating, creating elite aristocracies, class polarization, programming, institutional entitlement, excessive religious control, and encouraging the overall detachment of dreams from work on the part of the average individual.
Skepticism applied as a goal in and of itself, and not as a contingent sub-feature of a broader set of scientific inquiry, does not produce value
Deskeption is one such activity which dilutes value. Just because one enjoys a personal reward as a SSkeptic by decrying potential errors inside a “topic of pseudoscience,” simply because they may catch a Schopenhauer logical fallacy every now and then, does not mean that one is increasing the overall value of their contribution to society. The potential net loss in squelching even ONE significant idea of merit, is vastly more destructive than the scant benefit derived through trivial repetition of one liners. Further, when the SSkeptic exercises enjoyment of the Ten Pillars of control he is contributing to the overall “squelching ideas, prohibiting disdained thinking, intimidation, institutional entitlement, elite aristocracies and the instilling of fear” process. And make no mistake, this set of circumstances exists in science right now. It might be a rewarding psychological return for the SSkeptic, to be in control of those things which science is allowed to examine, but that role is not healthy for science or our society. It might be heady compensation to not have your thoughts held to account, and to manifest the appearance of always being right by the simple act of ridiculing those whom you deem to be lesser people, as if bully on an elementary school playground. It might be personally rewarding to the SSkeptic, but it does not improve life, does not improve information, does not improve knowledge, does not improve science.
It would benefit me much to be a King, but I am not sure everyone else would fare so well.
The simple fact is, that in an unbridled and research driven culture, added information tends to falsify errant constructs and data through a simple disciplined process. Such a culture does not require SSkeptics. In an environment, such as the labs I run, outlier ideas are not things to eschew as long as we have ways to evaluate them. We do not need police who filter ideas in advance, pretending to be on our side, as that stifled thinking destroys our lab’s business. We do not need Kings who have appointed themselves to that Lordship role by their own volition. The Science is King.
Ethical Skepticism seeks to Add Value – Not Intimidate and Squelch Ideas
How does the Ethical Skeptic Add Value? First we must address two prerequisites to Ethical Skepticism:
A. That one actually does research
B. That one is under the burden of changing the state of mankind for the better (note: teaching everyone ‘the truth’ does not qualify as bettering mankind)
Outside of these two requirements, one is a person with an opinion (which is fine), but is not an Ethical Skeptic. From there, the Ethical Skeptic adds value by some basic tenets:
- By conducting actual ground up research. Nothing kills SSkepticism quicker than by one actually being out there and doing the field work
- By skipping Promotification, and looking at what ALL the data really says
- By not Filtering Data, or Dismissing Data because one has presumed the superiority of one’s own or Cabal’s knowledge
- By getting out of the classroom, media and academia – or other self focus activity
- Allowing constructs to falsify themselves through rich added data, not Deniability
- By tolerating the falsification of my pet ideas and beliefs
- By working to eliminate the personal character flaw of disdain
- By being placed under a delivery burden which required new thought
- By having a human need ride on their research, not just intellectual banter
- By deriving an actual benefit, from their work, in terms of one of the counter-inflationary activity sets
- By reducing the need for power gratification, and increasing the understanding and appreciation of those around you.
Personally addressing the Ten Pillars in all of us, is our task in life. No squelching, no intimidation and excuses to ridicule people (“outlandish claims are indistinguishable from a parody of same”, etc.), no intimidation of colleagues into a house of silence and fear, no prejudiced data filter, no disdain, no leveraging our elite entitlement power. Rather, provide Value.
Ethical Skepticism, exhibiting the best of Human Character.
