what exactly drives the skeptical ??

[ProfWag]

[NinjaPuppy]

I'm fully aware of what it is and of the story in your link. Yes, the three little girls in Salem may very well have been under the effects of ergot but that doesn't explain the actions of the judges and other officials involved.

[Kevin Kane]

[ciscop]

[Kevin Kane]

Ciscop, whatever it is .. some sort of spambot who can't prove that it's human .. is a perfect example of the type of skeptic we've seen many times.

There are remarkably few places to go online where those who want to discuss their paranormal experiences or alternate "heretical" beliefs and practices, seriously and thoughtfully, can go. And the few places that do exists, are over run by abusive skeptics who want to put them down or have something to prove. There's plenty of places where skeptics can go and circle jerk their half-assed theories, but they always need to hunt down, mock and insult those who are different than them. Skeptics are some sick puppies, and it needs to be said.

[ProfWag]

[Kevin Kane]

Hypatia was a heretic, a non-conformist, a free-thinker. A pagan, a neoplatonist philosopher, and the first female scientist of reknown, and a good one at that. Her best attributed quote is:

"Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all."


If skeptics believe that paranormalists and alternative therapists are "thinking wrongly", at least we are thinking.

[ProfWag]

[stevetrueblue]

Almost simultaneuosly Christopher Hitchins owns up to Homosoexual practices.

This could be the death of The New Atheism.

Randi in his outing speech blames holy books and "intolerant society" for his lifelong concealed grief and resultant anger. It also explains his war against religions. With the two leading skeptics confessing to their likely dishonest motivations we only need wait for Dawkins to fess up. Its likely some of Randis followers, miltant atheists are also grief stricken angry latent gays.
It would explain much of their irrational anger. One militant atheist has already been caught viewing GAY PORN on Youtube. HONEST. There is a video.... of the discovery.......

http://voxday.blogspot.com/2010/03/whos-got-next.html

[stevetrueblue]

Randi reveals in his outing statement a lifetime of deception and anger toward "intolerant society" and its "holy books"

Complaining about society intolerance, while being extremely intolerant toward religions, himself.
It certainly suggests a motivation for much of his irrational attacks on Religions.
Christopher Hitchins another world famour atheist has just confessed to homosexual practices.
So the top echelon of miltant atheists have always been closet gays. Food for thought.
So thats one possibiilty for what drives SOME pseudoskeptics.

http://voxday.blogspot.com/2010/03/whos-got-next.html

[Nostradamus]

[Craig Browning]

Nostradamus if you are referring to the RANDI COMES OUT SPAM... I'm all for outing our friend at this point... too much immaturity and I kind of like the guy, but enough is enough!

[jakesteele]

In my opinion here's the true underlying cause of the aggressive, attacking nature of a debunker.

Closure (psychology)
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Closure is a popular psychology term. It refers to a conclusion to a traumatic event or experience in a person's life. The term became popular in the 1990s due to its use in the popular media. The term cognitive closure has been defined as to "a desire for definite knowledge on some issue and the eschewal of confusion and ambiguity."[1] Need for closure is a phrase used by psychologists to describe an individual’s desire for a firm solution as opposed to enduring ambiguity.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Need For Closure Scale (NFCS)
o 1.1 Research
* 2 Collective psychology
* 3 References
* 4 External links

[edit] Need For Closure Scale (NFCS)

The need for closure varies across individuals, situations, and cultures. A person with a high need for closure prefers order and predictability and is decisive and close minded. This person also feels discomfort from ambiguity.[2] Someone rating low on need for closure will express more ideational fluidity and emit more creative acts.[3]

The Need for Closure Scale (NFCS) was developed by Arie Kruglanski, Donna Webster, and Adena Klem in 1993. Items on the scale include statements such as “I think that having clear rules and order at work is essential to success.” and “I do not like situations that are uncertain”. Items such as “Even after I’ve made up my mind about something, I am always eager to consider a different opinion.” and “I like to have friends who are unpredictable” are reversed scored.[4] This scale is composed of 42 items and has been used in numerous research studies and has been translated into multiple languages. In 2007, Roets and Van Hiel revised the scale to resolve the psychometric problems and obtain a stable, one-dimensional scale.[5]

The Need for Closure Scale exhibits low to moderate association with the following: “authoritarianism, intolerance of ambiguity, dogmatism, need for cognition, cognitive complexity, impulsivity, need for structure, and fear of invalidity, while retaining considerable distinctiveness from those various constructs”.[6]. It does not appear to be related with the intelligence level nor social desirability concerns.

It is a very fundamentalist mindset that experiences Existential pain at the uncertain and ambiguous nature of Life, the Universe and Everything.

[really?]

[jakesteele]