It's like saying there is no Santa Claus because we all know the Easter Bunny does it all.

The irony (and dumb irony at that) is that I could be completely wrong on my (unstated) objections to the top ten myths in pool list. But that's not the point. The point is that (hang on now) people seem to be a little too credulous when presented with an act of debunking. I remember people went on for years about how that exploding whale thing was an urban legend, giving so-called evidence of its falsitude. By now, we've all seen the quicktime.

So, why is it that people want to believe in cynicism? Is the unending battle between occam's razor, buke's butterknife, and Blore's Razor, producing a constant stream of mediocrity casualties? Given the ever shifting border between nonsense and sense, it seems appropirate that, instead of signing up to be a border patrol thug, we'd all be better off with dual citizenship.

p.s.: James Randi and CSICOP are doing a wonderful job of providing plausible deniability to all those with extrascientific assets.

p.p.s: the master says: be skeptical of skepticism

There is a difference between skepticism and cynicism. Skepticism requires more thought and, more, it requires a willingness to admit that you were wrong. Cynics are a dime a dozen because cynicism is a fashion that we pass through every so often. It requires no more thought than any other pose.

It is laudable to remain openminded and willing to admit a mistake. If you aren't, you are a dogmatist even if you won't dare admit it. But being willing to look at evidence means being willing (and able) to sift through the bullshit. Reflexively nodding your head takes no more thought than reflexively shaking it.

There is a difference between honest skepticism, reflexive contrariness, and wide-eyed credulity. The second is the domain of the uncomfortable adolescent and the third is the mark of the religious fanatic. Only the first requires actual thought and thus is the mark of the truly mature mind.

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