h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The first question is, " Credulity vs. Skepticism, how important is each to human nature for our growth and evolution as an individual and a society. ".

You thought this post was dead - but you were wrong.

I am deeply skeptical and cynical. I think skepticism is necessary to eliminate unfounded theories and help us develop working technologies and answer questions. Credulity is found across human kind, however. Some people believe anything they are told. A certain evangelist claims he's Jesus and undoubtable someone will follow him. Science works on skepticism. If people weren't skeptic of the church we would still believe the world was flat. This skepticism drives us to check out what we are told and therefore either prove it right or come up with another theory. As I say in http://www.h2g2.com/A207749 , if it wasn't for cynicism (or skepticism) "our society (sorry for using the s-word) would collapse as dillusional optimists would wonder (and wander) freely - hypothosising about how all will be perfect."

Yeah, I did think it was dead. I thought maybe I was reaching a little (See my new heading...need I say more?) but I thank you for responding and infusing a little hope in humanity again.

You do make some good points, and I can hardly argue because I feel much the same way- (Thanks for the cynicism/skepticism disclaimer, I can't tell you how many "hard" discussions I've been in trying to explain the difference between the two and how one is positive and the other is not) but I don't think that it is that cut and dry. I believe there must be a balance somewhere. It would be just the same if you put your skeptic blinders on ( you run the risk of becoming a cynic. ) and not try and understand the other side. This is why I think that scientists who marry their skeptical/scientific views with their religious views make for a better exercised mind. I'm Buddhist and the practice itself has aided me through some aspects of life, ( It should be noted that Buddhism does not believe in an all powerful or any type of god though I still struggle with some things that you discover and I do not subscribe to the whole doctrine. ) just as my natural skeptical state has also served me well. My whole point is there seems to be a need for balance. You said that if credulity ruled then people would wander around in this dream state. That maybe true but those same people, in reality, inspire the human race to go forward and try new things. They dream up things that no one else will. If not for the dreamers we wouldn't have flown, went to the moon or have dreamt of a day where everyone own's their own robot or there are people on the moon.

My whole point is, I think you had taken skepticism and elevated it above credulity. I think both are equally important and anybody who can balance the two will be better for it. Everytime I hear something new from either the spiritual or scientific side I use the same process to analyse the information, based on my own feelings and experiences. In both cases I must exercise a dose of credulity and believe what I'm being told or read or seen or not believe or catagorize it in any number of look into files.

I know I've been harping on the spiritual side of things, but we both know that a great amount of credulity is used in believing in the complete unknown. One thing that always bothered me, ( I've always been mostly skeptical throughout my life, not a lot of balance here! ) was the FACT, that wherever you went in this world, and although groups of the human species where isolated from each other, they always had two things in common. 1) A smile is a smile. 2) They all had some kind of spiritual belief system.

Human nature? Hmmmmm....

By the way I've decided to keep the Simpson's heading. Though it would be nice to continue talking I encourage you to do so. Maybe someone just might read this and might want to put their 2 cents in.