Skepticism: A Good or Bad thing?

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Consider this: a random doctor comes up to you, professing to have a cure for any and all kinds of viruses. He presents a syringe of the “antidote”, he has not provided background nor the results of his experimentation. Would you take the antidote? Within a person's life time, there will be various moments of skepticism. Skepticism can be both beneficial and detrimental, it can also lead to the arising of various knowledge claims. One of the ways by, which a person can gain knowledge is through their level of skepticism. Some knowledge claims that can arise as a result of too much or too little skepticism include; does this approach allow for knowledge to be gained with some degree of certainty? Is this approach to gaining knowledge reliable? Within the various areas of knowledge, the manner in which we absorb the information and knowledge provided can vary. With some areas of knowledge, the information we gain we may take in without questioning. In other areas of knowledge, we might take in the information with a grain of salt; presenting our skepticism. My thesis is that while skepticism can be a beneficial approach to gaining knowledge in the AOKs of the natural sciences and history, it can also be detrimental, based on the impact the AOK has on the person observing it, as well as the perspective of the person. The subsequent knowledge issues that arise as a result, will need to be analyzed in order for me to be able to evaluate the “skeptics” approach in the AOKs of natural science and history.
In the AOK of the natural sciences, having a skeptical approach can be quite beneficial. The natural sciences utilizes extensive methods in which they come to conclusions about the information presented, based on the various experiment...

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...use it is used to justify and solidify theories. Every time scientists take experiments and replicate them, they utilize the skeptical approach. Contrary to that history focused more so on a skeptical approach by those in society, not necessarily scientists. Miguel de Unamuno comments that, “The skeptic does not mean him who doubts, but him who investigates or researches, as opposed to him who asserts and thinks that he has found.” This approach is very important to gaining knowledge. It allows us to ensure that the knowledge and information we have, is supported with evidence and logic. This approach plays a significant role in gaining knowledge in various AOKs and is highly valued by some, including myself.

Works Cited

"Emile M. Cioran Quote."BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
"Famous Skepticism Quotes."Ranker. Ranker, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.

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