tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post4927852969093784252..comments2023-11-02T08:44:59.095-07:00Comments on The X-Files Lexicon Blog: The Value of reasonable "Skepticism"The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-66056251912965233202011-10-23T21:17:35.990-07:002011-10-23T21:17:35.990-07:00Thank you Raj for making so many astute points. I ...Thank you Raj for making so many astute points. I feel the objective should always been about seeking the truth, and how ever they are perceived, things aren't always as they seem, and that doesn't have to take away from that sense of wonder.<br /><br />I have no coals in the fire, as far as Randi James is concerned, I have no investment. I would just like people to stay on target with the subject, what ever it may be, and steer clear of inferred personal attacks. What ever will happen will happen.The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-42022538342689537972011-10-23T19:41:33.643-07:002011-10-23T19:41:33.643-07:00P.S.
I just wanted to add that in my opinion paed...P.S.<br /><br />I just wanted to add that in my opinion paedophilia has nothing to do with genuine sexuality, whether we're talking about homosexuality, heterosexuality or bisexuality. <br /><br />I think paedophilia, like rape in general, is about domination and control. It's an incredibly fetishized and desolate stimulus-response that has nothing to do with genuine eroticism, affection or love. It's an incredibly dark pathology and is deeply, deeply sick. <br /><br />The passion shared between consenting adults of the same or opposite sex has NOTHING to do with that. Maybe I'm stating the obvious - but I think it's important to point out.<br /><br />Thanks again for the maturity and lucidity in this post!Rajhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12817085450834465555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-13138865253722402712011-10-23T19:19:54.783-07:002011-10-23T19:19:54.783-07:00X-Files Lexicon Blog,
This is an excellent piece ...X-Files Lexicon Blog,<br /><br />This is an excellent piece of writing that prefaces its suppositions and outlines its argument very clearly, and with a sober intent. I'm no fan of Randi, from the little I know about him, but I respect the lucidity of the argument in this post. <br /><br />Of course, reasonable skepticism is incredibly useful - especially for anyone interested in paranormal or esoteric experiences. I myself have experienced so many bizarre and 'paranormal' events that without the kind of reasonable skepticism you highlight I would've definitely lost the plot. <br /><br />Skepticism keeps a seeker grounded and connected to the everyday details and context of his personal reality. I think it's important to accept that we are fallible creatures with gaps and fractures in our reasoning and our knowledge. How could we not be? I think skepticism is important in this sense. <br /><br />But I think it's also important to remember that when we accept that a supposedly paranormal experience might have a 'mundane' explanation we shouldn't always assume that 'rational materialism' is the natural default position. <br /><br />The Newtonian clockwork view of reality is a paradigm like any other - just as the Quantum interconnected view is a paradigm. It's a way of conceptually structuring experience so that we can claim to know the world. If something is empirically testable, we claim to know the 'actuality' of the thing, and empiricism is extremely useful. <br /><br />But we should always remember that 'actuality' is multi-faceted. A tree isn't just a tree, for example; it's an organic structure, a gestalt of numerous smaller organic structures, a respiratory system for the earth, an object of beauty and contemplation, a constellation of energetic vibrating frequencies, and so on. <br /><br />The point I'm trying to make is that any and all of these aspects can be viewed as mundane or spectacular. A ghost might really be a hallucination or a trick of the light, for example. Healthy skepticism has to accept this as a possibility, but it doesn't mean that these 'non-paranormal' explanations aren't full of wonder or mystery. They're just 'mundane' in relation to the more exotic explanation for a ghost. <br /><br />I'm a big fan of trying to perceive the magical in the mundane. I think you understand what I'm trying to say here. Even if there are no aliens, no ghosts, no Bigfoot or Loch Ness monster - the world is still profoundly magical, simply because there are so many ways of experiencing, perceiving and communicating it. <br /><br />So in this sense I think that reasonable skepticism doesn't have to look with eyes that are absent of awe - they just have to look with a fluidity of perspective and to accept the fallibility of our perceptions, and to be willing to reassess things on a case by case basis when evidence suggests one thing or the other. <br /><br />That's real maturity and real wisdom, in my humble opinion. Thanks again for the excellent post!<br /><br />PeaceRajhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12817085450834465555noreply@blogger.com