Science and Skepticism

Abstract

Ever since reading Martin Gardner’s classic Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science back in high school, I’ve had a strong interest in the idea of skepticism, critically examining our assumptions about science and the ways in which we misinterpret the world around us. This doesn’t just mean picking at easy targets such as astrology and numerology, but also asking basic questions about the sources of all our scientific knowledge. We need to be careful not to define skepticism as simply our instinctive negative reaction to the sillier of the New Age fads, but as our requirement to carefully think about our hidden and not-so-hidden assumptions.