Bad skepticism?

[AgnosticBoy]

I believe that skepticism is very important for weeding out truth from falsehoods. However, I think there are times when skepticism can become extreme, like when levels of skepticism are so high that it inhibits knowledge. Skepticism is also bad when it only amounts to debunking.

In the first instance of bad skepticism, you'll often find this happening when it comes to historical matters like on Jesus's existence. Many skeptics tend to become very hyperskeptic almost as if expecting for every single biblical detail to be backed by some independent source. If this were the case, then it would severely inhibit our knowledge of history, making it virtually impossible to know anything about history. Such skepticism is also impractical which might also explain why some skeptics apply it selectively.

The second instance I brought up has to do with people using skepticism just to debunk. When you're only looking to debunk then you're looking only for information that would disprove. This is biased or one-sided. Some may say that debunking is all that skepticism involves, but if that's the case then applying only skepticism is a problem. When I search for truth, I look for answers for AND against, and not just one side.

For Debate:
1. Do you agree with my points above?

2. Are there any other bad types of skepticism besides what I mentioned? If so, then please share.

 

[Swami V. Ānanda]

Are there any other bad types of skepticism besides what I mentioned? If so, then please share.

I have had lots of experiences with skeptics of all kinds. One big mistake that skeptics can make is when they want others to prove things for them. As an example, many skeptics reject Christianity based on Christians not being able to answer their questions. They are relying on others.

The skeptic should try looking for the answer himself. One solution is to go by experience. If you only read about Christianity and listen to other Christians, then how can one say that Christianity is false? How can one say that Christianity is false without having first experienced it for themselves? What is lacking in skepticism of today is experience. The skeptics need to focus more on a first-person perspective instead of a third-person perspective. In science, this type of research would be field research.