An Endoresement of Skepticism as a Life Skill

A thing is not proved just because no one has ever questioned it. What has never been gone into impartially has never been properly gone into. Hence skepticism is the first step toward truth. It must be applied generally, because it is the touchstone.

— Denis Diderot

Growing up, we’re subjected to a variety of claims on various subjects. Some substantiated, some dubious. As children, we do not have adequate knowledge or tools to verify said claims. As we begin to grow up and start gaining knowledge, we slowly being to question things. Why are things the way they are? Who made the things the way they are? How can we make things different? Can we even make the things any different? We’re given answers to some of those questions by our families, teachers, friends. Sometimes we take those answers at face value, but at times the answers lead to even more questions.

As children, most of us are curious by nature which helps us learn many things. But as we turn into adults and get ourselves into the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, some of us slowly forget the natural inquisitiveness to seek answers that we used to have as children. It wouldn’t be true to say that we totally lose our ability or interest to question things, but we use it less and less each passing day, keeping ourselves busy with our regular activities and other distractions.

Being the inquisitive person that I am, I’ve never lost my interest in asking questions and seeking answers. I tend to believe that life is sometimes about discovery, and not being certain all the time. I like to be a little skeptical about grand claims, a little doubtful. My disbelief might stem from a lack of verifiable evidence to support said claim or because the claim cannot be proved to be rational in any way or because if the claim comes from a proven unreliable source. Rather than taking anything for granted, I like to validate the truth of the claim.

I’d like to clarify that I’m a skeptic, not a cynic. I don’t take for granted that some belief I don’t seem to agree with is wrong, rather that it maybe wrong. I do not distrust most information I see or hear, and don’t just jump into debunking some idea, with little support to justify my beliefs. I am not a negative person. I just try to add an extra filter to the social norms that we take for granted to be true, without questioning their rationality. I’m not a dogmatic or rigid person either. I simply do not react to the first answer given to my questioning a grand claim. I try to get more evidence before buying into it.

I believe that skepticism is a key part of critical thinking. We should be willing to question the status quo while also being open-minded. Skepticism doesn’t mean being a denier of everything. Anything may be possible or may not be possible until proven otherwise. Skepticism is about trying to find the truth of any claim, to understand whether the sources and analysis are impartial and reliable. Questioning a claim is how new ways of thinking are created. If we believe in absolute truths, we do not leave room for any improvement. People who tend to stick to what they believe is true, without giving a moment to think about it and trying to verify the facts of their beliefs, stop learning.

Look, it’s okay to believe something and then after reviewing the facts realize that we were wrong. Changing our minds is always wise. The world is uncertain and continually changing. So are our social ideas and norms. We’re constantly discovering something new all the time. Being skeptical could help prevent us from taking things for granted . It could help us to consider all points of view and not be swayed by partial considerations. It could help us to not be manipulated by others into their beliefs and help us think for ourselves.

Being skeptical doesn’t require much effort. All we need to do is listen to the different sides of a story, look for verifiable sources, study the information that is available and set our long-held beliefs aside before coming to a conclusion.