Believer and skeptic?
Believer in what? Materialism? Physicalism? Special Relativity? Taoism?
The fact is that everyone is a believer - in something. In fact, many who spout the accepted science cliches are more ardent believers than those whose beliefs involve a deity or deities. It can qyutie easily be shown that though it is semantically correct - the phrase "I don't believe . . " is always a passive restatement of "I believe." The atheist is an active believer in the non-existence of a deity. The materialist is a firm believer in the primacy of the physical.
So again . . believer in what? Yes I get that the accepted use is to reinforce the " science isn't about beliefs" fallacy. Of course science, like any other methodology, rests on many beliefs. And when science has become a euphemism for materialism those beliefs are even more numerous.
As for "skeptics"- a genuine skeptic is a rare occurrence. What are termed "skeptics" in the context at hand - are those who have strong and passionate beliefs that are more status-quo. Like all fervent believers they are driven to attack those beliefs that are not in line with their own.
A genuine skeptic is dispassionate about most of his/her beliefs and functions with an open-mind that examines mainstream concepts no differently.than it examines concepts that are on the periphery of society.
That's it for the inaccuracy.
Counter-productive because in reinforcing the value system that sets mainstream beliefs as superior to all else, it obscures the real points in - the nitty-gritty of this "debate."
Believer in what? Materialism? Physicalism? Special Relativity? Taoism?
The fact is that everyone is a believer - in something. In fact, many who spout the accepted science cliches are more ardent believers than those whose beliefs involve a deity or deities. It can qyutie easily be shown that though it is semantically correct - the phrase "I don't believe . . " is always a passive restatement of "I believe." The atheist is an active believer in the non-existence of a deity. The materialist is a firm believer in the primacy of the physical.
So again . . believer in what? Yes I get that the accepted use is to reinforce the " science isn't about beliefs" fallacy. Of course science, like any other methodology, rests on many beliefs. And when science has become a euphemism for materialism those beliefs are even more numerous.
As for "skeptics"- a genuine skeptic is a rare occurrence. What are termed "skeptics" in the context at hand - are those who have strong and passionate beliefs that are more status-quo. Like all fervent believers they are driven to attack those beliefs that are not in line with their own.
A genuine skeptic is dispassionate about most of his/her beliefs and functions with an open-mind that examines mainstream concepts no differently.than it examines concepts that are on the periphery of society.
That's it for the inaccuracy.
Counter-productive because in reinforcing the value system that sets mainstream beliefs as superior to all else, it obscures the real points in - the nitty-gritty of this "debate."