Discussion: Politically Correct Skepticism
Saturday September 30, 2006
A forum member writes: As a rather devout skeptic, whenever I hear some suspicious sounding story, my first reaction is to be skeptical - as I'm sure many others do in this forum. Yet, while many of us challenge the original claims in every which way, most of us (myself included) avoid what might be one of the most likely explanations of all: that the original claimant is quite simply.. LYING. Is this political correctness going a step too far? ... Why should it be considered unethical or rude to tell someone they're probably lying? It's not like lying is such a rare thing after all.
Is it just "political correctness" not to accuse someone of lying? I don't think so - I think that people have a remarkable ability to convince themselves of things that just aren't true and that they should recognize as true, if they were to exercise some clear skepticism and critical thinking. Granted, lots of people do lying about lots of things - but accusing someone of lying, even assuming that they are lying, is a serious step. Gullibility and self-deception are often much more likely explanations - but what do you think? Read More...
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