Why Separate from Scientific Skepticism?

Why Separate from Scientific Skepticism?

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In the previous post, I said Receptive Skepticism (RS) is a project to make a new form of skepticism.   And that is being done to meet a need, to save lives, and make things better.  Scientific Skepticism still has great people leading it toward a good direction. And while both can exist side by side and even work together,  RS can’t do what it needs to do, the way it can when distinct, while within Scientific Skepticism.   And then how it functions in practice will be socially different enough to make it something seen as a different type, or a new branch in the developmental direction of methodological skepticism.

A Different Essence in the Design
RS needs to be on its own, because although it is underpinned by a similar parent philosophy, it is designed to have a very different essence.  It is designed to meet a need.  And RS isn’t designed to just be a methodology.  Systems science, (see the link below), indicates a need for not only a methodology, but also a community of people who are unique as a whole, because being open-minded and receptive of even the undesirable and despised, changes our lives and relationships.  

Community-Minded Systemic Function
This is unavoidable. By being kind, harboring no hostility for others, and receiving others who want a break from the cruelty of hostility,  we would make a like-minded community inevitable.  As we get rid of the hostility, we can replace it with appreciation for one another, and a deeper sense of community feeling of support.  To work right, we need to recognize that avoidable outcome from the start, and design the system according to the logical end of what effect it would have, and what role it would play in the larger social system.   This makes it something that can’t simply be Scientific Skepticism, because scientific skepticism has already become its own system, with its own norms, and this would be distinct enough from the predecessor to make it unique. Plus, community is needed to pull off the effort of rejecting hostility.  A major deterrent to pulling it off, is that not many will be doing it at first.  That support from those who also are ready to be free from the hostility, can help the outside pressure to be hostile be kept at bay.

Being Well Defined and Distinct Makes for Better Survivability
Also, a well defined name is better for reaching the project goal, due to it better establishing those factors as a key base norm, which is then protected by negative feedback loops.  By designing a name that encapsulates the core of the methodology so well into itself, it better ensures this skepticism will make receptivity and skepticism into solidified core components.  Then it better stays going in the right direction.  

Better Chances, and Better Relationships with Skeptics and Others
On the inside, trying to change creates antagonism.  There will be times when we will have to try to accomplish our goals, while Scientific Skeptics, and other science advocates with similar goals are using ridicule or aggression like the norm everywhere in society.  The approaches will conflict with each other.  If we are a third party, then we can share that being different, to be heard differently, and to also not be seen as trying to push the Scientific Skeptics or other science advocates into acting differently.  Within the same system, it would cause feedback loop conflicts, like described in the link below.   

Conclusion
Promoting open-mindedness, and reflective thinking, and using more welcoming words, can help others in the greater community feel better about the methodology.  The distinctiveness created by scorn aversion, would both change the essence of practicing skeptical inquiry, and foster a scorn-averse community.  When trying to do something better, whatever it is, needs to stand out for the sake of building a reputation, preserving it, and growing it.  Being able to differentiate RS from other methodologies and social approaches, makes us able to be a better positive influence.  Ultimately the design of it being a different skepticism isn’t just because it is different, but also because it is to be able to make positive change.

This expands on some ideas from the scorn-aversion page, to evaluate the tied material, read the first section under the heading “Precisely Identifying Scorn” Here

Source: te

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