THE |
|
a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining
to occult, mystical, and spiritual subjects. |
To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.paranet.skeptic,sci.skeptic,alt.magick From: flufwiknSubject: Skeptical Approaches to the Occult Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 23:48:20 GMT 50031017 viii om RE skepticism applied within occult usenet (/internet) forums "Farside" in alt.magick: #> I'm under the impression 'SI Skeptic' is in reference to the #> publication Skeptical Inquirer. I've never read that publication #> nor have I spent significant time on its website so I don't know #> much about that organization. My favorites are Robert Carrol's #> Skeptic's Dictionary website, James Randi's JREF website, and #> Stephen Barrett's Quackwatch. thanks for the references. mostly I've seen Martin Gardiner's and Asimov's old material (maybe one of MGardiner's new books on pseudo-science, and one or two issues of The Skeptical Inquirer, with which he is or was associated and which I heartily recommend). there's a www.skepticalinquirer.com about which you're speaking. "Tom" : # There are strong similarities. You'd enjoy the magazine. agreed. #> Fr. A.o.C. may think he's seen a skeptic as developed as #> I am on this newsgroup before, but I think he's mistaken. # # Well, we'll see. are there levels of development for skeptics? like magic users in role-playing games? "I'm a 16th Level Skeptic with a Pencil of Disillusionment! What you got, boyo?!" ;> #> I've even searched the history of alt.magick on Google to #> check. I couldn't find a single skeptic engaging this #> group specifically, just some typical cross-posted #> cut&pastes. dunno what you mean. many of the regulars have applied very strict skeptical inquiries to claims made in alt.magick, and some of these discussions have been cross-posted to sci.skeptic. realistically it intersects where specific ideologies or practice are being analyzed from physicalist and literal paradigms. Tom, Josh, Amanda, sri catyananda, gnome, I and others have entertained all manner of discussion here from very challenging perspectives through the years. Tom has even garnered a reputation for being anti-arcane at times (;>), when people fail to understand his motivations and interests. their loss, I say. # They tend to come and go. There have never been that many. # Of course, there's always me, but then again, I'm not a very # typical skeptic, in the sense you probably mean by the term. in that sense, probably few hang around these paranormal groups. the issue quickly becomes what level of skepticism is rational to maintain given a familiarity with the subject matter. at a basic level, all philosophic challenges are valuable, and beyond this, challenges to outrageous or unusual phenomenal claims are of course important. but certain practical axioms are important to move discussion along else no knowledge is possible to attain and it serves only to waste all of our time with quibbling. #> And since I value Wikipedia over any skeptic site, I plan on #> making mincemeat of any flummerous fool dumb enough to #> take my bait to defend his cherished superstitious notions. LOL! # Again, we'll see. You might be surprised at the kind of # people you encounter here. Then again, maybe you won't. competition for skepticism? my ideal for it isn't cynical but indwelling to the knowledge set being discussed, therefore shifting with assent based on practical and coincident theory. typically those who IDENTIFIED themselves as "skeptics" with whom I've discussed occult topics (that is: alchemy, divination and magic) were often ignorant of the history and theory and kept themselves that way by virtue of challenges to base-level material without undertaking for themselves a practical and thorough investigation. i.e. they weren't skeptics in the big sense of wanting to *see* everything (which I value), but they were skeptics in the sense that they wished to *dispute* everything (which I equate to cynicism as it becomes a primary activity on their part in their investigation/exploration of the topic and ignores or avoids accepting base-level knowledge). flufwikn nagasiva@luckymojo.com
The Arcane Archive is copyright by the authors cited.
Send comments to the Arcane Archivist: tyaginator@arcane-archive.org. |
Did you like what you read here? Find it useful?
Then please click on the Paypal Secure Server logo and make a small donation to the site maintainer for the creation and upkeep of this site. |
The ARCANE ARCHIVE is a large domain,
organized into a number of sub-directories, each dealing with a different branch of religion, mysticism, occultism, or esoteric knowledge. Here are the major ARCANE ARCHIVE directories you can visit: |
|
interdisciplinary:
geometry, natural proportion, ratio, archaeoastronomy
mysticism: enlightenment, self-realization, trance, meditation, consciousness occultism: divination, hermeticism, amulets, sigils, magick, witchcraft, spells religion: buddhism, christianity, hinduism, islam, judaism, taoism, wicca, voodoo societies and fraternal orders: freemasonry, golden dawn, rosicrucians, etc. |
SEARCH THE ARCANE ARCHIVE
There are thousands of web pages at the ARCANE ARCHIVE. You can use ATOMZ.COM
to search for a single word (like witchcraft, hoodoo, pagan, or magic) or an
exact phrase (like Kwan Yin, golden ratio, or book of shadows):
OTHER ESOTERIC AND OCCULT SITES OF INTEREST
Southern
Spirits: 19th and 20th century accounts of hoodoo,
including slave narratives & interviews
|