For All of Our Skeptics...

Diana Hignutt said:

I honestly hope you keep up your important work, and wish you all well. I have fun with skeptics of all sorts, and believe it or not, consider myself a skeptic as well. Well, I thought it was funny...

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I doubt that . . .

There's a difference between being a skeptic and refusing to believe rational things. Skeptics refuse to believe without proof, it doesn't mean they necessarily disbelieve something because there's no proof, they just wait until the facts are in.

If the guy on the right had a bigger tummy it could be me.

Diana, it works on so many levels.

I think it's funny too. There aren't many jokes about skeptics that are not somehow condescending, but this is one of them.

Diana Hignutt, that is amusing.

I do not believe I have ever posted in this area, but I could be wrong. It smells the same in here as it does in other areas of the Cooler. Doubters do not stink and to be honest I had my doubts that they ever really did.

There is a thing I would like to know about ye who doubt. Do you like it better with a "c" or a "k"?

Gehanna

Diana Hignutt said:

<snip> and believe it or not, consider myself a skeptic as well. <snip>

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My magic talking crystals tell me you don't.

Prove it.

Skeptic or Sceptic? Which why do you prefer it to be spelled?

Gehanna

Gehanna said:

Skeptic or Sceptic? Which why do you prefer it to be spelled?

Gehanna

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Either is fine. But don't leave out the letter. We don't like to be called septic.

skeptic also sceptic, 1580s, "member of an ancient Greek school that doubted the possibility of real knowledge," from Fr. sceptique, from L. scepticus, from Gk. skeptikos (pl. Skeptikoi "the Skeptics"), lit. "inquiring, reflective," the name taken by the disciples of the Greek philosopher Pyrrho (c.360-c.270 B.C.E.), from skeptesthai "to reflect, look, view" (see scope (1)). The extended sense of "one with a doubting attitude" first recorded 1610s. The sk- spelling is an early 17c. Greek revival and is preferred in U.S. I think "Skeptikos" sounds cool, like a ruminative throat-lozenge:

Dawnstorm said:

Either is fine. But don't leave out the letter. We don't like to be called septic.

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And that makes our counterparts the, erm, antiseptics...? I see we get the smelly bits.

Septic, craw, and counterparts. Shall we investigate?

Gehanna

alleycat said:

I doubt that . . .

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You doubt she considers herself a skeptic, or you doubt she found it funny?

Ben, President, The Organization for Skeptical Clarity.

Fallen said:

I see we get the smelly bits.

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Oh, I don't know. Aseptic environments have a pretty distinctive smell, too.

Gehenna said:

Shall we investigate?

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That's the spirit!

Ruv Draba said:

I think it's funny too. There aren't many jokes about skeptics that are not somehow condescending, but this is one of them.

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My favourite is Kurt Vonnegut's eulogy to Isaac Asimov, his predecessor as president of the American Humanist Association:

Isaac is in heaven now

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Wow, best comic I've seen in a long time, awesome

A cartoon by someone who gets it, yet finds the ridiculousness in it as well. Cute! Thanks, Diana.

Gehanna said:

Skeptic or Sceptic? Which why do you prefer it to be spelled?

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"Skeptic" is American; "sceptic" is British.

And your basic American will pronounce "sceptic" as "septic", and envision one of those little tank trucks running around sucking shit out of the ground in people's yards.

...and over here, "septic" is rhyming slang for "American". Because "Yank" ~ "septic tank". I haven't heard it in a long time, though.

poetinahat said:

...and over here, "septic" is rhyming slang for "American". Because "Yank" ~ "septic tank". I haven't heard it in a long time, though.

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I still use it.