Archive for attitudes

What’s Behind The Label?

February 1, 2012 alan attitudes, beliefs, channeling medium, closed minded, conversations, dogmatic opinions, experience, mediumship, mind

Words mean what we agree they mean…

I think most people reading this blog would agree with that statement and perhaps those same people would accept that there are some interesting limitations in our conversations. The need to group ideas together, to create labels, is a part and parcel of the way we use language to share personal experience.

Sometimes it is worth stopping to think about the presuppositions behind some of the comments individuals make in order to explore the beliefs which underpin the statements.

For example if someone says they are a ‘spiritualist medium’ then the presuppositions which underpin that statement are:-

  • a belief in spirits
  • a belief that spirits are the the ‘souls’ or equivalent of those individuals who have died
  • a belief that human-to-spirit communication is possible
  • a belief that such spirits have a need/desire to communicate with human beings
  • a belief that they, the individual using the label spiritualist medium, has the ability to communicate with spirits
  • a desire to provide evidence (proof) of survival beyond death to others

Now all this may be true BUT skeptics would point out that each  one of these presuppositions is worthy of critical assessment and hence the over-arching claim of ‘spiritual mediumship’ is not as easy to explore and discuss as would initially be imagined.

Of course, in the case of many spiritualist mediums, the presuppositions listed above are only a small part of the complex metaphysical constructs that are derived from them… the scope and nature of ‘ ‘the world beyond’; the journey of the spirit/soul and the nature of the universe itself.

Again everything they say could be true – but in rational terms many of these ‘constructs’ are non-falsifiable and beyond the scope of scientific inquiry.

It interests me that some of those who turn around and call skeptics ‘closed minded’ and ready to label when they fails to see the layers of labels and boxes their own ‘open minded’ approaches create…. and of course we are all trapped within the boxes and labels of the language we use.

Alan

 

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The Rational Mystic 2012

January 26, 2012 alan 2012, attitudes, beliefs, complementary medicine, confirmation bias, critical thinking

Well folks we’re here…

We’ve made it through Elenin which kinda fizzled out like a damp sparkler and we’re into 2012 and yes change is in the air with the NEW LOOK Rational Mystic Blog….

Ok, so I know January is all but over, however I have been neglecting this blog – mostly because of the work that has been going into Penwith Radio in general and The Real Twilight Zone in particular. I really hope you’re aware of  both!

So. to kick things off in this new blog I thought I’d share a couple of skeptical videos – something that I hope will draw comment and provoke discussion.

The first is from Skeptic Michael Shermer

And the second from the magician turned skeptic – James Randi

 

Enjoy…

Comments welcomed and encouraged…

 

 

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Dogma results in Dogmatism?

June 2, 2011 alan attitudes, beliefs, change, dogmatic opinions, inflexibility, opinions, psychology, sceptic, scepticism, skepticism. science

Over the last few months I have come to the conclusion that my rational, skeptical self is far more open to change and challenge than many of those who have self-declared ‘open minded’ spiritual and mystical views.

I guess that this should not be that much of a suprise really as the whole basis of skepticism and scientifc inquiry is about “questioning”, “challenging” and mot merely “accepting” because we are told that ‘that is the case’!

My recent Educational Blog, about the problem of ‘teaching facts’ was driven by the need to promote healthy debate and rounded discussions of ideas. The Real Twilight Zone aims to open a weekly debate of the ‘unusual’ and of course Haunted Cornwall FM presents yet another space for discussion. However it does seem to me that ‘believers’ are perhaps more ‘closed’ than ‘skeptics’ with attitudes, values and beliefs that are often preseted as being ‘beyond question’.

In a recent Psyhology Journal (Current Psychology) there is an article by Jesse M. Crosby, Scott C. Bates and Michael P. Twohig entitled “Examination of the Relationship between Perfectionism and Religiosity as Mediated by Psychological Inflexibility” (Current Psychology)

In essence there seems to be a link between psychological inflexibility and resistance to change and, what could be called, adherence to strict religious systems, the need for perfection (and hence procrastination) and the ability to challenge beliefs.

Now I know that Psychology has been defined as “the science of telling you things you already know using words you don’t understand” (unknown source) – and so the common sense nature of the points being made are obvious.

However… and here is the question for you to consider – how open are you to the idea of change, the possibility that what you believe is the result of dogma or cultural indoctrination, the need to really consider your own opinions from different perspectives?

Alan

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