Song for theme #1B: Skepticism

                                                        “The House of Skepticism” by Stephen P. Cook

to be sung to the tune of  “The House of the Rising Sun”  traditional, Alan Price / The Animals

There is a part of my worldview

I call it skepticism

If you wanna meet this part of me

Just tell me ‘Christ Has Risen’¹

I’ve been trained in science²

Its methods fill my head

But it’s common sense that tells me:

When you’re dead, you’re dead

I like reproducible results³

Without them I will doubt

So the faith-based claims you make my friend

For me don’t have much clout

Doubting leads to questioning

Questioning to debate

But until we leave our biases behind

Finding the truth must wait

Hypotheses should be tested

Predictions verified

I’ll put my faith in these my friend

Non-testable ones I’ll deride

I don’t much care for dogma⁴

Or conflict with reason and fact

So if you cite this authority my friend

I won’t let you relax

There is a part of my worldview

I call it skepticism

If yours is built on faith alone

Please escape that prison

SONG—NOTES / COMMENTS

1—While this refers to a key belief of the Christian religion, the theme of the resurrection of the dead is common throughout many

     religions, including Christian, Islamic, Jewish, and Zoroastrian. Indeed, believing in a future time when the dead will be

     brought back to life—and we will be reunited with deceased loved ones—provides an important source of hope for faithful

     believers throughout the world. 

2— Science is difficult to define.  Here’s one definition: a methodical effort, based on learning from feedback as one observes and

     probes, to provide a map or conceptual framework for understanding reality

3—Reproducible results are obtained by careful adherence to, and documentation of, experimental or other procedures so others

     can repeat the work and verify it. Obtaining them is a goal of scientific investigation.

4—Dogma refers to beliefs that are firmly held based on the authority of others, but are actually incompatible with existing facts or

     based on faulty premises or reasoning.  For the record, the author categorically denies he knowingly promotes dogma.  That, he

     believes, has led to much catastrophe. While he will doggedly defend the right of others to dispense dogma, and has no doubt

     they honestly believe it will catalyze something worth catalyzing, dog gone it, he refuses to do so! …So OK, say it, “What’s the

     matter? Cat got your tongue?”  (Something to ponder while in a chemistry lab in search of reproducible results: if cations

     migrate to negative electrodes, where do dog ions go? Working hypothesis: to the dog house?)

Comment: In an emotionally immature pre-emptive response you can protect yourself from attacks on your own lack of understanding or accomplishment by skeptically attacking what others have achieved. Emotionally arming yourself like this makes you emotionally unavailable for connecting with others regarding whatever the skepticism is directed against and is unhealthy.  On the other hand if the skepticism is directed toward something which the skeptic has fully investigated, understands and feels threatened by (even in a cognitive dissonance sense—see theme #1A) the skeptical response is a protective, healthy one.