Comments on: Uncertainty in Skepticism

By: Interesting Links, March 2010 | An Eclectic Mind

Interesting Links, March 2010 | An Eclectic Mind — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:05:35 +0000

[...] Uncertainty in Skepticism – Really. It’s okay to admit that you just don’t know. On NoisyAstronomer.com. [...]

By: bigbangno

bigbangno — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:59:39 +0000

I’m skeptic over expansion of the universe and big-bang, by that I have a blog over this and with arguments:

My 3 bigger arguments are in http://bigbangno.wordpress.com/expands/bigargs-html/#tag00a

Thanks.

By: badrescher

badrescher — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:08:34 +0000

Brilliant post. Clear, concise, and appropriately humble.

Being willing to admit that what we believe may be wrong is the benchmark I use to determine just how rational someone is and the degree to which they “walk the walk” with skepticism and science.

It’s good to be reminded that the willingness to “I don’t know” is as, if not more, important.

By: Maria

Maria — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:25:19 +0000

When I did public speaking at conferences and in front of a classroom full of computer application training students, I always admitted that I didn’t know the answer to a question that baffled me. It’s ALWAYS better to admit that you don’t know than to either make something up (as too many people in the same position do) or guess (without qualifying it as a guess). Giving someone the wrong answer is far worse than giving them no answer at all.

I should also mention that admitting you don’t have all the answers makes you more human to your audience. They can never accuse you of being a “know-it-all”! Even if they’re coming to you for your expertise, there’s nothing wrong with admitting you don’t have a specific answer. You get extra points for finding the answer and getting it to the person who asked promptly. Your extra effort to get the right information shows that you care about the topic and the person who wanted to know.