By contrast, skeptics value authority a great deal, which is one reason that so many of them are found in that position. They’re good soldiers, willing to be the rank and file and fill positions in larger organizations. They like to be moderators on forums, sit on decision making committees and be editors, professors and such where they have the ability to impose their views without having to deal with their own intellectual shortcomings. Because they value authority, they defend it vigilantly, which I discovered when I tried to write an article for Cracked and when these two talks were removed from ordinary viewing and flagged. In both cases, the skeptics were trying to protect the integrity and reputation of the organization by “keeping out the woo.” In their eyes, trading off freedom of ideas (which pro-psi people value greatly) for integrity and reputation (which skeptics value greatly) is a reasonable exchange. It’s not all about skeptics being evil; there are cultural differences between the two camps.
- Craig Weiler