True Skepticism vs Pseudoskepticism

True skepticism and pseudoskepticism get treated as the same thing, and they're not. This episode draws the line between them, and argues that the difference matters more right now than it ever has.

Genuine skepticism means never accepting or dismissing a claim outright without first doing the work — reading the relevant literature, weighing the evidence honestly, and staying open to being wrong even after reaching a considered position. Pseudoskepticism looks the same from a distance. It uses the same confident, scientific-sounding language. But it skips the actual work rigor requires, and dismisses on instinct instead.

This episode traces that pattern through a real example: a widely respected philosopher who dismissed the parapsychology literature without reading it, and other prominent science communicators who confidently weigh in on subjects — near-death experiences, mediumship research, remote viewing — outside their actual area of expertise. Then it turns the same lens the other way, through a personal account of sitting down with one of the internet's most prolific flat-earthers, listening seriously to his arguments, and the backlash that followed from taking someone's position seriously rather than mocking it.

The conclusion isn't a call to accept every claim uncritically. It's a case for applying the same standard to every side of every question you care about — including your own.