Skepticism is part of reflection ... in religion and ethics, in politics, you have to be skeptical of claims that people make. It applies to all parts of life. Your own beliefs and the beliefs of others, and your willingness to examine these, to see if they hold up under scrutiny. Paul Kurtz
Those who say that all historical accounts are ideological constructs (which is one version of the idea that there is really no historical truth) rely on some story which must itself claim historical truth. They show that supposedly ‘objective’ historians have tendentiously told their stories from some particular perspective; they describe, for example, the biases that have gone into constructing various histories of the United States. Such an account, as a particular piece of history, may very well be true, but truth is a virtue that is embarrassingly unhelpful to a critic who wants not just to unmask past historians of America but to tell us that at the end of the line there is no historical truth. It is remarkable how complacent some ‘deconstructive’ histories are about the status of the history that they deploy themselves. Bernard Williams, Truth and Truthfulness 2002
A further turn is to be found in some ‘unmasking’ accounts of natural science, which aim to show that its pretensions to deliver the truth are unfounded, because of social forces that control its activities. Unlike the case of history, these do not use truths of the same kind; they do not apply science to the criticism of science. They apply the social sciences, and typically depend on the remarkable assumption that the sociology of knowledge is in a better position to deliver truth about science than science is to deliver truth about the world. ibid.
Men are never convinced of your reasons, of your sincerity, of the seriousness of your sufferings, except by your death. So long as you are alive, your case is doubtful; you have a right only to their skepticism. Albert Camus, The Fall
Paranormal investigator Don Phillips has made a name for himself tracking ghosts. Unsolved Mysteries s5e2: My Paranormal Partner, TV news
The problem is the spirits of the dead are something that shouldn’t be trusted at all. ibid. Barry Fitzgerald
Leicester, Gaynor, August 2011: The most haunted residential case I’d ever had. ibid. Don
I’ve never witnessed anything like that before. ibid. scientist/sceptic Steve Mera; Don & spirit-voice Becky pass blind envelope test
Cannock Chase: A blast of energy … Prior to my union with Becky, none of this was possible. ibid. Don
I have really no idea what his limitations are. ibid. Mera
Lisheen with Barry Fitzgerald & Steve Mera: ‘A ruined manor house … He’s like seeing it from the past.’ ibid. Mera
This was a jinn and came with the artefacts from the house. ibid. Fitzgerald
Seattle, Washington: Keith had been experiencing poltergeist activity … ‘Keith’s house was certainly haunted and we secured a lot of recordings.’ ibid. Don
Keith’s house was built on a native American burial ground. ibid.
Direct voice phenomena right here, right in front of us both. It’s Becky. It took me to my knees. ibid. Mera
Once this symbiotic relationship has developed, it’s very very difficult to break. ibid. Fitzgerald
I do think we are now looking at a possession with Don. ibid.
Becky is a part of me; I am a part of her. ibid. Don