From PESWiki

How is this?

Defintions=

Scientific skepticism

Scientific skepticism (or empirical) is one who questions the reliability of certain kinds of claims by subjecting them to a systematic investigation. The scientific method details the specific process by which this investigation of reality is conducted. Considering the rigor of the scientific method, science itself may simply be thought of as an organized form of skepticism. This does not mean that the scientific skeptic is necessarily a scientist who conducts live experiments (though this may be the case), but that the skeptic generally accepts/rejects claims based on testable hypotheses.

Pathological skepticism and pseudoskepticism

Pathological skepticism and pseudoskepticism refers to the use of skepticism in an extreme and to the detriment of others. Pseudoskepticism takes the form of merely obfuscating what might otherwise pass as a valid point of view. The term was gained widespread use in the 1990s by efforts of Marcello Truzzi and Ed Storms. The following are typical characteristics of pseudoskepticism:

1. Resorting to logical fallacies in order to justify rejecting the position or argument of another.
2. Assuming unverified or incorrect facts to justify a predetermined skeptical conclusion.
3. Obfuscating easily verifiable facts to justify a predetermined skeptical conclusion.
4. Instituting hurdles against new theories by "moving the goalposts".
5. Displaying a reactionary, hostile and intolerant stance regarding new ideas.
6. Judging a hypothesis or theory without investigation and insisting on ignoring the details thereafter.

Philosophical skepticism

A philosophical skeptic does not claim that truth is impossible (which would be a truth claim). The label is commonly used to describe other philosophies which appear similar to philosophical skepticism, such as "academic" skepticism, an ancient variant of Platonism that claimed knowledge of truth was impossible. Empiricism is a closely related, but not identical, position to philosophical skepticism. Empiricists see empiricism as a pragmatic compromise between philosophical skepticism and nomothetic science; philosophical skepticism is in turn sometimes referred to as "radical empiricism."

Philosophical skepticism (in the West) originated in ancient Greek philosophy. One of its first proponents was Pyrrho of Elis (c. 360-275 B.C.), who traveled and studied as far as India, and propounded the adoption of 'practical' skepticism. Subsequently, in the 'New Academy' Arcesilaus (c. 315-241 B.C.) and Carneades (c. 213-129 B.C.) developed more theoretical perspectives, by which conceptions of absolute truth and falsity were refuted as uncertain. Carneades criticized the views of the Dogmatists, especially supporters of Stoicism, asserting that absolute certainty of knowledge is impossible. Sextus Empiricus (c. A.D. 200), the main authority for Greek skepticism, developed the position further, incorporating aspects of empiricism into the basis for asserting knowledge.

Greek skeptics criticized the Stoics, accusing them of dogmatism. For the skeptics, the logical mode of argument was untenable, as it relied on propositions which could not be said to be either true or false without relying on further propositions. This was the regress argument, whereby every proposition must rely on other propositions in order to maintain its validity (see the five tropes of Agrippa the Sceptic). In addition, the skeptics argued that two propositions could not rely on each other, as this would create a circular argument (as p implies q and q implies p). For the skeptics such logic was thus an inadequate measure of truth which could create as many problems as it claimed to have solved. Truth was not, however, necessarily unobtainable, but rather an idea which did not yet exist in a pure form. Although skepticism was accused of denying the possibility of truth, in actual fact it appears to have mainly been a critical school which merely claimed that logicians had not discovered truth.