About Skepticism.....

I'll confess that it was pure serendipity that the Santayana quote came in so handy during the last week...both in terms of writing on Len Hart's Existentialist Cowboy blog and also in my "real life".

When I found it appropriate to The Cowboy's blog after having used it in public discourse just a few days before, I became very troubled that it had the same application and wondered aloud if it was truly a coincidence, or perhaps an all too human tendency to seek out that which you are fond of and apply it in every and all circumstances, or, maybe it is that skepticism and or the lack of it is a key to working ourselves out of the messes (micro and macro) we find ourselves in today.

I tend to think that the lack of skepticism is the problem. I can cite examples from my personal life in just the past two weeks where people in positions of leadership and authority have unquestionably....make that UN SKEPTICALLY swallowed information passed on to them and made broad, sweeping changes in policy (not to mention personnel) based upon information that was at best misleading and more likely...completely fabricated.

When did we quit thinking critically?

(More likely, when did we quit thinking altogether?)

Recently, I questioned a proposal being put before a public body with one of my colleagues, a female who possesses a MBA, (from a diploma-mill but we'll rant on that later) who dismissed my questions and objections with, "Well, I just suppose you're a negative individual, so I'll just have to ignore you or your negativism will affect me." My "negative questions" were, "What is the value of this project to the public?" and, "What problem are we actually trying to solve and is this the most cost-effective way to do it?" Supposedly, all we have to do is think "positive thoughts" and everything will be just fine. That is supposed to be a substitute for critical analysis of a proposal and testing of the premises upon which the solution is built (skepticism anybody?).

I can't take credit for this because I think another blogger coined the phrase, but it seems that the "Tinker Bell Complex" is running our country.. The other blogger (Digby, I think) coined the phrase in terms of the Iraq War Policy that the administration seems to be following, because just like in Peter Pan, if we clap our hands hard enough and say "I believe", Tinker Bell will come back to life (or we'll win in Iraq....depending on whether you're watching Peter Pan or George W. Bush...although admittedly it's hard to tell the difference.)

Skepticism isn't taught at the MBA diploma mills....just the latest management fads. One of the more ridiculous fads related to me recently was that a CEO came out of his office and stood in the middle of the "cube farm" where all the worker bees were slaving away, playing with a yo-yo. When his ....what do you call that? "Yo-Yo-ing"? had caught every body's attention, he calmly asked, "Hey guys, what are you thinking?" The person relating this to me was doing so only to highlight the "strange behavior" the boss was exhibiting but I'll bet dollars to donuts that this was some variation of a management fad of how to relate to your employees...probably an article in a business magazine. That fad is replacing good, old fashioned, openness, honesty and integrity on the part of management...any skeptical thinker would have responded with, "I think you're a shallow, incompetent asshole who's disrupting productive work."

I've ranted far too long and perhaps even lost focus....but before I leave I'll give a couple of rules to live by:

Question Authority....ESPECIALLY AUTHORITY!

Get it (whatever "it" happens to be ) in writing!

Do the math, even if it's hard. Make sure the numbers really add up.

Don't assume because a person has a title, that they are competent.

If they say they've got a degree (especially an MBA) ask them WHERE they got it.

Don't give up your chastity (skepticism) too early or to the first comer....otherwise you'll just be another corporate whore...