How to adopt Healthy Skepticism in our daily life

 

Skepticism (noun)

a skeptical attitude; doubt as to the truth of something

 

A skeptical person is often seen as strong headed person, someone who can’t be easily persuaded, someone who is hard to convince. You may find a doubter in every friend circle or in a (desi) family.

But it is also true that to be a skeptical is also to be a person who questions everything, and sometimes it is important to ask questions in order to gain knowledge about something. Now the crucial point is in order to arrive at correct answer, one must also possess the ability to ask appropriate questions. Because asking too many questions may often lead to unnecessary information and no human mind has the ability to store such vastness of knowledge in the world offering insurmountable of it.

Relevance (noun)

the quality or state of being closely connected or appropriate

Within domains such as accounting, auditing and law. It is imperative to question the accuracy of provided data. Mere feeding the query should not be the only aim but the relevance and facts supporting to it, which can only be sufficed with evidence and cross-examination.

Let's take this interview between Mr. H K Patil (Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism, Karnataka) and N B Hombal (DH – Deccan Herald) on August 14, 2023 as an example.

N B: In the last 60 days of your government, some of your colleagues have already faced corruption charges.

H K: Some vested interests are targeting some people. The way the allegations are being made and fake letters are being sent to the Governor’s office shows that they are trying to damage the image of government. These allegations are baseless.

Now, “What kind of corruption charges specifically are called upon? Who are these vested interests behind these allegations? How do you define “baseless” in the context of these allegations?” Instead, the answer raised many irrelevant queries. The point of good skepticism is not only to find the answer but also to find the relevance in it. It takes a critical mind for the same but eventually it serves the motive. 

Hearsay (noun)

information received from other people which cannot be substantiated; rumour.

• Law

the report of another person's words by a witness, which is usually disallowed as evidence in a court of law.

To distinguish between Hearsay and Factual: 

In a courtroom at a murder trial, the accused has an alibi present - Mr. X stating that he was with him at the office in a meeting at the time of murder. (Fact)

Whereas if Mr. X says that he was told by Mr. Y that the accused has admitted to the act of murder, then it is a hearsay evidence. Why?

Because:

1. The statement is made outside of the court; and also

2. Mr. X's statement is a statement of another.

Hearsay evidence is like a game of whispers where a message shared from one end transforms and distorts, with words morphing as it passes from one to another end. 

Imagine you and your fellow colleagues were invited in the conference room for staff meeting where your employer laid down the policy on future promotion and career development. Believable and a standard procedure to accomplish the said task. However, if the same have been traversed through one colleague to another in whispers with no factual information on the parameters it may be implemented; it constitutes hearsay. A casual mention of false information ignited by a careless employee may also lead to an elaborated tale by the time it reaches to the last employee in line.

While hearsay is an inevitable part of normal regular conversation. But understanding the base nature of it and from the mouth it is coming; helps you to underline its truthfulness and reliability. Everyone loves a good drama (I mean who doesn't like juicy gossip, as long as it's not happening in our life) but it took a little whisper from each individual of a crowd of fifty to make a noise. Now it's upon you, are you a part of the Noise or a Sound Voice?

It is widely acknowledged that the healthy skepticism is a virtue. This outlook not only fosters intellectual curiosity but also serves as a compass that guide us finding the equilibrium between trust and caution.  By welcoming skepticism into our lives, we fortify our capacity to question, learn, and navigate the intricate nuances of an ever-evolving world, ultimately enhancing our understanding and discernment in the pursuit of truth and knowledge.