Skepticism and science have much in common and skepticism is really nothing more than science applied to extraordinary claims. But trying to make people change their minds about their own extraordinary beliefs is difficult. Therefore the question arises as to what we as skeptics should try to achieve.

Firstly, we can almost never win over the other side, the true believers, or even the victims. How could we? They may have a vested interest in continuing to believe, they may be making a living out of it, so it would be unreasonable to assume that they would accept the scientific method, and the results it comes to. I have heard from dowsers and homeopaths, when investigations of their crafts resulted in a negative outcome for them, that this only proved they are right, because somehow the science must have failed, and not the other way round. Read more…