Skeptic Orthodoxy

The established, institutionalized set of beliefs and practices that define mainstream skepticism—the often-unexamined assumptions about what counts as proper skeptical inquiry, what targets are worthy of skepticism, and what methods are legitimate. Skeptic orthodoxy includes specific commitments: that science is the only reliable path to knowledge, that supernatural claims are always suspect, that conspiracy theories are always false, that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, that believers are victims of cognitive bias, that skepticism means doubt rather than openness. Like all orthodoxies, it provides a framework for inquiry, but it can become dogmatic—applying skepticism selectively (intensely to claims it dislikes, minimally to claims it favors), treating its own assumptions as beyond question, and marginalizing skeptics who question the orthodoxy. Skeptic orthodoxy determines what claims are "worthy of investigation," what methods are "properly skeptical," and who counts as a "real skeptic" versus a "pseudoskeptic" or "gullible."

Example: "He called himself a skeptic but had never questioned any of his own community's assumptions—skeptic orthodoxy, where doubt is applied to everyone except us. The orthodoxy's power is making its own beliefs feel like the absence of belief."

Skeptic Orthodoxy by Dumu The Void March 17, 2026

Skeptic Orthodoxy

The established set of beliefs, targets, and methods within mainstream skeptic communities: that science is the ultimate arbiter, that religion and pseudoscience are the primary enemies, that ridicule is an acceptable tool, and that certain claims (homeopathy, astrology, UFOs) are definitively false. This orthodoxy is maintained through organizations, conferences, podcasts, and social media. It often goes unexamined because it presents itself as simply "being skeptical."

Example: "The skeptic forum had a list of 'approved' targets and banned any discussion of evidence that challenged its orthodoxies—skeptic orthodoxy, policing the boundaries of doubt."

Skeptic Orthodoxy by Dumu The Void April 18, 2026