Maybe I should begin a new newspaper column. I honestly cannot tell you how many times I have posted definitions of what skepticism is and is not, at least a dozen times in the past year, but still the ignorance continues, by choice and by need apparently. In the Ignorance Corner there are apparently other agendas in play, knowingly or otherwise, and I suspect that it is similar to the global warming argument, which has become now a 90% political and 10% scientific argument. That is, scientific arguments are often appropriated to promote political or philopsophical agendas.
Railing against 'skepticism' as serving as some sort of a blocking agent against 'real' science is only a misleading battle cry for some other philosophy, and is just such a misappropriation. Of course, science IS skepticism, a skeptical process by definition, and skepticism IS scientific, an empirical approach, so if 'real' science is being blocked, it is not by skepticism, for without skepticism it ain't science.
It's sort of like a real estate developer with his secret slash and burn for profit agenda declaring, "we need to cut down all these damn trees so we can see the forest!" Um, sir? Those trees ARE the forest.
Unfortunately, those of you who already know all this will think, "well, duh Grendel", and those of you who clearly don't know this will still not absorb it and continue to ignore it as long as the notion of skepticism as harmful to science serves the underlying agenda. The believer`s agenda, of course, is basic adolescent anti-establishment/anti-authority with Science serving as Drab Authority, and the Skeptic as Stern Father. Others ignorant of the relationship between science and skepticism have their agendas too, and those agendas are rarely negative, indeed, may be very well intended with lots of love for all. But, when such an agenda or philosophy is founded on such basic inaccuracies and untruth, it becomes no more than a house of cards built on sand before the inevitable rising tide.
By all means, advocate your beliefs, but don't while employ ignorance, lies, and misrepresentation of the truth of things as your stage and podium -you'll only attract the equally ignorant to your cause, and truth is not a democracy.
(Steps down off of stage, snaps folded up speech under his arm, adjusts chafing bullet-proof vest, and strides confidently out of the auditorium).