How I Spent My Summer Vacation, and What it Taught Me About Critical Thinking

It was sometime around eleven pm on our last evening in the RV-cluttered, government-operated, lakeside campground when The Girl (who we thought was sleeping) summoned us to the tent and as humbly, as a nearly-three year old can manage, told us that she needed some help with brushing her teeth. Um, really? Yup. She had painted her doll, herself, and half of the contents of the tent with the minty-fresh slime of warm toothpaste from her mother’s bag. We suppressed our nagging mix of annoyance and bewilderment, stifled our laughter, and started dragging sticky items from our rain-dampened dark tent and into the fully-serviced warmth and running water relative cleanliness of grandma and grandpa’s trailer one site over. And something in my head clicked. Epiphany. You know how those work, right? Something that had been processing away in my skull for many months regarding the trials and tribulations of my life found a weird little pattern-based metaphor in the whole little adventure in the woods and it all started to make an odd bit of sense.

Now I must retreat once more to some additional background information to continue bringing meaning to this anecdote: earlier that day we had had something of a heated arguement on the definition of ‘camping’ in the context of what counted as true camping-camping, and what didn’t. My assertion, boy scout that I once was, stood firmly grounded in some quasi-idealistic notion of shivering in the deep woods, wrapped in a blanket eating a poorly cooked meal from a tin plate around a low fire and nursing a collection of bug bites and sore muscles acquired on the day-long trek from where we left the car and where we eventually pitched our tent. This, of course, was contrasted with current so-called camping experience of playing card games in a heated trailer, drinking microwaved beverages, and occasionally updating our Facebook status on our cell phone while one trailer and about ten feet over our neighbors watched movies on their 37 inch LCD over the never-ending drone of their air conditioner. True enough, we were all out in the bushes… but camping? Not by my definition. Not really.

Maybe I wasn’t enjoying the moment. Fair enough, my check in with the wired world was sending me updates from TAM8 via Twitter bits and Facebook pics of my skeptical bros downing pints with Richard Dawkins et al. All that while I swatted mosquitoes and nursed a warm beer cringing every time some kid shouted to his friends, or some big diesel truck grumbled by either one shaking The Girl once again from her nearly sleeping state. I’d rather have been in Vegas, of course. But I wasn’t. And my father quotient sucked because roasting marshmallows with my daughter and niece was second in my mind to not only that skeptical conference but that nagging regret that accompanies one’s thoughts any time life altering events blister with the seeping could-have-been moments of some other alternate timeline.

Are you getting a sense for my state of mind yet? Adrift in what-ifs, idealizing against my reality, and stuck in one of those parenting moments where the reality I had chosen to pursue had created a problem (toothpaste chaos) that had an ideal solution (kitchen sink) that required me to surrender those ideals (what IS camping?) for simple practicality (a clean child.)

Here’s where you ask about the whole promised metaphor thing: “Tell us then… why is skepticism like a camping trip?”

And here’s where I extrapolate the perceptions of different realities between those two (apparently abstract) concepts and explain that it’s very much like camping in at least three ways: (1) everyone camps for different reasons, (2) everyone has a different definition, and thus expectation, from camping, and (3) camping is an uncomfortable sidestep from the day-to-day reality in which we all exist, but a sidestep we usually choose to take for reasons contingent on the aforementioned two previous points.

Now… wait for it… here is where you ask about the relevance: “Epiphany, schmiphany. What’s your point? ”

Alright, then. If you’ve thus far come up short on my subtle bit of roasted-marshmallow-induced quasi-enlightenment, here’s the abbreviated primer: I’ve been holding inside my head this idealized notion of the perfect camping trip for so long, pining for the long lost days of hard-core backpacking and survivalist trekking, that the moments in which I get to do something that roughly approximates camping — events that are oh so much different from that snobbish definition I tout — are lost on what it isn’t, rather than finding purchase in what it is. My moment of insight about my role as a skeptic struck me in tandem with my moment of insight about my role as a camper: ideals seldom exist anywhere but in our minds. And like camping, trying to be something beyond what I could simply offer as a schmuck of a dad trying to foster an atmosphere of critical thought in my house was an ideal that was ruining the day-to-day, moment-by-moment reality of how much I actually do enjoy just pontificating on skeptical topics, pursuing critical parenthood, and being part of the effort to bring a bit more rationality to an irrational world… and that — regardless of the consequences beyond my four walls, of which there have been multiple this year — the imperfect, non-ideal state of this effort is still an effort worth pursuing, and much better than dreaming of something less flawed that may never happen.

Obvious? Perhaps. But sometimes the evidence for our own flaws lies fixed in places quite unexpected… like a quiet lake in the middle of the prairies filled with squat, white recreational vehicles each stuffed with people who may not be camping as per the definitions of some, but are out enjoying something nearly as good.

But… well, maybe someday… a dad can still dream, right?

(By the way, if someone wants to correct that situation, please do contact me. I work for Canadian currency, so it’s pretty cheap labour!)

I’ve been thinking on it and while I appreciate the generous support and heartfelt input I routinely receive about my often in-depth writings on these topics, I can’t find as many hours in the day as I used to. Generating useful articles is starting to become a full time job. And as I just mentioned, it can’t be. Nor do I feel right slackening on the research and thought required for each article. So, I’ve been putting it off. I’ve been letting the blog go stale, watching it sit there in my bookmarks list while I fret over quickly aging content. And at the moment, it’s starting to make me wonder if I should keep going.

But I’d like to keep going.

And the compromise to pulling the site offline and walking away is this: a reduced and slimmed down version of the blog. Rather than lengthy articles, I’m going to try and post more routinely with the type of entries you’ve seen here over the past few days. I’m going to aim for something relevant posted — a link or a bit of news — between two and four times per week — maybe more if it’s raining or if I’m stuck inside with nothing to do. And then maybe too, for good measure, I’ll still find time for the occasional in depth article.

If you’d like to comment, please do. If you’d like a more in depth explanation, find me a TAM and buy me a beer — and I’ll explain it all.

I gotta send thanks out to any of you who have been hanging on during these moments of Skepdad confusion and transition. The whole idea of the Skepdad Blog has been to explore some issues around (a) skepticism, (b) skeptical parenting, and (c) grasping onto an understanding of what do with this little version of me who is growing up in a culture and community rife with superstition and pseudoscientific messages. My objective is and was to do a lot of thinking and writing on the topic — non-expert that I am — and hopefully cobble together a better understanding of the issues. I aimed for that goal for a number of months then came to the frustrating conclusion that I was aiming at a goal that was beyond the scope of either me or a blog like this. I’ll leave you to figure that out.

So I’ve been soul-searching. And dabbling in the writing part in a sadly sporadic fashion. And judging by the stats, yes a few of you have kept clicking back to see if I’ve sorted things out.

Well, as it stands, I’ve decided to structure this blog a little more thematically and a little less formally. Rather than hop-skipping-and-jumping about the skeptical parenting landscape, I’ve decided to pick some themes and set up something of a “daily column” for the blog. Hopefully that means more content, more focus, and more interesting information for you to read.

If you’re reading this, you’ve likely got an idea of the Sunday and Monday columns, but my planned scope is going to follow something of the list below:

Sunday Reading – I always seem to be reading something. It might be research. It might be an article. It might be a story book to the kid. Whatever it happens to be, Sundays will be my space to file a book report and question the influence of the text on parents and kids.

Monday Meta – Like this particular post, when I write on Mondays it will be pertaining directly to the blog, or about the little skeptical community I’ve been casually building through Facebook and other venues. And by the way, if you haven’t stopped by our group yet, check it out.

Tuesday Media Watch – Beware… my pet peeves lurk here. I’ll try to avoid the soapbox and strive for a skeptical analysis of our “entertainment culture” and it’s effect on raising critically thinking kids. But TV, et cetera, beware!

Wednesday Wild Card – Anything goes. One cannot build a theme site without having a wild card to play on occasion. Who can say?

Thursday Thinkers – Some of the more popular posts I’ve written over the life of this blog are the “tools for young thinkers” posts where I talk about optical illusions, science fairs, or that kind of thing. By the time Thursday rolls around I’ve usually gathered enough of my senses to cobble together some interactive parenting tools for budding critical thinkers.

Friday Consumer Culture – The one topic I’ve always thought is important in a skeptical blog, particularly for parents is that of consumer watchdog. I don’t have many resources to fight the injustices of the economic forces ramming so-called educational baby products down our throats, but you’d be surprised how many folks click through here looking for reviews of this junk before they spend their hard earned money.

Saturday Skeptics – Here I get to write on skepticism. I’ve flooded my free time reading and listening to the skeptical subculture, and I’ll do my best to write about and interpret that from a parenting perspective. Admittedly, I’m on the fringes. But I’m working my way inward.

Ultimately, of course, the goal is to write lots. Lots. Everyday? I’m a realistic guy so don’t count on that. But tune it often and let me know how I’m doing. Comment. Email. Link back. I like that. Because we all know that’s the real reward.

Critical thought and Skepticism go hand-in-hand. And for those unfamiliar with the ideology, the first thing that should be told is that this blog is nothing more than a green and fledgling member of a wide-spread, growing international community of rooted individuals seeking to share the benefits of pausing to think about the things we’ve all been told. I’m still trying to find my voice in that community, albeit from the perspective of passing those critical thinking skills onto kids. Thus, understanding what that community entails, and how skeptical fathers can tap into it to become critical thinking role models is a fundamental aspect of the mission of this blog.

I thought I would take a few minutes and compile a (admittedly very short) list of some of the multitude of definitions of “Skepticism” available on the web. But rather than plug you, dear reader, into a vague dictionary entry or lengthy Wikipedia explanation, I would point you at some of the sites owned and operated by other Skeptics in the wide community. There is no particular order for the pieces listed, nor is there any real basis for inclusion other than the pages cited have readily accessible definitions and explanations for their blogging or writing efforts — and they are pages or resources I have found personally enjoyable and useful.

But again, how does this fit into a skeptical parenting blog? The short answer: skeptical parents need to have skeptical thoughts, so read on. So, what is Skepticism, anyhow?

Brian Dunning at skeptoid.com emphasizes the critical thinking, scientific approach to skepticism. Skeptoid is a weekly critical thinking essay-style podcast that hones in on one particular topic of interest and examines it from a skeptical perspective. Among other things, this definition is a little more permissive than many with respect to belief and religion, inviting more folks into the fold on the condition of critical thought and scientific analysis:

Many skeptics are deeply religious, and are satisfied with the reasoning process that led them there. Skeptics apply critical thinking to different aspects of their lives in their own individual way. Everyone is a skeptic to some degree.^[1]

Karen Stollznow at Bad Langauge starts her analysis of the Skeptic’s dilemma with the common plea that Skepticism does not equate to cynicism, and attempts to debunk the fundamental misconception that Skeptics are curmudgeons who would rather poo-poo the world. In reality, Skepticism is about appreciating what is true and interpreting that based on questioning and evidence:

We all have the ability to question, so we should all be natural skeptics. Kids make great skeptics! They exhibit curiosity and a keenness to understand the world around them. Remember though, that children will believe that they are always being told the truth by the ‘wise’, ‘knowledgeable’ adult. ^[2]

Dr. Robert Carroll at the Skeptic’s Dictionary has written an extensive FAQ (something that I need to do) that answers numerous questions (obviously) that have been posed about his own perspective on skepticism. One of my favorite excerpts from this is his response to “why aren’t you skeptical of skepticism?” question:

Skepticism is an attitude, not a belief or set of beliefs. Skepticism involves a willingness to inquire, to investigate, to think critically about any subject. The alternative to skepticism is to accept things on faith and assert them dogmatically. Skepticism is a virtue; irrational dogmatism is a vice. There is no need to defend skepticism. Irrational dogmatism is indefensible. ^[3]

And to sum things up, the folks over at The Skeptic Society (publishers of Skeptic magazine) ask us to discover Skepticism with a plea for science and reason, and give the nod to Socrates who famously said “All I know is that I know nothing.”

…skepticism is a method, not a position. Ideally, skeptics do not go into an investigation closed to the possibility that a phenomenon might be real or that a claim might be true. When we say we are “skeptical,” we mean that we must see compelling evidence before we believe. ^[4]

If nothing else, reading any of these definitions should teach you one thing: think about everything. Critical thought is at the core of Skepticism, a — if not the — pillar of the community. But don’t take my word for it.

[1] www.skeptoid.com
[2] www.bad-language.com
[3] www.skepdic.com
[4] www.skeptic.com

Skeptical Tidbits

As a side-note, a new little (regular) feature I’m going to try out starting today: Skeptical Tidbits. At the bottom of posts I’ll be adding little random notes of various kinds. For example:

Evidence #1: New research in vaccines and autism debate slams the door on the myth. See the run-down on Science Based Medicine.

Skeptic’s Tip #1: Skepticism can also be correctly spelled with ‘c’ as in scepticism. This will double your opportunity to find great information online.

Original Post:

Of course I’ll need to change some of the tag lines, but I am currently contemplating other contributers to this blog. Consider this a solicitation — and here’s why: I started this little project with some lofty goals of writing about “raising kids to become critical thinkers” and while that still applies and remains the core topic for this blog, a few important things have occurred to me…

1. I’m not an authority, but try to do my homework. But like anything, one guy toiling at this alone is hardly a strong voice.
2. This is a much bigger project than I had ever anticipated, and I could use some help to add content. Who couldn’t?
3. A project like this would definitely benefit from multiple authors, guest contributors, and associated content.

So, critical thinking dads, if you’d like to contribute send me an email at “brad” at “this domain name” (no quotes — well, quotes are fine, just leave out the quotation marks in the address) and let me know a few things. How would you like to contribute? This could be as a full time author (one or two posts a month, minimum, with a home on the blog), a guest contributor (one or two posts with no strong commitment, but full attribution for your work), or a cross-poster (post an article from your own blog with full attribution). Also, include some text: Why do you think you’re qualified? Send me a little blurb about yourself to post on the about section (which will be modified to accommodate.) And maybe pass along some links to some other stuff you’ve written. You know… that sort of thing.

What to write? Well, it’s a fairly open field at the moment, but I’m hoping to keep things fairly solid with well-thought-out articles about raising critical thinking kids — and less focus on the short, one-liner posts with lots of links, videos, or that sort of thing. But we can chat.

Since this is a zero-profit blog (at the moment at least) and does not use ads (for now) I can’t pay, but I could offer full- or part-time contributors:

• your very own @skepdad.com email address (Gmail Powered)
• use of a skepdad.com sub-domain (we can talk about appropriate content)
• fair proportional share of any future (iff any) skep/dad blog profits
• opportunity to link to your own sites / blog / et cetera
• opportunity to promote your own local skeptical group
• a warm, fuzzy feeling of contributing to rational thought

If you are a father to kids of any age and have some insight into how to raise them with a bend for critical thought, here’s your chance. I look forward to hearing from you.