Once in a long while I schlep over to the JREF skeptics’ forums for a minute; long enough to see if any of the usual dogma has evolved into a meaningful, civilized discourse about the paranormal. And since I am more of a skeptic than not, sometimes I’ll join in some or other discussion there. Aside from the multiple, failed attempts at justifying the validity of Randi’s silly Million Dollar Challenge, there are a few sensible topics addressed, like why we should engage our commonsensical thinking at times when it’s easier and more tempting to attach superstitious or paranormal explanations to events. I’m down with that approach. But …

I couldn’t help compare the “reasonable” JREF site with IAH. In that spirit, my next blog will include some examples (from the JREF site) of how hardcore skeptical thinking can seem every bit as irrational as overly-superstitious thinking (or that of habitually ignoring mundane explanations in favor of the least probable ones).