|
|
The Forum for Active Critical Thinking and Skepticism site has been set up to provide a virtual resource for those who find intellectual stimulation addictive, but are not drawn to WOO WOO (see glossary ) and are not comfortable with the confines of 'pure' skepticism. We have skeptical, scientific and critical thinking links here, and other pieces of information and resources. We are not all atheists, or scientists. We are all, however, Internet users, and most of us have never met each other. Whilst the exigencies of free web space are such that we need to moderate messages when obscenity or libel guidelines appear to be breached, our purpose is not to restrict thought. Those who disagree with us so violently that they find conversation with us impossible, usually leave. Others come upon us and cry 'hurrah', for they have found a like-minded community on the net. Feel free to look around and make your own mind up about us.
| CRITICAL THINKING | WHY ANOTHER WEB PAGE? | SO WHAT DOES THIS SITE DO? | ARE YOU JUST ANTI-CHRISTIANS? |
| SO YOU THINK SCIENCE HAS THE ANSWERS TO EVERYTHING? | WHAT ARE YOUR CHARGES? | WHERE'S THE FAQ? | THE LINKS? |
So where is the message board?
If you have a problem accessing the Message Board, go to the Backup Message Board for information about, and discussion of, the problem. Due to irregular operation of this board during maintenance periods,outages and errors sometimes occur. Please bookmark the emergencyand backup board sites for reference. Thank you. |
Marino's Unofficial Facts Page has info about the 'Factoids' , archived posts, and other neat stuff.
The links?
We're working on them. Until then, here are a few URLs:
...and some Tools
| A Web of Online Dictionaries |
Get to know each other....come to
| Skeptic Ring: | [Next], [Previous], [Random], [List Next 5], [List All] |
These are the guys to bug if you don't like something - or something is wrong.
Critical thinking
There is enough good material on the net regarding critical thinking for anyone to get a good idea about what it means. We do not have to restate all the principles and ideas. A short summary, therefore, should be enough. 1. Critical thinking is about clarity of thought 2. Critical thinking is not about answering all the questions 3. Critical thinking focuses primarily on what it means to use logic, and evidence to create an argument 4. This site, and our message board, are not about the theory of critical thinking, but a forum for those who aspire to it to practice in like-minded company. Back to the Top
Why another web page?
F.A.C.T.S grew out of the former Skeptics Society message board. When the Society moved its site to a new server, and changed the format of the message board, a number of us, unconvinced of the efficacy of the new format, set up an interim site and invited all the old users to join us. While the new message site has not managed to achieve all the functionality of the old one, it is enough to keep most users coming back for more. As a result, it continues to be one of the most diverse-ranging and active message boards around. In time, to ensure that 1. Our name reflected the fact that our topics for discussion were not purely sceptical, and 2. We did not assume the mantle of the Skeptics Society, or be seen as competition to it, we decided to change our name to F.A.C.T.S. As far as we can tell, there are no other groups on the 'net with this name. If there are, however, please tell us. We would not want to be seen as using, or undermining, a name that some other group has spent time in establishing. Back to the Top
So what does this site do?
The 'action', in F.A.C.T.S. is on the message board. This site has been established for two reasons: 1. To provide some background information on the message board and its reason for existence. 2. To provide a home for material from the board, which might otherwise disappear, but which we believe is worth preserving. Back to the Top
Are you just anti-christians?
The short answer: No. The slightly longer answer: Many of the contributors to the board are, in fact, religious (or people with faith, if you prefer that term). Many of those are, or describe themselves as, Christians. They find few, if any, conflicts between their faith and their contribution to the board. But critical thinking demands of us that we examine any claims made (particularly upon the message board) for their clarity of thought, their logic, their use of evidence. For some, this means, quite simply, not bringing their faith to the board. For others it means constant, energetic discussions regarding their faith. Take your pick. Back to the Top
So you think science has the answers to everything?
No. Most of us tend to be of the opinion, however, that 1. science 'works' (be it in creating electric light switches that go on and off without rituals having to be performed, developing antibiotics that save lives, or extending our senses to explore the universe in a consistent manner) 2. the empirical method is the only one that makes science reliable. Having said that, the rest is open to speculation, discussion and argument. Some of our most active threads are those concerning the nature of 'reality' and knowledge. Back to the Top
What are your charges?
F.A.C.T.S. is not run or managed by anybody. Three or four contributors help, in their spare time, to set up and administer the facilities. But this is purely voluntary. There are no charges for being here. We have no passwords, or membership criteria. We have not yet barred, or attempted to bar, anybody from the board. If someone gets vituperative, the rest of us merely tend to ignore him or her. The growth of this Forum has been organic. There is no structure or hierarchy to it. Come and go as you please - think of it as an indefinitely long free trial! Back to the Top
Where's the FAQ?
There is some controversy within the Forum as to whether or not a FAQ is necessary. These few paragraphs about the nature of F.A.C.T.S may be all you get. Any archived material, of course, is yours to view as well, and may well help enable you to gauge a bit more clearly the nature and temper of our board.Back to the Top
webmesserupper mailto:doug@unfacts.org
