How To Be a Happy Skeptic

Come join the Philly Stoa as we continue our series on How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic with Chapter 4: How to Tell Fact from Fiction.

“To hasten to give assent to something erroneous is shameful in all things.” — Cicero, On Divination

“Alternative facts” aren’t new. Socrates asked how a layperson could tell a real doctor from a quack, and Cicero wrote a whole book dismantling the divination of his day. He offered tests we still use to separate sense from nonsense: Is a claim consistent? Is it backed by evidence? Does it cherry-pick?

This series is part of the ongoing partnership between the Philly Stoa and the Philadelphia Ethical Society, and our aim is to practice philosophy as a lived discipline through thoughtful discussion and shared reflection. Reading the book is recommended, but not required.

How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic: The Power of Doubt in a Meaningful Life, Lessons from Cicero’s Philosophy
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FRDZ9KN5
How to Be a Happy Skeptic with Massimo Pigliucci
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYTovOfIuac