Claus Larsen, Editor

After centuries of discovery, we are much more aware of how the world around us works. Mice do not spontaneously regenerate from dirty rags. Thunder is not the sound of Thor’s chariot. Disease is now much better understood and dealt with than it was just a hundred years ago. The length and quality of life has soared. We should be happy, grateful and full of confidence in the future.

And yet, we see beliefs that were once thought had been banished by the light of science continue to exist, even flourish. Astrology, healing, the “spirit world,” acupuncture, zone therapy, angels, demons, homeopathy, ESP, remote viewing, out-of-body experiences and alien lore — these ideas all form part of our daily life, in one way or another.

Maybe we have not yet mentally come out from the shadowy caves, even if our bodies have. Maybe we just cannot understand this brave new world we have created. Maybe it simply goes too fast for us.

Are these excuses for delving into the realms of irrationality? Should we give up on our advances and go back to the “good old days” of superstition? Of course not. But we need to address these issues, in a way that doesn’t turn us away from reason, but makes us welcome it.

Knowledge is a double-edged sword: We gain from it, but we discover new pitfalls too. Fire could be an obedient servant, but also a fierce master. With every step forward, we tend to take a half step back: We worry about technology and where it will lead us.

Fear of the future and what it will bring us, is deeply rooted in Man. But we will not be released from this fear by reading animal intestines by the fire, or casting spells in the full moonlight. We stand a much better chance with science. We gain nothing from ignoring the vast benefits that science and technology has brought us. We must always be looking for new ways of thinking, new ways of improving. But we must not be so open-minded that our brains fall out!

SkepticReport hopes to help dispel the darkness by providing a forum for skeptical and critical thinking.