Absence of Evidence

Schooling helps, but isn't necessary by any means.
In fact, schooling can often leave out the greatest virtue required in order to make evidenced responses: You need to accept that it's okay to be wrongIf you don't think it's okay to be wrong... you won't be "looking for the truth" - you'll be looking for "something you can back up with anything that could get people to think the way you want them to think."And that's not "evidenced" - that's manipulation.Evidence and "being wrong" go hand-in-hand.
That's how progress is made - corrections (learning) on previously held methods (being wrong.)

I actually found a free course online.

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Hello and welcome to META101x - a free online introductory course about Philosophical and Critical Thinking.

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Thinking well is important. This course is a celebration and exploration of our ability to think and hence to philosophize. We look at how thinking in certain ways allows us to frame and approach some of the biggest questions that can be asked - questions about how we can know about the world and ourselves, how we can understand identity and change, and even what it means to be thinking in the first place.

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The course lasts 1 month. I start today.

I'm skeptical.

Yup.Well, that and the philosophically unchallengeable Eric The God-Eating Penguin

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God can't exist because of Eric The God-Eating Magic Penguin. Since Eric is God-Eating by definition, he has no choice but to eat God. So, if God exists, He automatically ceases to exist as a result of being eaten. Unless you can prove that Eric doesn't exist, God doesn't exist. Even if you can prove that Eric doesn't exist, that same proof will also be applicable to God. There are only two possibilities - either you can prove that Eric doesn't exist or you can't - in both cases it logically follows that God doesn't exist.

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--Mark

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Your word on that is not reliable. You deny those of us who HAVE had the same experiences as you. You use the No True Scotsman fallacy. Are you kidding? MOST of the peanut gallery are ex-believers. As you have been told many times, our society tends to start us out as believers.

I started my course. I am now in Module One.

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MODULE 1: What part of 'know' don't you understand?
The search for knowledge is one of the defining characteristics of human beings. Here philosophers and scientists talk about the difference between belief and knowledge and the importance of doubt in the process of creating new knowledge.

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I'm determined to finish this course(at least the free version) even though I must admit it gives me mild anxiety. The lessons sound like the peanut gallery already took it! I'm putting my Book Nook reading aside for a month in order to focus on the course.

If we use driving as an analogy for skepticism, then yes, we already have years of experience behind the wheel. It looks like you are signing up for driver's ed.The vast majority of atheists are skeptics at heart, and the one of the first people we became skeptical while on that path was ourselves. Most of us think it is more important to not be wrong than it is to be right. That requires some self reflection and doubt, something that isn't as common amongst believers.

Well good luck luck with it Phat.

Your "Getting Back On Topic" message seems to be totally off/non-topic.In skimming all your messages in this topic so far, I've at best detected a trace of the topic.I suggest you stay out of this topic, unless you can contribute something that clearly connects to the message 1 content.Adminnemooseus