All Questions
1,597
questions
-2
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1
answer
65
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How should new information that invalidates a popular answer be handled?
There is a pending edit suggestion for politics - Is Barack Obama a natural born US citizen? - Skeptics Stack Exchange.
The edit adds this definition:
Certificates of Non Citizen Nationality states:
...
- 4,105
1
vote
1
answer
45
views
What approach should I take to testing an implied claim for something already answered?
In a recent post I asked the question are one in four victims of intimate partner homicides in australia male.
When I originally posted the question I assumed the perpertators were female, this was ...
- 7,085
-3
votes
2
answers
102
views
Why is it a english-language question?
I had a question about being sceptic about optical observations.
Check silver gaze in mirrors
But its closed because it is about english-language.
How is it about the english language?
- 101
0
votes
1
answer
65
views
Why has my comment that a claim is apparently not serious been deleted?
I pointed out under this Q that prominently-posted rules of that subreddit appear to prohibit the very post made there.
YSKs regarding Reddit, Facebook, Twitter or any other social media are NOT ...
- 63.5k
4
votes
1
answer
95
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Why are the parts of this answer offering a (IMHO original) legal analysis on-topic, even if that's not even solicited by the Q, and probably wrong?
This (accepted) answer offers its own legal opinion on whether driving out Jews from various Arab countries was genocide, even though:
That's not part of the Q, and answers trying to provide similar ...
- 63.5k
0
votes
0
answers
17
views
Are flags on this meta handled at all?
I know the queues for meta-flags are separate from the ones for the main site. Is any mod here handling the former?
There was a (IMHO) rambunctious exchange between two [other] users here under one of ...
- 63.5k
4
votes
2
answers
132
views
Should my answer, which addresses implications in the framing of a question, have been deleted?
My answer to this question has been deleted, despite providing a skeptical discussion of the meme posted. It was respectfully written.
At time of deletion, the answer had 8 upvotes, and no comments ...
- 261
-9
votes
1
answer
128
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Let's define "a large number of people"
We have a policy that states
The idea here is that once a large number of people are exposed to the claim, it is of general interest to validate the claim and either confirm or refute it.
I have a ...
- 30.8k
-3
votes
2
answers
125
views
Can online petitions be used to substantiate notability, ie "a large number of people must be exposed to the claim"?
This is bit bizarre to me, but we have one user arguing that our policy on notability which specifies,
The idea here is that once a large number of people are exposed to the claim, it is of general ...
- 30.8k
3
votes
4
answers
158
views
Are answers saying a claim is possible allowed?
Are answers that state themselves as partial answers and only address if a claim is possible acceptable on this site? My understanding is that an answer needs to address the claim itself and be ...
- 5,314
4
votes
0
answers
30
views
2023: a year in moderation
It’s that time of the year again! As we wave goodbye to last year and welcome the new one, we have a tradition of sharing moderation stats for the preceding calendar year.
As most of you here might be ...
- 100
0
votes
1
answer
126
views
Discourage Recommending Politics.SE for questions
I have noticed from time to time when a bad question gets asked on the main site that there is a suggestion to ask it on Politics.SE even though it would also be considered bad and closed on that site....
- 5,314
1
vote
2
answers
128
views
Should AI Generated Answers Be Allowed - New Banner Options
It seems there is a new feature that lets sites enable a banner to let users know that AI answers are not allowed or need to be properly cited when used. Do we have a stance and want to enable one of ...
- 5,314
2
votes
2
answers
133
views
Why was the definition of the NGO "Breaking the Silence" removed from my question?
I asked this question related to the rules of engagement in the Israel-Hamas war.
The source of the question is a claim by an Israeli NGO named "Breaking the Silence". In the question I ...
- 599
-1
votes
2
answers
192
views
Why was my question about tanks in Ukraine closed?
I have a question about my Skeptics Stack Exchange post: In 2024 why are there only 14 abrams in ukraine?
Why was it closed?
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
43
views
Can I ask a question about a claim I don't remember where I read?
There is a claim that I read somewhere, but I am unable to find where I read it.
I distinctly remember what the claim is, but won't be able to cite the source.
Is such a question acceptable on this ...
- 390
0
votes
1
answer
92
views
Answers to the current issues that considered on-topic are helping to promote propaganda rather than clarify
One of the reasons I believe the current unconfirmed issues should be closed (deleted) ASAP is that answer to such questions are so weird and it helps to promote propaganda quickly instead of clarify ...
- 1,185
-1
votes
1
answer
72
views
(IMO) There are inconsistencies between Skeptic On-topic criteria and some existing questions
In this meta post, It has been explained that (about Hamas-Israel War of course)
Your questions must contain a specific claim that can be empirically answered from available evidence.
(As I am new ...
- 1,185
1
vote
2
answers
296
views
How should we answer questions which can be answered both yes and no?
I always accept answers/posts that are logical (mathematically or philosophically). But here (and in some other forums or generally in non-exact sciences) there are questions that you can almost prove ...
- 1,185
1
vote
1
answer
50
views
Why isn't my question labeled with "edited"?
I recently asked a question and after a minute I edited it. But the question doesn't say "edited x minutes ago" above my user card. What's the reason?
- 377
8
votes
1
answer
181
views
It's okay to take a break from Skeptics
Some of us (myself included) need this reminder from time to time.
Sometimes a topic pops up that heat us up. Things like elections, the pandemic, vaccination, etc, etc. And, we are passionate folks - ...
- 144
1
vote
1
answer
35
views
Links to scanned books and "fair use"
In my answer I have used a book source. A commenter helpfully provided a link to a scanned version of that book. I'd like to put that link in my answer, but as far as I can tell (by the copyright ...
- 1,579
1
vote
1
answer
97
views
Why is the word skeptics between two brackets in our logo?
Why is the word skeptics between two brackets in the logo?
Is it because we use to write link texts between brackets and in this site sources are so important?
- 377
2
votes
1
answer
70
views
Is this question suitable for the site? "Did Gaza have the potential to become a 'Singapore' in the Middle East?"
I have seen claims by pro-Israeli commentators that, after Israel disengaged from Gaza in 2005, Gaza was no longer occupied and could have become a “Singapore” of the Middle East if the international ...
- 203
12
votes
2
answers
650
views
What makes a good question about the 2023 Israel-Hamas War?
As of October 2023, the 2023 Israel-Hamas War is attracting a lot of interest with many questions under the israel-hamas-war tag.
Several have been closed; others are close to it. Meta-questions ...
OddthinkingMod
- 144k
3
votes
1
answer
143
views
Should we be more vigilant about closing Israel-Hamas conflict questions where reliable information doesn't exist?
There seems to be many inflammatory claims being made about actions by both sides in this conflict. Due to the nature of the situation it seems like many if these will be hard to verify or debunk. The ...
- 5,314
2
votes
1
answer
74
views
What should I do when I believe an invalid answer is upvoted for political reasons?
Consider this question:
Were babies found with their heads decapitated in Israel after the Hamas attack?
and specifically, the current top-voted answer. You'll notice it has a number of upvotes and ...
- 2,521
2
votes
1
answer
82
views
What are the criteria for having an entire tag just for one person?
Whenever I see a tag that is used for only one question, it catches my eye. Recently I noticed that benjamin-netanyahu was only used for one question, namely: Did Netanyahu recently say "We will ...
- 1,186
5
votes
1
answer
34
views
The introduction link in the on-topic FAQ is broken
If you visit https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic, you will see the following encouragement:
New users (even users familiar with the Stack Exchange format) should read our introduction to ...
- 101
1
vote
1
answer
78
views
Does Skeptics.SE presuppose methodological naturalism?
Does Skeptics.SE presuppose methodological naturalism—i.e., the claim that everything can be explained by natural processes or that there is no such thing as miracles?
- 361
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votes
1
answer
76
views
Would it be on-topic to ask whether the NHS of the UK is wrong about when to call the emergency number?
The UK's NHS page on heart palpitations says at the top:
Heart palpitations are when your heartbeat becomes more noticeable."
and says in the middle:
Heart palpitations are common and not ...
1
vote
1
answer
42
views
Are archive-links allowed?
A way to bypass paywall to journals and other online publications is internet archive.
Are these links allowed on Skeptics?
Pro:
Enable access for everyone to check if the quote/reference is valid.
...
- 7,100
10
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Have we lost most of our best contributors?
I was surprised to see that Users Reputation by Year - Skeptics Stack Exchange shows that I'm in the top 10 users on this site by reputation for the current year, yet (no false modesty here) there's ...
- 4,105
4
votes
1
answer
86
views
Do the requirements of an old claim change if the claim relates specifically to current events in that time period and not timeless scientific fact?
I know that generally, old claims need to still be notable today to be allowable here. This makes a whole lot of sense in that it isn't worth debunking obsolete scientific theories that haven't been ...
- 3,953
2
votes
1
answer
82
views
Headline on answers to questions?
Is there a reason that we don't make a point of putting a headline 1-5 word answer on all answers?
Given the proportion of questions that boil down to "Is this claim accurate/true/real", ...
- 128
4
votes
0
answers
24
views
Weird CSS bug in profile reputation tab
When I move the cursor over the left sub-tabs in my reputation tab of the profile page, there's a strange flickering, I suppose due to some JavaScript race condition or similar. I guess an image is ...
- 78.8k
3
votes
2
answers
94
views
Should extensive edits reset vote counts?
Poorly written question is voted into oblivion. Later extensive edits improve the quality, yet if voted users don't bother to revisit the votes the improved question remains unseen.
A solution: Add ...
- 7,100
-1
votes
2
answers
167
views
Feedback on question "Is present discrimination the only remedy for past discrimination?"
Is present discrimination the only remedy for past discrimination? is closed as off-topic. I'm asking for feedback on reasons, please?
Why I'm confused:
The quote seems to fulfill the notability ...
- 7,100
1
vote
1
answer
86
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Questions that ask about polling in totalitarian/authoritarian countries
Related to Qs like this. I'm pretty sure I can find some piece of propaganda that says that [almost] everyone in China adores Xi Jinping as their president, and likewise for North Korea or even ...
- 63.5k
1
vote
3
answers
120
views
Is the existence of a regulation an implied claim that it is effective?
There are a lot of laws, regulations, etc. out there that seem to imply without stating that they are effective, with the argument being that the legislature, regulatory agency, or other authority ...
- 3,953
6
votes
2
answers
152
views
Feedback on downvotes on my answer. Fixing my errors
In a recent answer I got 3 down-votes. If people disagree with me or dislike the content, that's perfectly fine. I understand and respect their decision.
However, seeing as it's 3 out of 7 voters, I'm ...
- 419
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votes
2
answers
171
views
What needs to be done to reinstate my deleted answer?
A question here raised scepticism about a news report of how the US sabotaged the Nordstream pipeline in Europe - Did the CIA blow up the Nordstream 1 pipeline?
As @Joe-w pointed out in the comment, I ...
- 338
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votes
2
answers
191
views
Shouldn't this question on a current event be closed?
A question here raised scepticism about a report from a former (?) journalist of how the US sabotaged the Nordstream pipeline in Europe - Did the CIA blow up the Nordstream 1 pipeline?
This is a ...
- 338
4
votes
1
answer
62
views
What is the best way to cite a YouTube video ad?
As of late, I've been seeing a lot of video ads on YouTube that include specific claims that are quite questionable. These are generally of the "one weird trick to save a questionably high amount ...
- 3,953
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votes
2
answers
195
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What exactly does "Essentially unreferenced" mean when references were provided?
A moderator posted the following regarding this Answer:
I have deleted your answer now because it is essentially unreferenced. A YouTube video by Stefan Molyneux is not a reliable reference.
This ...
- 1,063
1
vote
1
answer
57
views
To what extent is a notable claim of "we don't know" in scope?
I follow some YouTube channels on classic video gaming (retrogaming). Several of these channels have published videos on a certain product that was hyped in the marketplace in the early 1990's as an ...
- 3,953
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votes
2
answers
148
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Skeptics Stack Exchange, and its relationship with "Poisoning the Well"
Question
What ought to be the relationship between "Skeptics" and those "Skeptics" who intentionally go out and "poison the well", particularly on behalf of other people'...
- 1,063
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votes
1
answer
117
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Claims involving personal information about notable people - Part2 (7 years later)
So what's the verdict here? Claims involving personal information about notable people about https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/31738/has-emma-watson-stated-or-been-credibly-reported-to-have-...
- 481
4
votes
1
answer
62
views
What is to be done about a mis-attributed image?
This answer to the question, "Did JK Rowling ever describe Harry Potter goblins as 'hook-nosed'?" is built around an illustration that is claimed to be from the original 1974 publication of ...
0
votes
1
answer
133
views
Can we reopen "Did Jeffry Epstein kill himself?"?
It has been a minute. This controversial question here:
Did Jeffry Epstein kill himself?
Is nearly three years old, and is beginning to be forgotten about. Before that happens, and before things ...
- 1,063