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INTPs and Skepticism (Stereotyping)

Mal12345

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Here is a quote from Personalitypage followed by some random quotes from a google search:

http://www.personalitypage.com/INTP.html
"INTPs value knowledge above all else. Their minds are constantly working to generate new theories, or to prove or disprove existing theories. They approach problems and theories with enthusiasm and skepticism..."

"Have you noticed that INTP's have a very strong, perhaps too strong skeptic filter?"

"Expect INTPs to be skeptical of anything and everything--and yet always willing to explore and improve..."

"Skeptic. Insatiably curious. Difficult to impress. Lover of people. INTP poster child."

I've dealt with this topic here before, and at the time I did not exactly deny being skeptical, I only pointed out that Sensors are even more skeptical.

However, I am now going to qualify my previous statements made a few months ago. If INTPs are skeptical, it is only because they are CRITICAL thinking types. So it's not some kind of instant skepticism. This is the distinction I'm trying to make.

In my EXPERIENCE, most Sensors are automatically skeptical. That of course is not always true, it depends on another factor. These skeptics I have found are also deceivers. The Sensing deceivers will be instantly skeptical but will also be instantly deceptive.

If you're a Sensor and you're not like that, then fine. I'm not talking about you.
 

sculpting

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hmm, with respect, meaning no offense, it seems very much like instant skepticism.

The closest INTP friend I had said that if he is presented with an idea that at first glance seems totally out to lunch he feels an internal repulsion towards it-almost a bit like Fi values have a very visceral component, his Ti will make a default visceral judgement.
 

Mal12345

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hmm, with respect, meaning no offense, it seems very much like instant skepticism.

You can't know this without literally reading my mind. Are you God, or psychic?

Feeling an instant repulsion towards a foreign idea does not mean your INTP friend is going to dismiss it outright. But it does mean he is human, that is an issue beyond type. Perhaps he needs to gain some intellectual maturity.

My personal story as an INTP indicates that I was dogmatic 25-30 years ago, but then I overcame it. It's called maturity.

I wish I could find a Sensor who didn't dissimulate in some way or another, but at least I can say that it has sometimes been of a playful nature, depending on the person (if not type). For example, playing a prank is a Sensing kind of deception that's not intended as serious.

Edit - The fact that your INTP friend felt something about an idea would indicate Fi at work anyway. It's not as if we aren't all a mixed bag of traits versus some kind of pure type.
 

Santosha

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If skepticism refers to "any questioning attitude towards knowledge, facts, or opinions/beliefs stated as facts" then yes, I believe INTP's tend to be at the forefront of this. It is what I love about them and anyone else that partakes in great efforts to distinguish bullshit from truth. The key word being questioning, not rejecting.

Just last night my INTP brother told me that he thought I gave up too easily on a theory that I chased for years, one that I was just certain he disagreed with. He actually didn't disagree, he just thought some of the extremely intuitive and abstract connections needed to be refined.
 

JocktheMotie

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The key word being questioning, not rejecting.

This.

Ti doms typically require a personal understanding of things before they're accepted as fact/not-fact. So, judgment is typically held until that understanding of the topic is attained. This is also part of their particular brand of indecision: INTPs may excessively question their understanding and continually seek new information until they are comfortable they know enough to make a good decision.

Te users, as a contrast, do not necessarily have to do this and are more than happy to "outsource" this whole process to experts, professionals, etc, which is why external things like qualifications, credentials, and positions are important to them; they are in place to determine and signify who are arbiters of good knowledge.
 

Mal12345

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If skepticism refers to "any questioning attitude towards knowledge, facts, or opinions/beliefs stated as facts" then yes, I believe INTP's tend to be at the forefront of this. It is what I love about them and anyone else that partakes in great efforts to distinguish bullshit from truth. The key word being questioning, not rejecting.

Just last night my INTP brother told me that he thought I gave up too easily on a theory that I chased for years, one that I was just certain he disagreed with. He actually didn't disagree, he just thought some of the extremely intuitive and abstract connections needed to be refined.

I worked on a response for too long and the site logged me off, so my response was lost.

I guess I said something like, the INTP is more philosophical and reflective. I have no idea what I wrote after that.
 

Mal12345

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Consider this forum member who apparently likes to stereotype himself:
I consider myself to be extremely skeptical in the classical sense, and I constantly strive to improve myself to be more effectively so.

What is classical skepticism? Only he knows for sure. But let's say a classical skeptic is a David Hume or Zeno. All such thinkers have done is criticized what people hold to be true. But the trick is to show why they are wrong, not just to state it as some kind of fact. This requires criticism first and foremost.
 

INTP

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My skepticism is about having to internally process my perceptions before they can be validated. This doesent mean that i would instantly disagree with you. Its just that im not going to take in everything as the truth being said to me without thinking it through myself.

My INTJ friend is quite different with this, he will just instantly reject whats said to him, unless its coming from richard feynman, then he will just take it as the truth without thinking it any further. Its quite funny at times, but usually just frustrating. For example i have degree of machinist, so estimating one millimeter is no problem for me(i think i could estimate with about fifth to tenth millimeter accuracy), but he wouldnt believe when i showed him how much one millimeter is, he thought it was something whats actually about 2.5 millimeters and just kept disagreeing with me until we found an ruler, even tho i reminded him of my education(and past jobs) and said that estimating one millimeter is no problem because of this..
This is what i call skepticism
 

Mal12345

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My skepticism is about having to internally process my perceptions before they can be validated. This doesent mean that i would instantly disagree with you. Its just that im not going to take in everything as the truth being said to me without thinking it through myself.

My INTJ friend is quite different with this, he will just instantly reject whats said to him, unless its coming from richard feynman, then he will just take it as the truth without thinking it any further. Its quite funny at times, but usually just frustrating. For example i have degree of machinist, so estimating one millimeter is no problem for me(i think i could estimate with about fifth to tenth millimeter accuracy), but he wouldnt believe when i showed him how much one millimeter is, he thought it was something whats actually about 2.5 millimeters and just kept disagreeing with me until we found an ruler..

That's more the kind of skepticism I was talking about. The INTJs have this based on their certain axioms which they hold near and dear from a young age. I'm not exactly certain however what perceptions you are personally skeptical about. By "percpeption" I normally think of a table or desk or other concrete object.
 

INTP

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That's more the kind of skepticism I was talking about. The INTJs have this based on their certain axioms which they hold near and dear from a young age. I'm not exactly certain however what perceptions you are personally skeptical about. By "percpeption" I normally think of a table or desk or other concrete object.

I meant perception that someone tells me(me perceiving their message) or perceptions that might be different than they actually are. If i see a giant flying lizard, im not going to instantly believe that its real, because there are much more likely explanations for this. This news headline forexample "earth like planet has been found" and a picture of earth like planet, first of all this type of news headlines are pretty much always bullshit and the picture has to be some artists impression of what it might be like, so i wanna read the story before buying this as the truth, well turns out that they have found a planet thats at the right distance from a star for there to be able to develop some life on, that is if the other factors are right on it, turns out they got no ida what type of planet it is and only thing they know about it is the distance from star..
But naturally if some friend of mine(who i know will investigate it further than the news headline) told me that they found this planet thats optimal for life i wouldnt be as skeptical about it.
 

Mal12345

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I meant perception that someone tells me(me perceiving their message) or perceptions that might be different than they actually are. If i see a giant flying lizard, im not going to instantly believe that its real, because there are much more likely explanations for this. This news headline forexample "earth like planet has been found" and a picture of earth like planet, first of all this type of news headlines are pretty much always bullshit and the picture has to be some artists impression of what it might be like, so i wanna read the story before buying this as the truth, well turns out that they have found a planet thats at the right distance from a star for there to be able to develop some life on, that is if the other factors are right on it, turns out they got no ida what type of planet it is and only thing they know about it is the distance from star..
But naturally if some friend of mine(who i know will investigate it further than the news headline) told me that they found this planet thats optimal for life i wouldnt be as skeptical about it.

Then it was an idea. Skepticism towards one's own perceptions are rare. If you claimed to have seen Bigfoot, I would be more skeptical than if I myself thought I saw Bigfoot.

Of course the science headlines are going to be sensationalistic, and the beautiful artistic interpretations of extra-solar systems are there just to look pretty and get our imaginative juices flowing. But to be skeptical about life on other planets is another thing altogether, because it is just an idea.
 
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I'm skeptical of nearly everything, but it's not that I instantly sort it as rubbish. I just take things with a grain of salt and know that it's possible for them to be or not to be and until I am presented with something that convinces me, I have that bit of skepticism in the back of my mind.
 

Mal12345

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I'm skeptical of nearly everything, but it's not that I instantly sort it is rubbish. I just take things with a grain of salt and know that it's possible for them to be or not to be and until I am presented with something that convinces me, I have that bit of skepticism in the back of my mind.

That would be agnosticism. But you know, after being presented with the facts, say, about health food scams, it is very difficult to convince me back to agnosticism toward the issue again. It's possible, but difficult.
 
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