This quote from Carl Sagan sums up well a point I have tried to make on this blog many times, about the two poles of scholarship. If one just has openness to new ideas, one is liable to end up embracing all kinds of nonsense. If one just has skepticism, one is liable to be unwilling to change one’s mind in light of new evidence. It is the combination of the two that is what gives scholarship – whether in the sciences or the humanities – its power and strength.