Hello, I'm Hank Green and welcome to this special edition of SciShow. October 13th is International Skeptics Day, and to celebrate, YouTube asked us to curate a playlist of our favorite science-y, skeptic-y videos from around YouTube. And yes, ha ha ha how can we be sure it's International Skeptics Day when we're skeptical of everything. Yeah, I guess you have an okay point. The question that must be asked: what do we actually mean by "skepticism"? Am I skeptical of things that don't fit into my world-view, but not skeptical of other stuff? Because in that case, pretty much everybody ever was a skeptic. Well, no.
I propose that skepticism is a desire to inquire. To want things to be explained. To want to discover truth. Real truth, which contrary to some people's opinions, is not subjective. The truth is true whether or not we believe it. Skepticism is about seeking out that truth, and a desire to have your beliefs match the reality of the world instead of trying to wedge the world to fit our beliefs. What skepticism is not about, at least in my opinion, is trying to force a world-view on anyone else, or criticizing other people's understanding of the world. And so, in building this playlist, I have attempted to be constructive and not destructive.
Whether that Symphony of Science is an inspiring and breathtaking mash up of some of our age's greatest scientists, or an honest discussion of what atheists might be missing without religion. And when we criticize, I hope we do it kindly, like when Ross Exton sings his Irrational Nonsense Blues, or when Tim Minchin can't keep himself back from an epic argument.
And I realize that arguments can be frustrating, maybe even angering, but from my perspective, they're also vital. Rants and arguments and flamboyantly proclaiming your point of view isn't an attack, it's just a really fun discussion. And that's why we've included some things in this playlist that I, personally, would never say. 
But then a lot of these videos might not seem like videos about skepticism at all. Like James Burke's now ancient looking program from the 1970s connecting the first use of pikes in warfare to the creation of the Saturn 5 rocket. Veritasium's exploration of where the world came from, and CGPGrey's explanation of the Mayan calendar, and why it isn't going to kill us all, or my own videos on the proof of evolution, or the history of hoaxes. These videos aren't about disproving things, they're about understanding the world, and all its beauty and complexity. And also understanding our own faults, and that even as we uncover vast new truths much more remains buried out of our reach. But it's our drive to know truth that keeps us searching. And that, to me at least, is really what skepticism is all about. 
So go ahead and click the link to watch the playlist. Be inspired, enjoy, and if you want to keep getting smarter with us here at SciShow, go to youtube.com/scishow and subscribe.