Two Extremes, One Correct Middle

Gullibility accepts everything without question. Conspiracy thinking rejects everything without evidence. Healthy skepticism sits between them: it questions claims proportionally, demands evidence before believing, and remains open to changing its mind.

The key word is proportional. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. "This restaurant has good pasta" requires only a few reviews. "The government is hiding aliens" requires an enormous amount of verifiable evidence.