You don't doubt the existence of chairs and tables, or the paper on which these words are written. Between these extremes lie disputed cases, such as God or economic rationalism - and also psychic and paranormal phenomena. Scepticism of course is not the same as cynicism - though cynicism is a form of scepticism, namely scepticism about the sincerity or goodness of human motives and actions. The undogmatic variety of scepticism, called critical scepticism, means keeping an open mind and not rejecting disputed claims without examining the facts. It involves refusing to accept as true claims for which there is insufficient or ambiguous evidence, and recognising that withholding belief is preferable to accepting claims for which there are not sufficient grounds.
Scepticism is all about matching belief to evidence.
It adopts a methodological maxim that in seeking explanations we should prefer the ordinary to the extraordinary, and the simple to the complex. There are some surprising and interesting parallels between the structure of scientific explanation and the structure of psychic explanations which cannot be explored here. This is a case in which the argument of an illustrious figure in the history of philosophy has important relevance for us today. That's the problem which the paranormal presents for us, and it's the problem which miracles presented for Hume. And the violation of a law of nature is Hume's definition of a miracle.