I aim for 3, but realistically, am usually at 2, I think.

3

I gun for #3 but doubt I always reach it.

Good example is a discussion I had with my stepson this morning. My stepson's position on Trump is that he's just a more honest and undisguised version of the same perfidy that all the political elites display. According to this stand, Trump's sin is not so much what he's doing as how he's going about it ... belying our carefully-cultivated self-image as a people who love individual liberty and the rule of law, when in fact, everything Trump does has been done by all his predecessors -- only behind closed doors or in more deniable or classy ways. We've always fomented coups and assassinations and rebellions and unrest when it has suited our needs. Obama for example deported more immigrants than any of his predecessors and uncritically maintained and even expanded the drone strike program. Where was the widespread umbrage to that?

I don't know that I completely agree with my stepson but I agree to this extent -- the "this isn't who we are" / "we're better than this" rhetoric is self-congratulatory nonsense. At some point we have to acknowledge that, in fact, this IS who we are or at least who we have become. And that's sobering to realize, as well as no fun at all. Because it robs us of the self-righteousness of thinking we're better than we are as a people (and of course, by implication, better than other people).

So this has caused me to re-evaluate how I regard this political moment which is at least #2 on this scale and I hope #3.

I'm very skeptical when it comes to news stories from the ruling class owned media.

Healthy Skepticism is a well treasured trait to have and remember. Many people cannot defend what they think is knowledge. It may sound good but if it is was that good I'm sure it was brought up long ago. Makeup and Nice Clothes look good but have no bearing on the person wearing them.

Enough

4. #3 + so retentive of my self critical perspective that I’m too busy scaling my uncertainty to adequately gauge the veracity of this very answer.

I just believe whatever Jordan Peterson tells me to believe. /s

Mine is cranked to 11 most of the time.

I try for a 3, but then I 2 to make sure I'm 3-ing, which sometimes I'm not. But I can pretty consistently pull at least a 1, anyway. 0's are rare for me, but I love when I find them. It's like opening a box of candy, all the new possibilities of not having to take that thing as a given anymore! ?

2 or 3, depending on the situation.

I would say that I would rate between level 2 and 3 as a skeptic.