I’m addicted to This Week, the BBC One programme on Thursday nights that immediately follows Question Time. I enjoy the mickey-taking review of the week in politics and the absurd sight of former Conservative MP Michael Portillo wedged against current Labour MP Diane Abbott on a sofa that is clearly too small.

Last week there was some discussion about the difference between being cynical and sceptical. Portillo advanced the view that being cynical was “intellectually lazy”, a kind of default dismissive position. Being sceptical, on the other hand, was considered a healthy state to be in because it meant you were doubtful but questioning.

In other words – my words, not Portillo’s - cynicism is anti-learning and scepticism is pro-learning.

I must admit, I had never thought of this before. Of course it sent me running to my dictionary and, sure enough, while it doesn’t actually say anything explicit about learning (I notice that learning is often taken for granted, like some sort of subterranean river), being cynical is described as “doubtful about whether something will happen or whether it is worthwhile”, whereas being sceptical is “inclined to question or doubt, not easily convinced”. The crucial difference is that cynicism, unlike scepticism, is so laden with doubt that it snuffs out curiosity - questioning something worthless is a non-starter, a waste of time. By contrast, scepticism has doubt as its starting position and triggers questions born of curiosity.

So we have two sorts of doubt: one dismissive (end of story, no learning), the other questioning (beginning of story, lots to question/learn). Questioning, coupled with refusing to be easily convinced, seems to me to be admirable - a bit like playing devil’s advocate in order to test the robustness of an idea or a proposed course of action.

But alas, sceptical questioning has many enemies: deference, complacency, group thinking. It all reminds me of Jerry B Harvey’s excellent book The Abilene Paradox, which has numerous examples of people having doubts, sometimes grave doubts, but acquiescing for the sake of peace. The psychological pressure to conform and not rock the boat wins too often.

It only remains for me to invite sceptical comments on this blog; nothing cynical please.