Sunday, May 31, 2015

Vaughn Rees - UFOs: Skepticism vs. Belief

Vaughn Rees - UFOs: Skepticism vs. Belief

Mmmmm interesting... Let me seee... lets start with an association fallacy (New Age v Ufology) THEN appeal to consequences of a belief (pop in God) THEN pop in the next fallacy and cherry pick the out come (If more hands up then your godbothers - if less hands up your looking for a belief) THEN come to a conclusion without any real evidence THEN put in a argumentum ad hominemn (They are all nuts) THEN appeal to authority (he is so well qualified - everyone at MUFON are fools).... etc etc Mmmmmm so why would you want to listen to this rubbish... FAIL.... YAWN :(

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Cash-Landrum Incident, 1980

UFOCaseReview

Too often, the UFO phenomenon is dismissed for its supposed exclusive reliance on eyewitness testimony. However, there are numerous examples of UFO encounters that have left tangible traces of their presence in the physical environment, or on the witnesses themselves. The so-called Cash-Landrum Case of 1980 is a notable example of the latter, having left all three of its witnesses with symptoms of severe radiation poisoning following a late-night encounter with an unidentified object. It is one case, at least, that cannot possibly be dismissed as a fabrication, a misidentification, or a hallucination, and one that points to a possible connection between the UFO phenomenon and the U.S. government.

Special thanks to ufologist and specialist on the Cash-Landrum case, Curtis Collins, for contributing a number of valuable resources, and for his help in ensuring the highest possible accuracy of the information presented. Thanks!

Curtis runs a UFO website with a focus on the Cash-Landrum case called Blue Blurry Lines. Check it out!

http://www.blueblurrylines.com/2013/0...


Thursday, May 21, 2015

Congressman Steven Schiff (1947 Roswell Crash) | Art Bell Classics | 07-31-1995

Steven Harvey Schiff (March 18, 1947 – March 25, 1998) was an American politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the first district of New Mexico from 1989 until his death in 1998. Schiff was a Republican.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Schiff

Published on May 21, 2015

Art Bell Universe

Congressman Steven Schiff describes the runaround he experienced while trying to investigate the 1947 Roswell crash. Please subscribe for more and don't forget to like the Facebook page below to keep up to date. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Art-Be...

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

UFO BUST! Debunking Billy Meier

Nothing to undebunk here, the Billy Meier case seems to be as bunk as bunk can be.

Phil Langdon

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Dr. Roger Leir Turkish UFO Videos & Alien Implants

Dr. Roger K. Leir, author of the Aliens and the Scalpel-First and Second Edition, “UFO Crash in Brazil”, “Casebook Alien Implants”, “Chopped Liver” and three other books published outside the United States, including “Implantes Alienegenas” published in Portuguese in Brazil, and “Ovnis and Implants” published in France by Le Mercure Dauphinois.

It has been said that Dr. Leir is one of the world’s most important leaders in physical evidence research involving the field of Ufology. He and his surgical team have performed fifteen surgeries on alleged alien abductees. This resulted in the removal of sixteen separate and distinct objects suspected of being alien implants. These objects have been scientifically investigated by some of the most prestigious laboratories in the world including Los Alamos National Labs, New Mexico Tech, Seal Laboratories, Southwest Labs, the University of Toronto, York University, and the University of California at San Diego. Their findings have been baffling and some comparisons have been made to Meteorite Samples. In addition some of the tests show metallurgical anomalies such as highly Magnetic Iron that is without crystalline form, combinations of crystalline materials mixed common metals, growth of biological tissue into or out of metallic substances, as well as isotopic ratios not of this world. Dr. Leir has also been involved in investigations of other areas of Ufology involving physical evidence. He has traveled to Brazil and performed exhaustive research into the Varginha, Brazil case. In 2003 Dr. Leir worked with one of the worlds leading geneticists and the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) on a DNA study pertaining to evidence collected in a famous California Alien Abduction Case. Dr. Leir was a recent participant (NOV. 2007) in an international press conference held at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Evidence from thirteen Military officers, pertaining to their experiences with UFO’s was presented to a worldwide media.

Dr. Leir is a Podiatric Surgeon, who has been in private practice in Ventura County, California, for the past 43 years. Dr. Leir anticipates performing more surgeries in the future and is investigating the physiological and biological aspects of the Alien abduction phenomenon. He has recently formed a 501(C) 3 non-profit organization for this purpose called “A &S Research Inc.”

Dr. Leir holds academic degrees of Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, Bachelor of Science, and Associate in Arts.

Dr. Leir is Board Certified in the following boards:
  • The National College of Foot Surgeons
  • The American Board of Podiatric Sports Medicine
  • The American Board of Foot Surgery
  • The American Circulatory Society and the Society for Non-Invasive Vascular Technology.
http://www.alienscalpel.com/dr-leirs-bio



Related:

Alien Implants Found in Humans - Dr. Roger Leir Documentary

Friday, May 15, 2015

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Whitley Strieber Recounts His Abduction Experiences - Close Encounters at Whitley Strieber's Cabin: 2 Witnesses Speak Out

TheTruthAmongstUs

Whitley Strieber, a well-known author, recounts his alien abduction experiences that eventually lead to his best selling book, Communion. This video does a fairly decent job of retelling his story with decent production values.



Close Encounters at Whitley Strieber's Cabin: 2 Witnesses Speak Out

TheManInTheDarkness

I believe that this interview is one of the most important, vital and fascinating interviews on the 'Visitor' experience and the Human condition as a whole that you are likely to hear.

I contacted Whitley to ask his permission to upload this edition of Dreamland from Friday November 18, 2011, which he kindly granted, as I think it needs a wide a circulation as possible.

Not only does it answer any critics of Strieber by documenting other people's encounters with the beings he writes about in his book COMMUNION and its subsequent follow -ups, but these testimonies from Lorie Barnes and Raven Dana show just how amazing, wonderous and many faceted the Human experience really is, giving credence to Strieber's assertion that 'normality is a filter'.

I have been a fan and supporter of Whitley & Anne Strieber since reading COMMUNION in the late 1980's.

I am a composer in the UK and have written a trilogy of music dedicated and inspired by Whitley & Anne and the great work they do in showing the possibilities of humanity and what we call reality.
You can hear my track; The Whitley Strieber Trilogy at; https://soundcloud.com/paranormalmusi...
To find out more about Whitley and Anne Strieber and their work, go to:
www.unknowncountry.com



Related:

Communion (1989) Full Movie 720p

Free E-Book: The Secret School - Preparation for Contact by Whitley Streiber

Whitley Strieber - Memories of Mind Control and Childhood Abuse

Whitley Strieber & Alien Abduction Video Playlist

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Travis Walton UFO Abduction, 1975



The Abduction of Travis Walton. Conclusion. by Mouss2014

A YouTuber commenting on the following interview states, "Mr Walton claims to have been aboard the craft for 5 days. When asked questions about eating and drink, URINATING... he didn't have an answer for it. It seemed that he wasn't ready for that question. Very interesting."

My Reply:

I found a 2010 post from the Above Top Secret forum that noted, "Mr Walton did have an unexplained puncture mark on his body, which could of been an IV tube used to keep him nourished by the extraterrestrials. Also, he lost 10 pounds without while his body showed no signs of being malnourished."

Compare that to his answer during the interview, his story is consistent. He obviously has addressed this before.



Related:

Travis Walton - Coast To Coast AM - Jun 27 2012

Friday, May 8, 2015

Conflict Radio - May 7, 2015 Investigating Alien Contact

Published on May 7, 2015
Conflict UFO Radio

Luigi Vendittelli has been investigating UFOs in the Montreal area for decades. However, researching lights in the sky became mundane compared do the reports of alien contacts he began receiving. Although seemingly farfetched, Luigi began investigating these alleged cases of alien contact and he has found several of them to be very credible and compelling. In this interview, we talk to Luigi about some of these amazing cases and the incredible evidence he says he has uncovered.

*NEW* STRANGE CASES OF MISSING PEOPLE 411 (2015)



Comment:

Stan Gordon has brought forth some interesting cases, which statistically speaking can be ignored. However, in the interest of being open minded and non-dismissive of seemingly honest people, I think it's first important to note the large body of evidence supporting an alien source for UFO reality. If you can get on board with that, the next thing to consider, is the oft reported "screen memories," of abductees. These are false memories planted by the alien visitors to obscure the real events that took place during the abduction. This is perhaps more likely than the Bigfoot being abducted too, and certainly more plausible than sightings of a real-life Chewbacca!

http://cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/wookiees-bf/
Related:

*NEW* STRANGE CASES OF MISSING PEOPLE 411 (2015)

UFO Photo and Video Analysis by Dr. Bruce S. Maccabee, PhD

Bruce spent his early year in Rutland, Vt. After high school he studied physics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass (B.S. in physics) and then at The American University, Washington, DC (M.S. and Ph. D. in physics). In 1972 commenced his long career at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, presently headquartered at Dahlgren, Virginia. He has worked on optical data processing, generation of underwater sound with lasers and various aspects of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) and Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) using high power lasers. Bruce Maccabee has been active in UFO research since late 1960s when he joined the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) and was active in research and investigation for NICAP until its demise in 1980. He became a member of MUFON in 1975 and was subequently appointed to the position of state Director for Maryland, a position he still holds. In 1979 he was instrumental in establishing the Fund for UFO Research and was the chairman for the about 13 years. He presently serves on the National Board of the Fund.

His UFO research and investigations (which are completely unrelated to his Navy work) have included the Kenneth Arnold sighting (Jun 24, 1947), the McMinnville, Oregon (Trent) photos of 1950, the Gemini 11 astronaut photos of September, 1966, the New Zealand sightings of December, 1978, the Japan airlines (JAL1628) sighting of November 1986, the numerous sightings of Ed Walters and others in Gulf Breeze, Florida, 1987 - 1988, the "red bubba" sightings,1990-1992 (including his own sighting in September, 1991), the Mexico City video of August, 1997, the Phoenix lights sightings of March 13, 1997 at 10 PM, the Mexican Air Force case of March, 2004, the Iran Jet Case of Sept. 1976 and many others. He has also done historical research and was the first to obtain the flying disc file" of the FBI (the REAL X-Files!).

Dr. Maccabee is the author or coauthor of about three dozen technical articles and more than a hundred UFO articles over the last 25 years, including many which appeared in the MUFON Journal and MUFON Symposium proceedings. He wrote the last chapter of "The Gulf Breeze Sightings" by Edward and Frances Walters (Morrow, 1990). He wrote the UFO history chapter of the book "UFOs: Zeugen und Zeichen," published in Germany in 1995. He is co-author with Edward Walters of "UFOs Are Real, Here's The Proof," (Avon Books, 1997), he is the author of "The UFO/FBI Connection" (Llewellyn Books, May, 2000) and he is the author of novel, "Abduction in My Life," (November, 2000). He is listed in Who's Who in Technology Today and American Men and Women of Science an he has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows and documentaries.
http://brumac.8k.c
Scientific Review Board

In support of MUFON's mission for the scientific study of UFOs, the Executive Director along with the Board of Directors has approved the formation of a Science Review Board (SRB) that reports directly to the Executive Director. This is an exciting time for MUFON as we take action to advance our scientific knowledge into the study of UFOs.

The SRB consists of nine scientists whose backgrounds are distributed across these branches:

Biology
Chemistry
Geology
Engineering
Physics
Statistics
Computer Science
Astronomy
http://www.mufon.com/science-review-board.html

"Strong Magnetic Field Detected Following a Sighting of an Unidentified Flying Object," Journal of Scientific Exploration, 8, #3, 347, 1994

http://www.scientificexploration.org/journal/jse_08_3_maccabee.pdf



Click Pics to Enlarge

http://www.thelivingmoon.com/49ufo_files/03files2/1950_McMinnville_UFO_Case_Oregon.html

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Debunking The Debunker's Domain on Flying Saucers

          The First "Flying Saucer" Sighting - Kenneth Arnold
Mt. Rainier, Washington - June 24, 1947

Robert Sheaffer - The Debunker's Domain

Martin Kottmeyer's article The Saucer Error explains how the very idea of a "flying saucer" is based upon a misunderstanding of what Arnold said he saw. But since people thought that Arnold had said he'd seen a saucer, then by golly, saucers were what they reported seeing! (Article excerpted from The REALL News, Volume 1 No. 4.)

http://www.debunker.com/arnold.html

OH, REALLY? BUNK!...

UFO SIGHTINGS FROM BIBLICAL-ERA ANTIQUITY THROUGH THE YEAR 1879



ANCIENT UFOS... GIVING DEBUNKERS HEADACHES SINCE BEFORE BIBLICAL TIMES...



UFO Japanese Mystery! Female ALIEN In A flying Saucer?
LookNowTV Presents The Japanese UFO Legend Of UTSURO-BUNE. This UFO Mystery is legendary! What do you think? Utsuro-bune (うつろ舟 'hollow ship'?), also Utsuro-fune and Urobune, refers to an unknown object which allegedly washed ashore in 1803 in Hitachi province on the eastern coast of Japan. Accounts of the tale appear in three texts: Toen shōsetsu (1825), Hyōryū kishū (1835) and Ume-no-chiri (1844).

According to legend, an attractive young woman arrived on a local beach aboard the "hollow ship". Fishermen brought her inland to investigate further, but the woman was unable to communicate in Japanese. The fishermen then returned her and her vessel to the sea, where it drifted awayJoin us while we Take A Closer Look!


The book Return to Magonia: Investigating UFOs in History documents, in no uncertain terms, a disk shaped object seen by multiple witnesses in 1665 Germany. Listen to the author describe the details starting at the 30:47 mark here.

The 1941 Cape Girardeau Missouri UFO crash incident, which now is supported by declassified documents, was also described as a saucer shaped craft. 

It was April, 1941 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Around 9:30 p.m., Charlotte's grandfather, Reverend William Huffman, got a call about a plane crash and was asked to help. "When they got out there, it wasn't a plane crash at all. It was a saucer, was how he described it," says Charlotte...  
We got validation by going to the archives in Washington D.C. And to see a top secret declassified document that stated that there was in fact a crash retrieval in 1941 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for me, I have not forgotten holding that paper in my hand and realizing that my family's story was real, was solid, and for me was just an answer to a long time question.

http://www.disclose.tv/news/declassified_document_about_1941_crash_retrieval_in_cape_girardeau/130312
Allied forces had experienced occasional radar locks on and even aerial pursuits with unknown lights ever since the end of the war; there was a significant case involving an RAF chase across the North Sea to Holland in January 1947. There were various sightings  made by US military personnel during the next few months, and intelligence staff at Hamilton Field in California began a secret evaluation. As many of the objects - or lights, as they really were - were round or disklike in nature, the term "flying disk" was applied fairly early in the process...

One impressive case from Japan occurred at Itazuke on 17 December 1956. Two aircraft were performing a combat exercise to test their new radar setups, with one jet acting as a target as the other sought an intercept. Suddenly, a strange blip appeared on the screen and the intercepting aircraft was scrambled to investigate. The pilot saw a huge fuzzy glow ahead, where the radar had indicated. As the fighter screamed towards the object, it clarified as a golden disk shape and the aircraft radar was inexplicably blocked by a mass static. The UFO then shot away at phenomenal speed and the radar system returned to normal.

Another case of a most disturbing nature occurred on 9 June 1974. A Japanese Air Force Phantom was sent to intercept a radar target assumed to be a Soviet spy plane. The two-man crew locked onto the object with their radar but then were struck by the unknown aircraft and forced to eject as their plane split apart. One pilot survived, but the other died when his parachute was destroyed by burning debris. According to the survivor, Major Shiro Kubota, the other object they intercepted was no aircraft but a glowing red disk with windows on its edge. This made an instant reverse in direction as the Phantom armed its gun to shoot it from the sky. The UFO then flew straight at the jet, clipping its wings as it made a hasty escape and thus leading to the tragedy. 
-Excerpts from the Little Giant Encyclopedia of UFOs
This investigation into the British records has established that six months before Kenneth Arnold's sighting, the RAF had logged its first official report of an "unidentified flying object." Furthermore, by July 1947 when the first sightings of "flying saucers" were made in the USA, the Air Ministry remained unable to explain the intruder it had logged in January of that year. This implies that an exchange of intelligence on "unidentified flying objects" between the USA and UK began in 1946-47 with the ghost rocket and ghost planes.
http://www.nicap.org/reports/470116northsea_shough4.htm
There is no doubt that disk shaped objects have been seen by a great many honest, sober, and mystified men and women. The objects have been tracked by ground-based and airborne radar and have been photographed by still and movie cameras in black and white and color. The craft have been observed to hover, move straight up or down, and accelerate and maneuver at speeds far beyond the capability of any known airplane...

Here is a classical description from "William of Newburgh's Chronicle" of a flying saucer seen in England toward the end of the 12th century:

"At Byland, or Begeland Abbey (the largest Cistercian abbey in England), in the North Yorkshire Riding, while the abbot and monks were in the refectorium, a flat, round, shining, silvery object ["discus" is the word used in the Latin account] flew over the abbey and caused the utmost terror."  
[Harold T. Wilkins, "Flying Saucers on the Attack", p.185]
http://ufoevidence.org/documents/doc154.htm

Flying Saucer-Like Objects Photographed Prior to the Kenneth Arnold Sighting

http://ufocasebook.com/bestufopictures.html


Click Pic to Enlarge
1870 - Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. This photo is dubbed, "the oldest UFO photograph ever taken." This item was the subject of bidding at ebay in 2002, when finally the photo was purchased for $385.00 by Samuel M. Sherman, who was the president of Independent-International Pictures Corp.  
This was originally a "stereo" photograph. Certainly it was difficult to manipulate photos at that time, and remember, there were no flying objects then; at least, not from this world. Thanks to a reader, we now have the original "stereo" photo.
1927 - Oregon. Taken in Cave Junction, Oregon. There is some question as to whether the photo was taken in '26 or '27, but nonetheless, if this is an authentic photograph it is incredible. Reportedly snapped by a volunteer fireman.
1929 - SlideWard - Colorado Ward Sawmill, April - This incident is retold by the photographers daughter: "This photo was taken by my father Edward Pline at the sawmill in Ward where we lived at the time. I think it was 1929. I was about six years old then. My father was there to photograph the sawmill for some reason or another, and as he was taking the photo, he described a 'terrible thunderous bellow,' and a large round thing as big as a very large boulder that moved through the air above them. You can see it in the picture.

"None of the sawmill workers saw the thing in the photo, but they all heard the sound and felt the ground shudder. Later in my life I tried researching the incident at the County Historical Society, but I did not find any references to it. My father passed on a few years after the incident, and I have not found any surviving sawmill workers from that time." Hetty Pline

1932 - St. Paris, Ohio. This picture was taken of a man named George Sutton near midday, May, 1932. We can see that it was in 1932 from the license plate on the automobile in the photo that accompanied this shot.

The unidentified flying object in the picture could not have been a street lamp, simply because there were no street lamps at the time. There are no power poles or power lines visible anywhere in this picture. This picture shows a vintage automobile.

The owner of the photo album says there were no electric street lights along this road in those days. Nobody has been able to account for the dark object seen over Sutton's left shoulder in this photograph.
1942 - Los Angeles, California. Only a few months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, on the 25th of February 1942 at 02:25 AM, alarm sirens installed in the event of another invasion began.

Unknown flying objects are seen and announced in the sky of the city. A blackout is declared and the anxious, terrified inhabitants follow the instructions by turning all their lights off.

At 03:16 AM, anti-aircraft guns open fire on the unidentified flying objects coming from the ocean, and projector beams are searching the sky. Witnesses observe small objects flying at high altitude, of red or silver-plated color, moving in formation at high speed, and untouched by the AAA salvos.

This large object was hit by many AAA projectiles, according to the reports. The anti-aircraft defence continued to shoot at UFOs without results.

This is one of the most famous UFO photographs ever taken.
1942 - Washington D. C. October 29. This was taken above Washington, D.C. An object at the very right of the frame was initially thought to represent a high-wing monoplane flying down and right from the upper left-hand corner.

It appears to be too fast for the shutter, its configuration is more disk-like and it is followed by an exceptionally long dark streak (this extends back and upwards to the top of the frame) that is normally associated with jet aircraft.

1944 - England - This UFO was photographed over England in 1944. Source: "The X Factor" magazine issue 53 (Marshall Cavendish publications).

No other information is know about the photograph at this time.


Best Evidence - McMinnville UFO case (1950)



Click Pics to Enlarge

http://www.thelivingmoon.com/49ufo_files/03files2/1950_McMinnville_UFO_Case_Oregon.html

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Kenny Young, UFO Investigator vs. Skeptics

Anomaly Response Network

Objective UFO Investigator Kenny Young discusses his thoughts on the "skeptical" point of view.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Skinwalker Ranch

Retired Army Colonel John Alexander was part of a group researchers and scientists who investigated reports of cattle mutilations and other strange occurrence at Skinwalker Ranch. The ranch is located southeast of Ballard, Utah, and was previously known as the Sherman Ranch. For years stories of cattle mutilations, sightings of UFOs, orbs and bigfoot, among other paranormal events, have been reported on the ranch.





Related:

*NEW* STRANGE CASES OF MISSING PEOPLE 411 (2015)

Dr. J Allen Hynek Admits Astronomers do see UFO's ! (1977)

freeenergy4everyone

Dr. Josef Allen Hynek ( May 1, 1910 - April 27, 1986 ) was Chairman of Department of Astronomy Northwestern University , professor, and ufologist. He is perhaps best remembered for his UFO research. Hynek acted as scientific adviser to UFO studies undertaken by the U.S. Air Force under three consecutive names: Project Sign (1947-1949), Project Grudge (1949-1952), and Project Blue Book (1952 to 1969). For decades afterwards, he conducted his own independent UFO research, and is widely considered the father of the concept of scientific analysis of both reports and, especially, trace evidence purportedly left by UFOs. Also his book called The Ufo's Experience a Scientific Inquiry 1972.

Monday, May 4, 2015

Flying Saucers with Stanton Friedman

The following is a great interview with Friedman, in which a great deal of time is devoted to discussing the UFO debunkers, or the as he likes to refer to them, the "noisy negativists."

Paranormal Legends


A flying saucer (also referred to as a flying disc) is a type of described flying craft with a disc or saucer-shaped body, commonly used generically to refer to any anomalous flying object. In 1947 the term was coined but was later officially supplanted by the United States Air Force in 1952 with the broader term unidentified flying objects or UFO's . Early reported sightings of unknown "flying saucers" usually described them as silver or metallic, sometimes reported as covered with navigation lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly, either alone or in tight formations with other similar craft, and exhibiting high maneuverability.

While disc-shaped flying objects have been interpreted as being sporadically recorded since the Middle Ages, the first highly publicized sighting by Kenneth Arnold on June 24, 1947, resulted in the creation of the exact term by U.S. newspapers. Although Arnold never specifically used the term "flying saucer", he was quoted at the time saying the shape of the objects he saw was like a "saucer", "disc", or "pie-plate", and several years later added he had also said "the objects moved like saucers skipping across the water." Both the terms flying saucer and flying disc were used commonly and interchangeably in the media until the early 1950s.

Stanton Terry Friedman (born July 29, 1934) is a professional Ufologist who resides in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. He is the original civilian investigator of the Roswell incident. He studied physics at the University of Chicago and worked as a nuclear physicist on research and development projects for several large companies. He is a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S.



Related:

Stanton Friedman vs Phil Klass on Nightline

The X-Conference : Debunking the UFO Debunkers - Stanton Friedman LIVE

UFO Debunkers: Irrational, Uninformed and Ignorant 

Interview With Stanton Friedman - Debunking the Debunkers

Stanton Friedman vs. Dr. John Alexander - IUFOC 2011 UFO Debate

UFO Cover Up Revelations! MJ12 & ET Quarantine - Stanton Friedman & Dark Journalist

UFO Conference (2014, October) STANTON FRIEDMAN 

Stanton T. Friedman Presents Flying Saucers and Science 

Stanton Friedman Discusses Stephen Hawking & SETI

Debunking Is Destructive and Extreme Skepticism Is Not Helpful

Written by Keith Rowell
oregonmufon.com

One of Oregon MUFON's missions is public education, and to understand UFOs, it is very important to understand what sources of UFO information you are using. Some sources promote real understanding and some do not. Oregon MUFON believes that UFO information coming from debunkers and extreme skeptics is not helpful in understanding UFOs. In fact, it is particularly destructive of a good understanding of UFOs. Thus, we focus some of this web site on the debunkers and extreme skeptics. You need to know your sources.

Controversy Means Emotion

The UFO has been controversial from the very beginning of its history. Controversial things naturally involve the emotions, and where there is an excess of emotion there is likely to be an excess of fuzzy thinking. Using your rational faculties tends to be somewhat more difficult when you are in the grip of passion. We all have the picture of the cool, calm scientist or scholar doing his or her work in quiet dedication in the laboratory or study. There is a reason for this picture. It is by and large accurate. Scientists and scholars can certainly be passionate, but when they are doing the work of rational analysis leading to understanding and new knowledge, they are not using their emotional side. They can get passionate in defending their work. But this is after the fact of rational analysis.

MUFON Dedicated to Rational Analysis of UFOs

MUFON and Oregon MUFON are dedicated to using rational analysis to understand the UFO. We seek to follow the norms of rational inquiry. We strive to understand the UFO with a dispassionate application of logic and reason to the information and evidence we develop. We strive to avoid logical fallacies in our reasoning. And we strive to treat the subject and the people associated with it with the respect they deserve as simply another part of human experience to be examined and explained if possible. We strive to be skeptical (because that is part of rational analysis and thinking), but not extremely skeptical and certainly never debunking.

Debunking Is Destructive

We avoid debunking because debunking means that you already have your mind made up about a subject. To the debunker, the subject is already understood and needs to be minimized, belittled, ridiculed, and even destroyed if possible. Obviously, MUFON is not out to debunk the subject it is trying to study by scientific and scholarly means.

Extreme Skepticism Is Not Helpful

Extreme skepticism leads to the dismissal of a subject before the subject has been adequately surveyed to see if it has any merit for further study. Extreme skepticism can be used as a protective mechanism so that certain subjects are never looked into. It implies a particularly pernicious form of prejudice. How can you know if a subject is unworthy of study if you do not spend enough time with the subject to take its measure? Extreme skepticism tends to prevent you from ever making this very important initial survey of a subject to evaluate its potential for worthiness of your attention.

Truth is impervious to attitude. It cares not what you think. It cares how you think. Truth just is. If you don't apply the norms of academic (or otherwise rational) thought, then the truth, as far as rational inquiry can know the truth, will forever elude you.

MUFON and Oregon MUFON reject debunking and extreme skepticism as having any value for promoting a true understanding of UFOs and related subjects.

See A Guide to Debunking and Extreme Skepticism for more on this important topic.