Quote:
Originally Posted by TopSecret
I must agree with the post that began this thread from the standpoint that attacking those who disagree with your opinion is a logical fallacy of the ad hominem abusive type. So, when Steven Hawking asks the rhetorical question why UFOs only appear to "cranks and weirdoes" (sic), he dismisses the existence of UFOs without addressing the evidence that supports it.
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If you'd read this thread you would know that he dismisses the "cranks and weirdos", not the existence of the UFO phenomenon.
And why should he redo all the work done by others?
All the 'evidence that supports it' already has been shown to support no other conclusion then that sometimes people see stuff they can't explain.
Duh.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TopSecret
It seems that those in this forum, and indeed many seemingly intelligent people, are uncomfortable with those whose observations or knowledge fail to fit the officially accepted theory of things regardless of the evidence. If readers of this forum truly believe that only cranks and weirdos have witnessed UFO activity, they must believe that many air force pilots, air traffic controllers, commercial pilots, NASA astronauts and ground control employees are wackos.
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If you'd read this thread you would know we weren't talking about 'UFO activity' but alien encounters.
And there is no such thing as 'the officially accepted theory'.
Rational people base there conclusions on evidence.
No evidence, no conclusions. It's called keeping an open mind.
It is the
evidence that is extremely problematic with the whole UFO phenomenon.
Lights in the sky are just lights in the sky.
And the stories of alien encounters strike me as no different then the accounts of encounters with hobgoblins and leprechauns from antiquity.
Without any tangible evidence what would make them anymore believable?
(In my experience a lot off people of all walks of life are wackos. But that is anecdotal. And the plural of anecdote is
not data.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by TopSecret
One easy way to discredit a theory is to label it a "conspiracy theory." But let's look at the definition of that term from the Conspiracy theory entry in Wikipedia,
A conspiracy theory is a hypothesis that alleges a coordinated group are and/or were secretly working together to commit illegal or wrongful actions including hiding the existence of the group and its activities. The unspoken statement made when labeling a position a "conspiracy theory" is that it is ridiculous and, therefore, could not possibly be true. But do you realize that over two million United States government employees and contractors hold a secret clearance? That's a lot of people secretly working together doing stuff that you know nothing about. Since you cannot know what they are doing and probably don't know who most of them are, what makes you think that there isn't one or multiple conspiracies? |
We are all aware that such things as conspiracies exist.
From the assassination of Julius Caesar, to the Watergate break-in.
We are are also aware that in the real world conspiracy don't stay secret very long.
It's human nature to talk.
(How do three men keep a secret...)
Quote:
Originally Posted by TopSecret
Fortunately for those who plan conspiracies, people typically do not or cannot believe in them - they're too unbelievable! Hitler's conspiracy against the Jews comes to mind. Who of the non-Jewish Germans in the late 1930's actually believed that their leaders were actively wiping out millions of innocent Jews?
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Why would they believe a thing that wasn't happening.
The industrialised genocide perpetrated by the Nazis started in earnest in 1941, under the cloak of war.
And they did not manage to keep it secret. People
knew.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TopSecret
Anyway, forgive me for being way off topic at this point. I'm sure there is some other area for posting this kind of material and I'll be duly reprimanded.
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Well, read the FAQ, and the Rules. Then you'll know for sure.
