Comments on: UFOs and the Burden of Proof http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2007/ufos-and-the-burden-of-proof/ Science, astronomy, politics, movies, and various minutiae. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:39:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Jake http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2007/ufos-and-the-burden-of-proof/comment-page-1/#comment-42651 Jake Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:29:53 +0000 http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/?p=246#comment-42651 To believe that there is life on other planets, you need to believe in evolution. By the way...... there is no proof for evolution!! All evolution is is another religion, because you have to believe it, without any physical evidence! so stop acting like it is science...because its not!! To believe that there is life on other planets, you need to believe in evolution. By the way…… there is no proof for evolution!! All evolution is is another religion, because you have to believe it, without any physical evidence! so stop acting like it is science…because its not!!

]]> By: Jake http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2007/ufos-and-the-burden-of-proof/comment-page-1/#comment-42649 Jake Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:25:10 +0000 http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/?p=246#comment-42649 If you actualy believe that there is life on other planets, get out of your dream world and stop being such an idiot! You just need to stop watching so many sci- fi shows!! If you actualy believe that there is life on other planets, get out of your dream world and stop being such an idiot! You just need to stop watching so many sci- fi shows!!

]]> By: The Ridger http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2007/ufos-and-the-burden-of-proof/comment-page-1/#comment-41601 The Ridger Thu, 22 Nov 2007 17:45:30 +0000 http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/?p=246#comment-41601 The sheer scope of such a conspiracy is genuinely mind-boggling. Especially nowadays, when every backyard astronomer with a telescope would have to be in on it. As someone who works for the government, I just can't believe it. The sheer scope of such a conspiracy is genuinely mind-boggling. Especially nowadays, when every backyard astronomer with a telescope would have to be in on it. As someone who works for the government, I just can’t believe it.

]]> By: JC http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2007/ufos-and-the-burden-of-proof/comment-page-1/#comment-41269 JC Tue, 20 Nov 2007 02:54:00 +0000 http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/?p=246#comment-41269 Yes indeed we believe him, but not because he claimed it. We believe it because the evidence that he and 11 other Apollo astronauts walked on the Moon is incontrovertible. Yes indeed we believe him, but not because he claimed it. We believe it because the evidence that he and 11 other Apollo astronauts walked on the Moon is incontrovertible.

]]> By: spacefiles http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2007/ufos-and-the-burden-of-proof/comment-page-1/#comment-41241 spacefiles Mon, 19 Nov 2007 21:39:06 +0000 http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/?p=246#comment-41241 So Mr. Mitchell claims to have walked on the Moon... should we believe him? Isn\'t he part of a cover-up? So Mr. Mitchell claims to have walked on the Moon… should we believe him? Isn\’t he part of a cover-up?

]]> By: Aylia http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2007/ufos-and-the-burden-of-proof/comment-page-1/#comment-40811 Aylia Sat, 17 Nov 2007 01:26:41 +0000 http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/?p=246#comment-40811 you're very good at arguing. you’re very good at arguing.

]]> By: John http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2007/ufos-and-the-burden-of-proof/comment-page-1/#comment-40754 John Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:43:12 +0000 http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/?p=246#comment-40754 I agree with you on all counts: it isn\'t that aliens cannot visit us, it\'s just that it\'s a highly extraordinary claim requiring strong evidence. Lacking that evidence (and resorting to ad hominem attacks on skeptics), the case is weak and the proponents ought to accept that they\'re going to have trouble convincing people. If they want to believe that aliens are among us, that\'s very much their right. But rationality and civility requires that they acknowledge that they aren\'t going to convince a lot of people with what they\'ve shown so far. By extension, it stands to reason that they should reasonably expect resistance to getting public funding for their inquiries. Sadly, I\'ve noticed that it\'s often the case that people who fail to produce compelling evidence for their theories do not adopt the rational, civil approach to their doubters. Happily, there are counter-examples to this phenomenon. (A colleague of ours, an advocate of a non-standard model of planet formation, comes to mind.) I agree with you on all counts: it isn\’t that aliens cannot visit us, it\’s just that it\’s a highly extraordinary claim requiring strong evidence. Lacking that evidence (and resorting to ad hominem attacks on skeptics), the case is weak and the proponents ought to accept that they\’re going to have trouble convincing people. If they want to believe that aliens are among us, that\’s very much their right. But rationality and civility requires that they acknowledge that they aren\’t going to convince a lot of people with what they\’ve shown so far. By extension, it stands to reason that they should reasonably expect resistance to getting public funding for their inquiries.

Sadly, I\’ve noticed that it\’s often the case that people who fail to produce compelling evidence for their theories do not adopt the rational, civil approach to their doubters. Happily, there are counter-examples to this phenomenon. (A colleague of ours, an advocate of a non-standard model of planet formation, comes to mind.)

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