UFOs, the Scientific Method, and Unexplained Phenomenon

Let me start by saying this is in no way a repudiation of my pervious post, “The Big Thud.” I may be insane, but I do not have a split personality. There are however, areas where the attitudes of scientist are a stumbling block. That attitude is, that the scientific method is the be all and end all of investigation and knowledge. It is not. It is very good; and upon it all of our technological progress of the past century is predicated. It is a very, very useful tool for what it is. Its Achilles’ heel is also what makes it so valuable. Its Achilles’ heel is the two words: repeatable and verifiable. The question comes to me, “What if there is phenomenon that is real, but cannot be repeated on a regular basis? What happens if there is real phenomenon that occurs only at occasional intervals, and is of such a strange nature that we have no way to verify it outside of our human senses?” (This topic always reminds me of the story of the man on the street corner looking for a quarter he lost. A second man asks him where he lost it. The first man replies that he lost the quarter downstairs in the basement. The second man asks, “Why are you looking for it here on the street corner?” The first man replies, “Because the light is better.”) If we stick strictly to the scientific method (better light), we discount what might otherwise be real and useful phenomenon (lost quarter). There are certain precedents for this type of hypothesis.

Beginning in the 19th century, the psychological theory of behavioralism was formulated; it was “the desire to have psychology recognized as an empirical science.” The problem with this approach was that it had no way to recognize or validate anything that was not directly apprehendable by the observer: such as emotion, values, or any process that was occurring internally in the subject. Even today, with advancements in the tools of technology, we cannot state absolutely that humans have anything going on internally (Of course with some humans, this is less defensible than with others), except electrochemical events; although only the most obstinate person would argue that we do not experience emotions or make judgments based on preconceived values. We agree that these internal processes do exist because all humans, with the exception of the rare few with genetic abnormalities, or brain damage, experience them as part of their reality. Were we to rely solely upon science to determine what is, and what is not, the vast majority of the human race would have to check into an insane asylum, because they would be experiencing phenomenon that did not exist. So, although science is very good for what it is and what it does, it cannot explain everything that comprises the totality of the human experience; nor should it be the litmus test for all phenomenon. The scientific method should always be the starting point when searching for an explanation of an unexplained occurrence, but it must not be the ending point should it fail to satisfactorily offer a solution.

Equally dishonest is a flight of fancy simply because it offers an easy or romantic explanation. We should keep in mind that UFO means Unidentified Flying Object not extraterrestrial beings in technologically advanced spacecraft. Even when science cannot identify or explain a phenomenon: we should not jump to the nearest handy conclusion (Granted, it sells books, and keeps money coming into conventions on everything from UFOs to ESP). However, there is a wide gap between: A. No scientific explanation and B. “little green men.” Should we be open to alternative methods of investigation when science hits a dead-end? Absolutely! Should we be conned by the 21st Century equivalent of snake oil? Well… it is your money, far be it from me to tell you how to waste it.

~Erthona

ALL THERE IS!

In olden days it was Fairies and such,
today it is aliens and UFO's.
Who is to say that their Fairies were not our UFO's,
or maybe, Our UFO's are not really their Fairies?
When Christians came they dismissed such things as Fairies,
as figments of the mind.
When Science came it dismissed God,
as a figment of the mind.
Now we have UFO's:
part God, part Fairy, part science.
Maybe it is all the same.
Maybe it is all different.
Or maybe Mankind just doesn't like the idea,
that we are all there is.

© Dale B. Tisdale 1996

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