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Challenges and Advantages of Researching UFOs and Similar Subjects

Challenges and Advantages of Researching UFOs and Similar Subjects. Henry Bauer hhbauer@vt.edu VA-NC MUFON Conference 27-28 September 2008. Interested in UFOs (or Loch Ness monsters, psychic phenomena, Bigfoot, etc.) = trying to understand the natural world = doing science NOT SO!.

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Challenges and Advantages of Researching UFOs and Similar Subjects

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  1. Challenges and Advantagesof Researching UFOsand Similar Subjects Henry Bauer hhbauer@vt.edu VA-NC MUFON Conference 27-28 September 2008

  2. Interested in UFOs (or Loch Ness monsters, psychic phenomena, Bigfoot, etc.) = trying to understand the natural world = doing science NOT SO!

  3. Professionals vs. Amateurs • Infrastructure:funds; assistants; publication • Peer review • Multi-disciplinary • Less support  more mistakes even less credibility “vicious circle”

  4. ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEMS • Form own “scientific” type society BUT: • Lack of societal prestige • Lack of side benefits of professional associations • Lack of career-furthering contacts • Lack of paradigm and enforced rules of conduct Therefore: • Lack of cohesion; schisms; competing groups

  5. INTELLECTUAL PROBLEMS Studying anomalies vs. ignoring anomalies: • Not reproducible • No obvious guidelines for getting results • No obvious guidelines for evaluating results, for objective peer review • Phenomena and theories don’tcohere; so no consensus forms • Eyewitness evidence: subjectively convincing but fallible

  6. PEOPLE PROBLEMS • Few guidelines for judging competence • No mechanism for excluding incompetents • I. J. Good:Cranks are geniuses who happen to be wrong,geniuses are cranks who happen to be right. • Einstein: only hindsight can judge

  7. We get no respect So let’s contemplate our advantages and look forward to having the last laugh

  8. Our advantages • Careers don’t depend on it--- more than academic freedom • Can just ignore the nasties, the “skeptics”, science groupies (CSICOPpers)--- or spare some pity for them--- they’re terrified of being wrong • Amateurism = for the love of it--- how modern science started

  9. “Big” science: --- needs infrastructure & big money • Applications and patents can bring wealth: --- cutthroat competition --- conflicts of interest --- faking results, fraud • New academic “industry”: research ethics, bioethics • Knowledge Monopolies & Research Cartels: string theory --- and no “cold fusion”! global warming; HIV/AIDS

  10. Szent-Gyorgyi: Use a BIG hook --- It’s more exciting not to catch a big fish, than not to catch a small one.

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