I believe we are so skeptical because we really can't handle the truth.
There will always be those who don't believe in aliens, UFO's or life elsewhere or even God for that matter.
I for one was raised to believe in a higher power (God) and I believe anything is possible.
I just hope I will see the day when we discover life on some distant planet.
Maybe then everyone would believe that anything is possible, even peace! Ya right....even I can be skeptical, huh!

Welcome to sciforums, Aribella. :D Groovy username. :D


I believe we are so skeptical because we really can't handle the truth.

Some of us are skeptical because we simply require more than superstition.


I for one was raised to believe in a higher power (God) and I believe anything is possible.

I believe god or gods may be possible, but the concepts are not worth shaping my life around until or unless some evidence for their existence appears, and maybe not even then.


I just hope I will see the day when we discover life on some distant planet.

I hope so too, and I find the idea far more likely than some other ideas floating about.

Aribella,

<i>because we really can't handle the truth.</i>

If we simply believe everything we're told, how are we meant to find the truth? Unless you have some skepticism, you have no means by which to sort the truth from the crap.

<i>There will always be those who don't believe in aliens, UFO's or life elsewhere or even God for that matter.</i>

Always is a long time.

<i>I for one was raised to believe in a higher power (God) and I believe anything is possible.</i>

No you don't.

Do you believe you could fly if you flapped your arms fast enough? Do you believe your house could turn into a giant jelly bean spontaneously? Do you believe that every nutter who claims to be Jesus reincarnated actually might be Jesus? I don't think so.

<i>I just hope I will see the day when we discover life on some distant planet.</i>

Good for you. So do I.

<i>Maybe then everyone would believe that anything is possible, even peace!</i>

No. No rational person will ever believe that everything is possible.

You know, I refer to skeptics as close minded people. There really are aliens and UFOs out there. Don't believe me? Don't be so close minded.

Originally posted by Adam
Welcome to sciforums, Aribella. :D Groovy username. :D


Some of us are skeptical because we simply require more than superstition.


I believe god or gods may be possible, but the concepts are not worth shaping my life around until or unless some evidence for their existence appears, and maybe not even then.


I hope so too, and I find the idea far more likely than some other ideas floating about.

Hello Adam.........
Some of us are skeptical because we simply require more than superstition.

You wouldn't be so skeptical if you would allow your mind to be open to the possiblity of these things..... Superstitions are for those who don't want to waste time finding the answers.......Where would we be today if we still believed in what use to be superstitions, until someone was willing to take a chance and seek out the truth to prove it wrong.

I believe in god or gods maybe possible, but the concepts are not worth shaping my life around until or unless some evidence for their existence appears, and maybe not even then.

It's easier to be skeptical, huh! Where's your sense of adventure? I guess the truth will have to bite you on the butt one of these days before anything moves you.... :D Maybe not even then......
Thanks for the welcome, Adam! How's the weather down under?

<i>It's easier to be skeptical, huh!</i>

No. It's far easier to believe everything people tell you. You never need to check anything yourself that way. It's the lazy option.

Originally posted by James R
Aribella,

<i>because we really can't handle the truth.</i>

If we simply believe everything we're told, how are we meant to find the truth? Unless you have some skepticism, you have no means by which to sort the truth from the crap.

<i>There will always be those who don't believe in aliens, UFO's or life elsewhere or even God for that matter.</i>

Always is a long time.

<i>I for one was raised to believe in a higher power (God) and I believe anything is possible.</i>

No you don't.

Do you believe you could fly if you flapped your arms fast enough? Do you believe your house could turn into a giant jelly bean spontaneously? Do you believe that every nutter who claims to be Jesus reincarnated actually might be Jesus? I don't think so.

<i>I just hope I will see the day when we discover life on some distant planet.</i>

Good for you. So do I.

<i>Maybe then everyone would believe that anything is possible, even peace!</i>

No. No rational person will ever believe that everything is possible.

James,
you have no means to sort out the crap.
Yes, it's true! We do need to be a little cautious to have the ability to sort out the truth. But, lets be honest...some people go way over board on the skepticism, don't you think?
Always is a long time.
You don't really believe everyone will be of the same mind about every issue, do you? Like I said, "always"
no you don't
Now, don't take me literally....I don't live in a fantasy world....No, I don't believe I can flap my arms and fly...But, who knows if we could use all of our brains capability, maybe even that would be possible.
:D Don't you think?

Originally posted by James R
<i>It's easier to be skeptical, huh!</i>

No. It's far easier to believe everything people tell you. You never need to check anything yourself that way. It's the lazy option.

Who said I believe everything people tell me? Research is my game...I've never done anything the easy way my whole life. I just try and keep my mind open to the possibility that everything we question in life has to have an answer. I pride myself in being a seeker of the truth and try to avoid being a skeptic because it hinders you ability to reason. I like to keep my options open...I'm far from being lazy James.

Being sceptical is not the same as not being able to believe in things:

I surely believe there are aliens out there. I also belive some of those alien (alien in this case meaning extraterristial) cultures have developed a technology far more advanced than ours. The logical conclusion is that some of them might visit us, past, present, or future.

But all this doesn't mean I cannot be very sceptical towards all those weird tales that are in circulation. I dont feel compelled to believe aliens must be the cause of every phenomenon somebody claims is not readily explainable.

I'm ready to believe in God, but that doesnt mean I have to accept every claim somebody makes in God's name. I cant imagine the creator and ruler of the Universe cares wether I call him Jehova or Allah, or wether he cares if I pray in one way or another, or indeed if I pray at all. If God cares about me at all, he cares about my actions and motives, not about what labels I pin on them.

(Note: God might be female, in which case substitute "she" for "he" in the above text)

Hans

Originally posted by Beelzebub
You know, I refer to skeptics as close minded people. There really are aliens and UFOs out there. Don't believe me? Don't be so close minded.

The irony of that statement is amazing.

Any sceptic with any knowledge of this topic will tell you Aliens exist. The Universe is just far too big for us to be the only life in existence. It is staggeringly unlikely that we and only we exist.

Same for UFO's, they really do exist. People see all sort of things in the sky they can't identify, hence unidentified flying objects. Are poorly identified and imaged lights in the sky hard evidence for an intellgent alien race visiting us in advanced interstellar craft though? The skeptic says no.

Can you see the very, very big difference in the analysis.

I am a skeptic, but I can't see myself as close-minded. I have seen things which I can not explain logically but for which I do not accept any explanation you might see on a paraspooky-is-us website. Rather, I leave all such matter undecided. Without solid data, I have no reasonable way of determining the truth of such matters, so I shrug and move on. I guess that is lazy of me.

As for skepticism and evidence, well, it is one very simple rule for discerning the truth from suprestitions.

Originally posted by MRC_Hans
Being sceptical is not the same as not being able to believe in things:

I surely believe there are aliens out there. I also belive some of those alien (alien in this case meaning extraterristial) cultures have developed a technology far more advanced than ours. The logical conclusion is that some of them might visit us, past, present, or future.

But all this doesn't mean I cannot be very sceptical towards all those weird tales that are in circulation. I dont feel compelled to believe aliens must be the cause of every phenomenon somebody claims is not readily explainable.

I'm ready to believe in God, but that doesnt mean I have to accept every claim somebody makes in God's name. I cant imagine the creator and ruler of the Universe cares wether I call him Jehova or Allah, or wether he cares if I pray in one way or another, or indeed if I pray at all. If God cares about me at all, he cares about my actions and motives, not about what labels I pin on them.

(Note: God might be female, in which case substitute "she" for "he" in the above text)

Hans

Hans,
Yes, we have to use logic to sort out the weird tales from what may be factual. I don't believe every tale either! We all know there are a lot of crack pots out there who will claim they saw something just to get attention.
I prefer to tred lightly and seek out that which could be a real possibility.
I had an UFO experience that I can't explain. Does that make me a crack pot. No! I join many who have seen sightings, but fear the ridicule of their peers.
I'd be crazy to think we are the only beings in existence. The universe is an pretty big place. If there wasn't life elsewhere. It sure would be a waste of space, don't you think?
As far as God is concerned...Until you have a personal experience with him or her...you will remain an unbeliever.
(note; God might be female, in which case substitue "she" for "he" in the above text)
God may not be neither "he" nor "she". This still remains to be seen!

But, lets be honest...some people go way over board on the skepticism, don't you think?
Way over-board? ;)

A free-thinking Lemming would disagree. It is its skepticism that allows it still to stand atop the cliff, there to better survey the rest of the group intertwined below. :)

Originally posted by Mr. G

Way over-board? ;)

A free-thinking Lemming would disagree. It is its skepticism that allows it still to stand atop the cliff, there to better survey the rest of the group intertwined below. :)

way over-board?

If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow whereever that search may lead us. The free mind is not a barking dog, to be tethered on a ten foot chain. Adlai E. Stevenson Jr. 1900-1965

All men by nature desire knowledge - Aristotle

The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity - Ellen Parr

Originally posted by Aribella


Hans,
Yes, we have to use logic to sort out the weird tales from what may be factual. I don't believe every tale either! We all know there are a lot of crack pots out there who will claim they saw something just to get attention.
I prefer to tred lightly and seek out that which could be a real possibility.


This is rather amusing, Aribella, because what you have described is, in fact, skepticism. You, my dear, are a skeptic.

Despite how the UFO and crop circle crowd try to portray them, skeptics are not people who go around saying everything "cool" is impossible. Skeptics are people who use logic and reason to separate the wheat from the chaff in the things they hear.

A skeptic has an open mind, but no so far open their brain falls out.

As for your alleged UFO experience, the problem is not that you had such an experience. The problem is that you make conclusions from it that are, to say the least, highly questionable. What was your experience, if I may ask?

That leadeth to destruction. Many "skeptics" simply will not believe what I tell them, no matter how much "proof" I show them. And then they make fun of me, yelling about demons and pizza while remaining BLIND to what is really happening in the world!

Aribella

Welcome to Sciforums. ;)

If I may comment on one of your statements:

I had an UFO experience that I can't explain. Does that make me a crack pot. No! I join many who have seen sightings, but fear the ridicule of their peers.

You claim to have had an UFO experience yet you also claim you can't explain it. This is rather contradictory. You've already explained it as a UFO experience. That would make you a crackpot and not a skeptic.

If instead, you claimed to have had an experience which you cannot explain and then proceeded to outline the details of said experience in an unbiased rational way, drawing conclusions based on known and observable phenomena, you would not be a crackpot, you'd be a skeptic.

The difference between the two is that the former is of a closed mind, not ready to accept any other explanation whereas the latter is open to discussion and new ideas.

It may be very true that you did actually have a UFO experience with aliens however, your presentation of the experience and the drawn conclusion, would indicate the nature of a crackpot as opposed to a skeptic.

Mr. G - Great avatar !! A decision based on peer pressure ? ;)

The free mind is not a barking dog, to be tethered on a ten foot chain.
The free mind is not a bottomless bucket, unable to fulfill its potential for utility. -- Mr. G

I pride myself in being a seeker of the truth and try to avoid being a skeptic because it hinders you ability to reason.
"Thou Shalt Not Covet Thine Own Hypothesis." --Tony Rothman

Originally posted by Northwind


This is rather amusing, Aribella, because what you have described is, in fact, skepticism. You, my dear, are a skeptic.

Despite how the UFO and crop circle crowd try to portray them, skeptics are not people who go around saying everything "cool" is impossible. Skeptics are people who use logic and reason to separate the wheat from the chaff in the things they hear.

A skeptic has an open mind, but no so far open their brain falls out.

As for your alleged UFO experience, the problem is not that you had such an experience. The problem is that you make conclusions from it that are, to say the least, highly questionable. What was your experience, if I may ask?

Maybe I am a skeptic of sorts... Just like most of you!
There wasn't anything alleged about my UFO experience. I don't know what I saw. It was an "unidentified flying object". I don't know who was flying it, I don't know what type it was, nor do I know where it came from... I am just trying to rationalize what it was in order to comprehend my experince. I can't say it was a Flying Saucer, it could have been something totally explainable. Without the facts...it would be stupid of me to say otherwise!
I would rather remain silent to the details...You wouldn't believe me anyhow...

Originally posted by Mr. G

The free mind is not a bottomless bucket, unable to fulfill its potential for utility. -- Mr. G


"Thou Shalt Not Covet Thine Own Hypothesis." --Tony Rothman The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the same mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. - F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896- 1940)

Originally posted by Aribella

Maybe I am a skeptic of sorts... Just like most of you!

I strongly suspect you are, at heart. Come into the light, embrace the truth.

There wasn't anything alleged about my UFO experience. I don't know what I saw. It was an "unidentified flying object".

That fulfills the definition of a UFO. So yes, you saw one.

I don't know who was flying it, I don't know what type it was, nor do I know where it came from... I am just trying to rationalize what it was in order to comprehend my experince. I can't say it was a Flying Saucer, it could have been something totally explainable.

You see, that is the skeptic breaking through. The difference between 'Skeptics' and 'True Believers' is that you would have claimed this was definite proof of an ET spacecraft. Anyone disagreeing would be a NASA disinfo agent.

Without the facts...it would be stupid of me to say otherwise!

It is not a case of stupity. It is only stupid if the only conclusion you came to was that, whatever you saw, it had to be an Alien spacecraft. I.E. Only one conclusion is allowed, that is stupid.

I would rather remain silent to the details...You wouldn't believe me anyhow...

I will believe whatever you say. That is, I will accept it is an accurate recounting of whatever it is you saw. Can we agree to disagree on the interpretations of what you saw.

{MIB}
FLASH

It was the image of Venus seen through a temperature inversion layer caused by swamp gas. So you where in a desert, what of it.
{/MIB}

Aribella,

James,

<i>Yes, it's true! We do need to be a little cautious to have the ability to sort out the truth. But, lets be honest...some people go way over board on the skepticism, don't you think?</i>

What would "going way overboard" entail, in your opinion? If you mean merely dismissing things out of hand, that is not skepticism - it is closed-minded denial. Skepticism means looking at all possible explanations and not accepting things without good evidence.

<i>You don't really believe everyone will be of the same mind about every issue, do you? Like I said, "always"</i>

I was trying to make the point that at some point in the future, for example, we might be visited by aliens. After that, a person would be stupid to deny it had happened, given clear evidence to the contrary. Therefore, we cannot say that there will always be people who don't believe in aliens. There may come a time when everybody who is not a nutter believes in aliens.

So far, though, there is no evidence for aliens visiting Earth.

<i>But, who knows if we could use all of our brains capability, maybe even that would be possible.</i>

We already do use all of our brains' capacity. What makes you think we don't? It would be a big waste of resources if we don't, wouldn't it? Why feed a brain which isn't doing its job?

<i>I just try and keep my mind open to the possibility that everything we question in life has to have an answer. I pride myself in being a seeker of the truth...</i>

Up to this point, you're speaking exactly like a skeptic. Then you say:

<i>... and try to avoid being a skeptic because it hinders your ability to reason.</i>

How does it hinder your ability? I would argue that it <b>helps</b> you to discard crap.

It is funny how some people think a skeptic = close-minded. What a ridiculus concept! Somebody that requires a reason (evidence/logic) to believe something is close-minded? No a skeptic is simply not gullible.

Of course, all the people that put their faith into concepts that do not require evidence or logic would want you to believe otherwise. Hence, the reason so many people have a skewed view of what a skeptic is.

You are right,

even though anyone can now read the best 'no-physical-facts" proof
that aliens exist (see the link below), most will say 'this is bullshit' since the author did not bring any 'physical evidence'. Read it for yourself. I'm sure you will 'get it' unlike the 'automatic skeptics' or the 'society-controlled-minds' or the 'my-friends-will-think-I'm-weird' groups (which is most people).

As the opening preface says:

"they have ears, but don't hear; they have eyes, but don't see"

www.thiaoouba.com/ebook.htm

If for any reason you feel uneasy to reveal your email address - you are not yet ready to read this book.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Hans

I think, nay, know that we are all skeptical about something. I'd look at someone strangly if they told me that the grass suddenly changed colour overnight from Green to Purple.

We are skeptical about things that are not normal or are new to us as people.

If we were too open minded, wouldn't that make us gullible.

Skeptism (if thats how you spell it) is what shapes our everyday lifes. Think about when you have to make a decision.

I don't think people who have 'had' UFO experiences are crackpots, they're just 'special';)

I don't think people who have 'had' UFO experiences are crackpots, they're just 'special'

IMHO, they're not even special. They are quite ordinary people. It is a property of the human mind to interpret anything we observe in terms of our existing experience. This is normally a very useful ability, but from time to time it fools us; we observe something that doesnt fit into anything we've experienced before, and our mind crams it in with the best fit.

UFO's are by now a well established part of most people's "experience", that is we've heard about them and we have a number of notions about how they're supposed to look. So, when people see something in the sky that they cannot recognise, their mind chooses the best fit and shows them a UFO. This happens even to trained observers.

Of course there are crackpots and hoaxers, but most UFO observations are made by honest, ordinary people who genuinely believe they saw what they claim they saw.

But whenever it is possible to investigate a case, it almost always turns out that there is some mundane explanation.

Hans