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UFOs and the Process of Scientific Inquiry
The chapter by Bennett (2008) is superficially about the search for -- or perhaps more accurately, the evidentiary support for -- the existence of extra-terrestrial life as demonstrated by Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO). However, the discussion reveals a greater interest even in the nature of scientific debate, the premise of providing one theory by disproving another and the inherency of natural law in the process of investigating scientific inquiry. My personal response would be a sense of engagement based on the understanding the Bennett intends to pursue an objective discussion on the possibility of life on other planets-based fully within the confines of defensible science.
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Bennett offers the reader a discussion the history of this inquiry that touches on some compelling resolutions as that relating to stellar parallax. Indeed, one of the core problems in creating an empirically supported model of the universe would be man's incapacity to physically measure the distances between such astral objects as stars. Stellar parallax would be the theory conjured by Greek astrologists as a way to understand the distance of objects according to their optical size and shape. Stars could be measured based on their size and position in the sky, helping to create a more scientific comprehension of the scale of the galaxy.
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The general content of this chapter though is founded on the quote drawn from Carl Sagan. Bennett quotes the famous cosmologist when he indicates that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." (24) To illustrate this point, he provides nothing less than a history of scientific inquiry, referencing such historical touchstones as Ptolemy, Aristotle, Newton and Kepler. This narrative underscores the historical perspective on science, which denotes that the revolutionary provision of evidence by one thinker will build a foundation for the further evolution in any given field by his eventual successors.
Works Cited:
Bennett, J. (2008). Beyond UFOs: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Its Astonishing Implications for Our Future. Princeton University Press.
Furthermore, he argues, a technological culture is not an inevitable feature of human evolution. If other cultures had achieved ascendancy, then science and technology would not have emerged as a reference point for measuring intelligence. SETI's requirement for an almost identical technology, although scientifically understandable, is based on an impoverished concept of intelligence. According to Munevar, the development of a scientific culture, with access to radio communication, is highly contingent,
This was because, for some stories, they were forced to use less professional correspondents to cover stories that were on a more national scale. 13. Among this list, newspapers and magazines are the most credible because they strive for objectivity and accuracy, at the same time as they possess the most amount of content. Television news programs are second only because they lack the same level of depth. The other
People of the time lacked the technological tools to build them, gaps remain regarding how they were accomplished, and it would be challenging for us still today to imitate them. Criticism of ancient astronaut theory Critics of the ancient astronaut thesis used some of the following arguments to demolish the claims: 1. Religious The claims of extra-terrestrials are totally unfounded and many are complete reinterpretations of (for instance) the Bible. proponents such as
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The boy just stood there staring at the pile of clothes and cat food and bows. I went over and asked him if I could do anything but he told me that he was used to it. I wasn't actually all that surprised by his answer. And so I ask myself: Which story of the family are these two telling themselves? Does the boy know that he is Horus and
Also referring, however, to the way photography can either reflect reality or create illusion, the author does understand the importance of the evolution of digital media. "Straightforward photographs can be used legitimately and effectively to show that things exist. But mislabeled or manipulated photographs can be used to create illusions of existence," ("How to Do Things with Pictures," p. 195). There is also a middle ground between these two