Gustav said:
ahh, i remember what i once said........
occam is for dullards and simpletons
This reminded me of Occam's Beard!
Dr. Jacques Vallee said:
"This expression is applied to a rule of thinking in science that states that one should never invoke a complex hypothesis when a simple one will fit. It all depends, of course, on what one means by 'simple.' The theory of a spherical earth spinning around the universe with over fourteen different motions is incredibly complex when compared to the elegant theory of a flat, motionless earth, with the sun and celestial bodies simple lamps carried around by angels. Occam must have had a beard. In UFO research, as in other fields of science, one is frequently forced to set aside Occam's razor and to accept the frustrating complexity of the physical world -- and the even more complex reality of the human beings within it."
Anyone who has studied ufology for any serious amount of time has come across Mr. Vallee.
A rather rational man for someone who believes the UFO phenomenon has more to it than ball lightning and weather balloons!
This quote applies perfectly to Occam's razor AND the ETH (extraterrestrial hypothesis) mentioned by Mr. Anonymous.
I'm sure a few of you came across my post in the "Why do people believe" thread. I referred to professional skeptics as having a completely biased approach, as well as $$$ interests in debunking the paranormal. Why do you think they ALWAYS have a scientific sounding answer for anything that appears mysterious, even when that scientific theory itself is a stretch of the imagination?
True to their constant references to Occam, some of their explanations are so outlandish (because they're so simplisitic) it has me convinced that sometimes they are merely insulting people!
Like the dummies at Roswell that were dropped from planes several years AFTER the fact, and being mistaken for little humanoids seen prior in connection with the 1947 "crash". I forget when those projects took place, but they were several years later, far too late for any normal person to have been confused by them, as far as I'm concerned.
I'm not a hardcore believer in the Roswell crash being an alien craft. I'm just using this as a perfect example of how silly some of these simplistic explanations can get.
And speaking of insulting, how bout the skeptic who referred to so-called alien abductees as "insignificant little nobodies" who are subconsciously craving attention, and apparently this drives them to fantasize these stories.
I can't remember who it was at this time.