Angel of Ioren
Friendly Skeptic
Why is there so much bickering among UFO researchers? Seriously, they act like children and it's a huge reason why I find it hard to take any of them seriously.
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Richard Dolan will be our returning guest!
- Thread starter Christopher O'Brien
- Start date
Free episodes:
Not really.
EricTheRed
Paranormal Maven
Questions for Richard Dolan
1) How would you characterize what we might call ‘UFO literacy’ among most UFO debunkers and skeptics that you’ve encountered? In particular how would you characterize Michael Shermer’s knowledge and acumen in this area?
2) What’s your sense of the current size and activity of the so-called “invisible college” of academics who are interested in the UFO subject? What is its historical trend? Has there been more or less interest over time? Relatedly: How often are you contacted by academics who express discreet interest in the topic of UFOs but are afraid to make this interest known publicly?
3) In terms of your research into UFOs, what are the current questions that occupy you or that you find most interesting?
4) Let’s say a friendly but firm arch skeptic identifies you on the street and says, “You know, I don’t buy it. I think it’s all misidentification, secret military aviation projects, human credulity and the thirst for mystery and the transcendent. Most people don’t know how to think critically, so it’s easy to see why they’ll buy into irrational belief. But you’re a smart guy and you believe there's something to this UFO stuff too. Why?” What is your elevator pitch to this skeptic?
5) From your initial encounter with the UFO topic until now, have you undergone any dark night of the soul in trying to reconcile where you think the evidence is pointing with the fact that the majority of our most prestigious scientists and academics presumably reject UFOs as a field worth of study? Have you found this alienating or cause for deep self-doubt? Have you ever lain awake at night puzzling over how this bizarre state of affairs could be the case, wondering if it’s you or the world that’s crazy?
6) Skeptics have an unorganized but growing body of analysis and research that purports to explain why people believe in non-terrestrial UFOs. The converse UFOlogical thesis of skeptic denial is considerably thinner. Do you feel this is a serious gap in UFO studies? How would you summarize your thesis about skeptic denial?
7) How likely do you think the following psychological dynamic is at work? Serious-minded, appropriately skeptical researchers begin investigating the UFO literature and are shocked to find that the overall case for the ETH is not just possible but even highly likely. But then, they can’t handle the cognitive dissonance between what they’ve found and what mainstream science tells them that they should find, and so they resort to their original easy skepticism rather than persist with unresolvable ambivalence or the profound alienation of living in a civilization that’s in denial about what would be its most important discovery. Do you think this mental dynamic is behind the skepticism of many people?
8) To you what are the strongest skeptic arguments and what are your replies?
9) What is the latest thing you have encountered in your research that you find notable or especially interesting?
10) In the totality of your research what is the most surprising or unexpected thing you have encountered?
11) Has anyone in intelligence, the military or in some governmental capacity contacted you with a story of significance to the UFO question?
12) On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being not at all, and 10 being absolutely convinced, how would you rate your estimate of there being something real behind the UFO subject other than misidentification, etc? How much room do you leave for the possibility that you’ve talked yourself into a narrative of UFOs that is built on sand?
13) Let’s say you were gifted $100 million on the condition you would spend the money on bringing the UFO topic to a point of resolution or understanding as quickly as possible. What would you do with the money?
1) How would you characterize what we might call ‘UFO literacy’ among most UFO debunkers and skeptics that you’ve encountered? In particular how would you characterize Michael Shermer’s knowledge and acumen in this area?
2) What’s your sense of the current size and activity of the so-called “invisible college” of academics who are interested in the UFO subject? What is its historical trend? Has there been more or less interest over time? Relatedly: How often are you contacted by academics who express discreet interest in the topic of UFOs but are afraid to make this interest known publicly?
3) In terms of your research into UFOs, what are the current questions that occupy you or that you find most interesting?
4) Let’s say a friendly but firm arch skeptic identifies you on the street and says, “You know, I don’t buy it. I think it’s all misidentification, secret military aviation projects, human credulity and the thirst for mystery and the transcendent. Most people don’t know how to think critically, so it’s easy to see why they’ll buy into irrational belief. But you’re a smart guy and you believe there's something to this UFO stuff too. Why?” What is your elevator pitch to this skeptic?
5) From your initial encounter with the UFO topic until now, have you undergone any dark night of the soul in trying to reconcile where you think the evidence is pointing with the fact that the majority of our most prestigious scientists and academics presumably reject UFOs as a field worth of study? Have you found this alienating or cause for deep self-doubt? Have you ever lain awake at night puzzling over how this bizarre state of affairs could be the case, wondering if it’s you or the world that’s crazy?
6) Skeptics have an unorganized but growing body of analysis and research that purports to explain why people believe in non-terrestrial UFOs. The converse UFOlogical thesis of skeptic denial is considerably thinner. Do you feel this is a serious gap in UFO studies? How would you summarize your thesis about skeptic denial?
7) How likely do you think the following psychological dynamic is at work? Serious-minded, appropriately skeptical researchers begin investigating the UFO literature and are shocked to find that the overall case for the ETH is not just possible but even highly likely. But then, they can’t handle the cognitive dissonance between what they’ve found and what mainstream science tells them that they should find, and so they resort to their original easy skepticism rather than persist with unresolvable ambivalence or the profound alienation of living in a civilization that’s in denial about what would be its most important discovery. Do you think this mental dynamic is behind the skepticism of many people?
8) To you what are the strongest skeptic arguments and what are your replies?
9) What is the latest thing you have encountered in your research that you find notable or especially interesting?
10) In the totality of your research what is the most surprising or unexpected thing you have encountered?
11) Has anyone in intelligence, the military or in some governmental capacity contacted you with a story of significance to the UFO question?
12) On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being not at all, and 10 being absolutely convinced, how would you rate your estimate of there being something real behind the UFO subject other than misidentification, etc? How much room do you leave for the possibility that you’ve talked yourself into a narrative of UFOs that is built on sand?
13) Let’s say you were gifted $100 million on the condition you would spend the money on bringing the UFO topic to a point of resolution or understanding as quickly as possible. What would you do with the money?