Of course your point is good, Steven. If the hidden artifacts were
the only evidence, believing the UFO claims would be impossible. But,
let's use you example. Suppose people could drive up to your house
and see that the lights are on but you are not hooked to the grid or
to any other obvious source of energy. Suppose a few respected people
gain entry and report that they saw a strange machine in your basement
that seem to be providing energy for your house. Suppose over the
years, thousands of people report the same observations even though
their experiences are totally independent. Would you then expect
people to believe you had a perpetual motion machine?
I suggest people believe correctly many things about which they have
no personal knowledge and such knowledge is impossible to obtain. For
example, do you believe humans went to the Moon? All of the evidence
on which you base your belief is either obtained by accepting the
experience of others or from photographs that can be easily faked.
Even the rocks and returned space craft, which you can see in museums,
can be fake. You have to take the word of honest and respected people
that the event actually happened. An identical problem applies to the
UFO claims.
Ed
On Aug 1, 2009, at 11:11 AM, Stephen A. Lawrence wrote:
Edmund Storms wrote:
But Jeff, artifacts do exist. They have been seen by people and
described in detail. Granted, you are not allowed to see them, but is
that required ...
Of course, in the realm of science, actually "seeing" something is not
necessary to believe in it. However, in general, we must know that,
in
principle, we *could* see it -- that *possibility* is extremely
important; I might even say *necessary*. For example, I have never
seen
the MM experiment performed, and never expect to; it's a rather
delicate
experiment which requires specialized apparatus. However, the
knowledge
that I *could* do so is vitally important in believing that it's not
just a hoax by people trying to support Einstein.
Here, let me make this more concrete: I have a perpetual motion
machine
in my basement. I can describe what it does, and how wonderfully it
works. I'll explain to you how I've tied it into my house wiring, and
how I no longer have to pay anything for my electricity. But, you are
not allowed to see the machine -- I will not let you, even if you ask;
even if you fly out here, you will not be allowed to see it! Will you
believe me, though, that it really does exist?
By the same token, alien artifacts which have been described in detail
but which we, the common folk who are not in the inner circle, are
"not
allowed to see" are not convincing of *anything*.
