13.1.1 Reasoned Analysis and Empirical Claims

Reasoned Analysis: 

Question at Issue:

Based on the evidence of UFOs, how justified is the belief in aliens?

Evidence and Information:

Credible sources, physical evidence, oral history, personal journal entries, photographic evidence, information from different viewpoints, and propaganda.

Assumptions:

There is some evidence of UFOs; most evidence of UFOs are hoaxes or can be explained empirically; it is assumed that aliens do not exist because there is not enough evidence from UFO sightings to prove their existence; however, a lot of people claim to have seen UFOs, and the universe is vast, so perhaps aliens do exist.

Concepts:

Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAPs), extraterrestrial life, and space travel.

Context:

Reports of creditable Unidentified Flying Objects sightings are only recorded in the United States.

Point of View:

Government officials, believers, non-believers, scientists, astronomers, and xeno archaeologists.

Purpose:

To inform the people throughout the world about the truth of UFOs, UAPs, and extraterrestrial life. It also serves to question the government’s knowledge about the subject and to show whether or not the government was hiding information about alien life.

Implications and Consequences:

If aliens are proven to be real based on evidence, people would realize that their viewpoints of UFOs are either correct or incorrect. There would also be a huge lack of trust in government leaders around the world – especially if they were withholding information about extraterrestrial life.

Conclusions and Interpretations:

The universe and concept of existence is far too large for human understanding, so it is not yet possible to prove alien existence, but there isn’t any evidence to disprove the theory.

Disciplinary Lenses: 

Meteorology

Question at Issue:

How is the technology used by meteorologists confused for UFOs?

Evidence and Information:

Satellite balloons, airborne objects, weather forecast balloons, and any type of satellite or weather device that is mistaken for an unidentified flying object.

Assumptions:

Since a majority of society is unaware of what meteorological technology looks like and are not used to seeing it in the process of being used, people will automatically assume that it is an unidentified flying object.

Concepts:

Study of the atmosphere, atmospheric phenomena, and atmospheric effects on weather

Context:

Long-term trends in climate and weather, and their potential impact on human populations.

Point of View:

Meteorologists, astrologers, astronauts, local individuals, and scientists that work on making these devices.

Purpose:

The purpose of these devices serve to conduct research to gather information about weather patterns and to predict future natural phenomena. However, these devices are taken out of context as society will often believe that they are an extraterrestrial phenomenon.

Implications and Consequences:

When people just jump to conclusions that meteorological devices are just UFOs without doing proper research about the situation, it can cause paranoia and unneeded conspiracy.

Conclusions and Interpretations:

Because society is so unaware of the devices used for meteorological purposes, they are commonly mistaken for UFOs due to their unfamiliar appearance.

Military Science  

Question at Issue:

How does military science intervene with the question of UFOs and alien life?

Evidence and Information:

Area 51 and its airbase testing site, military air crafts, planes, other air bases

Assumptions:

The military has the right to keep things confidential. They are meant to be away from the general public, so when these aircrafts that are testing or haven’t been released yet are seen conspiracies and assumptions tend to emit.

Concepts:

Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and its behavior. This also includes the study of warfare.

Context:

Articles and Texts about sightings near Military bases, Interviews, Academic Texts

Point of View:

Airforce Scientist, Military Generals, Veterans, Politicians,

Purpose:

The purpose of Military Science is to convey strategic defense strategies and the mobility of aircrafts and machinery in the analytical aspect.

Implications and Consequences:

Misidentifications cause issues. They bring popularity and attention to sightings that are incorrect and portray the wrong idea to others.

Conclusions and Interpretations:

The aircrafts that the military has the ability to create can create an aspect that could seem like a UFO. This leads to misconceptions and misidentifications that will cause conspiracy.

Astronomy  

Question at Issue:

How does the concept of astronomy align with claims about alien life?

Evidence and Information:

Space, celestial objects, the universe and planets.

Assumptions:

Since astronomy studies the universe as a whole, the study and evidence of extraterrestrial life would align and be involved.

Concepts:
Astronomy is the study of the universe and, as a result, evidence that leads toward the existence of aliens falls under this disciplinary lens since it is such a vast concept.

Context:

After the first sightings of what was believed to be alien piloted UFOs, there was a link of extraterrestrial life and flying objects to astronomy in hopes of explaining this phenomena.

Point of View:

Astrologists, Astronomers, Physicists

Purpose:

The purpose of astronomy is to prove if there is any correlation to the study of ufology. If there is a connection found, it opens up doors for new possibilities to use astronomy and the way we study stars and planets.

Implications and Consequences:

When people start to mix up whether an astronomical phenomenon is an UFO/alien sighting or actually a natural occurrence, it can alter the way society automatically associates outer space with conspiracy. When people start to believe more in the conspiracy, it takes away trust from government officials and scientists that study outer space.

Conclusions and Interpretations:

While astronomy is closely associated with ufology, the correlation between the two concepts does not have enough evidence to prove that aliens and UFOs could create or be the astronomical phenomena that we can see from earth.

Empirical Claims 

Deductive Reasoning: 

True Premise 1: Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) that have been captured on film and photograph are popularly assumed to be alien spacecraft.

True Premise 2: Most unidentified flying objects require government intervention to uncover the truth and source of the object – keeping information from the public.

Weak Inductive Reasoning: Therefore, all unidentified flying objects must be alien spacecraft that because the government is trying to hide the reality. (hasty generalization; non sequitur)

Logical Conclusion: Therefore, government research can provide evidence for whether or not UFOs are piloted by aliens or have some other origin.

Abductive Reasoning: 

Observation: The government keeps secrets from the public.

Observation: The government is responsible for national security and the protection of its citizens.

Observation: The government handles reports of UFOs.

Weak Explanation: Therefore, is a government conspiracy to cover up the existence of alien spacecraft. (jumping to conclusions; neglect of refuting information; non sequitur)

Best Explanation: Therefore, the government keeps reports of UFOs classified in order to protect national security interests.

Logical Fallacies

Ad Ignorantiam

Statements about the validity of aliens are claimed to be true or false despite the lack of evidence. A hypothesis can be thought of as true because it has not been proven false, while the same proposition can be thought of as false as it has not yet been proven true. The theory that aliens are not real exists because there is no evidence that aliens are not real. However, since there is no evidence disproving aliens, the theory that they exist is still plausible.

Jumping to Conclusions

“The universe is too big, there has to be something out there, and it is aliens.” While the universe is big, numerous people jump to the conclusion that aliens exist solely because existence itself is too big as well; thus, we can’t be the only planet with life in the entire universe.

Goal Post Shifting

Goal Post Shifting occurs when one keeps demanding more evidence even after what they initially asked was answered and proven to them.  As an example, if one were to not believe in aliens even after seeing photographic evidence, they may still not believe that aliens fly UFOs if the alien was not inside of the UFO: “I see that you have a picture of a UFO with an alien outside of it. But I won’t believe it unless the aliens are flying the UFO”.

Cherry Picking

When looking at ancient artifacts, ufologists will commonly cherrypick the information that they want to use in order to support their own thesis. Even if the whole picture of evidence doesn’t support their beliefs, they will only use the information that benefits them in order to prove their own theory.