New age: Details about 'Ufology'
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Ufology is the study of unidentified flying object (UFO) reports, sightings, and other related phenomena.
Background and legitimacyWhile many ufologists strive for legitimacy, and some are respected scientists in other fields, ufology has never been fully embraced by the scientific community, for a number of reasons. One cannot obtain a ufology degree from any college or university, though there have been a few college or university courses on the subject, often from a folklore perspective. Many ufologists are amateurs (or worse, individuals in search of fame and fortune), and however well intentioned, are often unfamiliar with generally accepted research standards, thus often rendering their own research useless even to sympathetic mainstream experts. Many amateur ufologists have been criticised for accepting as true stories or tales without demanding supporting evidence or conducting even cursory research. Some ufologists consider the general attitude of mainstream academics as arrogant and dismissive, or bound to a rigid World view that disallows any evidence contrary to previously held notions, despite the fact that the history of science is replete with discarded notions. Astronomer and ufologist J. Allen Hynek's famous comment regarding this subject is, "Ridicule is not part of the scientific method and people should not be taught that it is." Another comment by Hynek regarding the frequent dismissal of UFO reports by astronomers was, "Close questioning revealed they knew nothing of the actual sightings.. and therefore cannot be taken seriously. This is characteristic of scientists in general when speaking about subjects which are not in their own immediate field of concern." Ufologists embrace a wide spectrum of approaches, beliefs, and attitudes, from those regarded by some as quacks (e.g. David Icke); to respected mainstream scientists like Peter A. Sturrock, James E. McDonald, or Auguste Meessen, some of whom argue that UFO reports are as worthy of study as any topic, and deserve case-by-case analysis using the scientific method. Study of UFO sightings this way has yielded very interesting and important results, such as in weather phenomena (see Hessdalen) and in human perception, such as the study lead by the SOBEPS for the Belgian flap in 1989-'90 or the interesting studies of the GEPAN/SEPRA in France. It should be noted that not all scientists who have studied UFOs accept the idea that there is an extraordinary answer to the UFO question: Dr. Carl Sagan, for example, was quite skeptical when it came to UFO claims, but in 1969, he co-organised a symposium on the subject, thinking that science had neglected the UFO question. Astrophysicist Peter A. Sturrock suggests that a lack of funding is a major factor in the institutional disinterest in UFO’s: "If the Air Force were to make available, say, $50 million per year for ten years for UFO research, it is quite likely that the subject would look somewhat less disreputable .. however, an agency is unlikely to initiate such a program at any level until scientists are supportive of such an initiative. We see that there is a chicken-and-egg program. It would be more sensible, and more acceptable to the scientific community, if research began at a low level." (Sturrock, 155) Sturrock suggests that UFO studies be compartmentalized — as are most scientific endeavors — into at least "the following distinct activities:
For more on applications of science to UFO phenomena, see "Science and UFOs" in Unidentified Flying Objects. Despite involvement of some respected scientists in investigating UFOs, the field has seen rather little attention from mainstream science. Most critics still consider ufology at worst a pseudoscience, or at best a protoscience. For a list of major UFO sightings and related reports, see List of major UFO sightings. Broadly, there are these schools of thought to explain UFO sightings: Hypotheses involving the objective existence of UFO'sThese hypotheses speculate that the phenomena derives wholly or in part from a phenomena, rather than the mind of the observer. The Extraterrestrial HypothesisThe Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH) theorizes that some UFO sightings are alien spacecraft. See separate article. A sub-theory, the Staging Hypothesis, prevalent up until the 1980s, speculated that extraterrestrials have "stage-managed" encounters as a deliberate policy to "educate" humanity. This theory has fallen out of favor, as its proponents then moved on to even less literal-minded interpetations. The advanced human aircraft hypothesisThis is a theory that all or some UFO sightings are advanced, secret or experimental aircraft of earthly origin.
There is a theory that the secret groups developing these aircraft in the USA, have been encouraging ufology to follow the "alien spacecraft" line of thought, to cover up for sightings. The Interdimensional Hypothesis (a.k.a. "Cosmic Trickster", "Ultraterrestrial" Hypothesis)The Interdimensional Hypothesis has two meanings here. See Interdimensional hypothesis.
See separate article. Sky Critter HypothesisThe theory of Trevor James Contable (a.k.a. Trevor James) speculated that UFO sightings involve the sighting of exotic unknown life otherwise known as Sky Critters or Rods. UFO's as perception or illusionThe natural explanation hypothesisThis is a theory that most UFO sightings are misunderstood phenomena such as ball lightning or by a visual illusions. See UFO#Identified Flying Objects (IFOs). Psychosocial HypothesisThis is a theory that some UFO sightings are hallucinations or fantasies and are caused by the same mechanism as various occult, paranormal, supernatural. or religious experiences (compare alleged sightings of the Blessed Virgin Mary). See article, Psychosocial Hypothesis. The hallucination may be a distortion of a real object. Reasons for these wrong perceptions include:
The route followed by these misperceptions can be influenced by the environment that the perceiver was brought up in as a child: fairy stories, or one or other religion, or science fiction, or whatever: for example, one perceiver may see fairies where another sees Greys. Groups Involved with Ufology
UFO Researchers
Sources
See also
Ufologi Ufoloogia Ufología Ufologie Ufologie Ufologia Ufologia Уфология Ufologia Ufologi
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