UFOs and the Process of Scientific Inquiry
The chapter by Bennett (2008) is superficially about the search for -- or perhaps more accurately, the evidentiary support for -- the existence of extra-terrestrial life as demonstrated by Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO). However, the discussion reveals a greater interest even in the nature of scientific debate, the premise of providing one theory by disproving another and the inherency of natural law in the process of investigating scientific inquiry. My personal response would be a sense of engagement based on the understanding the Bennett intends to pursue an objective discussion on the possibility of life on other planets-based fully within the confines of defensible science.
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Bennett offers the reader a discussion the history of this inquiry that touches on some compelling resolutions as that relating to stellar parallax. Indeed, one of the core problems in creating an empirically supported model of the universe would be man's incapacity to physically measure the distances between such astral objects as stars. Stellar parallax would be the theory conjured by Greek astrologists as a way to understand the distance of objects according to their optical size and shape. Stars could be measured based on their size and position in the sky, helping to create a more scientific comprehension of the scale of the galaxy.
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The general content of this chapter though is founded on the quote drawn from Carl Sagan. Bennett quotes the famous cosmologist when he indicates that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." (24) To illustrate this point, he provides nothing less than a history of scientific inquiry, referencing such historical touchstones as Ptolemy, Aristotle, Newton and Kepler. This narrative underscores the historical perspective on science, which denotes that the revolutionary provision of evidence by one thinker will build a foundation for the further evolution in any given field by his eventual successors.
Works Cited:
Bennett, J. (2008). Beyond UFOs: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Its Astonishing Implications for Our Future. Princeton University Press.
