-=> On 01-25-98  09:43, Paul Andinach said to All,<=-
-=>"About Occam's turning in his gr...,"<=-
-=> Quoting Ivy Iverson to George Jiri Opletal <=-
 
Hi, Paul;
 
If you are talking ABOUT me, why not say it TO me?
 
 II> What can I say?  The non-believers use Occam's razor to slice away the
 II> meat, the believers use the same instrument to slice away the bone. 
 II> IOW, if it doesn't fit someone's PERCEPTION of the "facts" it is thrown
 II> out and disregarded or evidence - imaginary or not - is searched for to
 II> discredit what they dislike.
 PA> . . .
 II> ... Skeptic's Cleaver: Hack off any nonconforming evidence.
 
 PA> What can I say? Ivy Iverson doesn't know what Occam's razor is.
 
Excuse me, but I DO know what Occam's Razor is, HOWEVER the way it's
used by both believers and non-believers, (in UFOs and ETs), it's used
to slice away that which THAT PERSON does not believe to be factual
and/or believable.  It is not used according to definition, to "slice
away" everything but the simplest explaination.
 
 PA> Occam's Razor:
 PA> 
 PA> Given a choice between two hypotheses that explain the evidence
 PA> equally well, go with the hypothesis that's simpler.
 
For example, we all know that both the planet Earth and the Moon are
spheres, however to a primitive, not only is the Earth flat, but so is
the Moon!  After all, since we always see the same side of the Moon, and
it appears as a flat disk when viewed with the naked eye, the application
of Occam's Razor says that the simplest explaination is that the Moon,
(and the Earth), are flat disks!  Of course this is erronious, however it
is how the universe was viewed by primitives, and, (here is the point),
it is this same application of the slicer that is used in the ET/UFO
dispute.  The non-believers feel that either it is impossible for ETs
to visit us or they simply don't exist, so "the razor" dictates that
they aren't here.  The believers, OTOH, accept at least a FEW of the
pictures which allegedly show UFOs, (though many if not most are fakes!),
and that the testimony of those who claim to have been abducted MAY have
some degree of truth, and reject the "razored" explainations.
 
 PA> Occam's Razor is used to slice away *hypotheses*, not evidence. You
 PA> can't  use it to slice away evidence, because it only comes into play
 PA> when the  evidence has already been collected.
 
True, however many people just refuse to accept ANY evidence contrary to
their preconcieved beliefs, and claim that they are using Occam's Razor!
 
 PA> Admittedly, some people do ignore evidence they don't like, or
 PA> search only  for evidence to support their view. Alas, this happens.
 PA> But Occam's Razor has *nothing* *to* *do* *with* *it*.
 
But they CLAIM it does!!!
 
 PA> Paul "If I see that elementary mistake one more time, I'll scream"
 PA> Andinach 
 
Elementary?  What's obvious to one person, another is blind to.
 
 PA> ... It always helps if you know what you're talking about.
 
Do I detect an implied insult here?
 
Catch you later... Keep l00king up!  (You might see a UFO!)
   Ivy
 
 
 
... If you believe, no proof is needed; if you don't, no proof is sufficient.
 
           --
 -=[ Ivy's WALL BBS  Hi, Jack!  Happy New Year to All! ]=-
 
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