Staying sane 8

8. Don't be afraid to respectfully disagree with other researchers, whoever they are

Part of the way in which scientific research progresses, is by informed debate on specific issues and areas of interest. The same should be true for the field of UFO research.

David Jacobs is a US researcher with some strong views on the UFO abduction phenomenon. I happen to disagree with some of his findings, and I have, in the past, debated particular points with him.

Likewise, back in the 1980's and 1990's I found much to disagree with, in the work of Whitley Strieber. I documented my observations in print, to allow discuss on my perspective. Some people agreed with my thoughts, others did not.

More recently, I was asked to comment by ABC radio (Australia) about statements made by former astronaut Ed Mitchell in relation to UFOs. I respectfully commented that I found the claims provided no verifiable sources from which the information came. My comments travelled across the blog sphere, and even ended up in a daily newspaper in Tehran, Iran!

In addition, I have, in various places, outlined my views on the inadequate research we have collectively undertaken into the UFO abduction phenomenon. Individuals who have collected vast numbers of cases often can't even provide simple statistics about abductions, e.g. male/female ratio; age distribution of first event; the time the event started etc. Many simply never provide access to their raw data.

So, by all means disagree with the views I put forward, but debate me using data of your own.