Scepticism, David Hume, and UFOs

"Perceiving Necessity". Legg, C & Franklin, J (2015).

Background

What does a Scottish philosopher from the 1800th century have to do with the UFO phenomenon? As far as I know, David Hume (1711 - 1776) was not a believer in UFOs, nor did he in any of his books or essays discuss the UFO phenomenon.

So, what is my point in bringing up one of the most influential philosophers to write in English? Bear with me for a moment.

David Hume is famous for many contributions to philosophy (also to, for example, history, and politics). Still, among philosophers and scientists, he is likely most known for his thoughts on causation and "the problem of induction". Hume's thesis about knowledge and if we ever can justify something as certain knowledge made his contemporaries call his epistemological standpoint "radical scepticism."

Hume was quite shaken by his own discoveries about the limits of human knowledge.

Some readers may by now have an idea about where I am going with this. Or not. Okay, so I better clarify the purpose of this text before I continue to describe Hume's radical scepticism (which is debated if he was a "radical sceptic") and what it has to do with the UFO phenomenon.

My discussion of Hume's ideas on knowledge and truth isn't directly about UFOs. Instead, I'm using Hume's skepticism to address people who want the UFO topic to be taken more seriously outside of UFO circles.

We want to know the truth about the UFO phenomenon, right? Knowledge. Truth. Reasons and justification. Before we move on, let us do a thought experiment.

Ask yourself: What do I know with certainty is true about the UFO phenomenon? Seriously, think about it for a moment before you continue reading. Be brutally honest in your answer.