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| "Perceiving Necessity". Legg, C & Franklin, J (2015). |
Background
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 probably 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 himself was quite shaken by his discovery and conclusions about the limits of our five senses and cognitive abilities to acquire certain knowledge about the world.
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 actually was a "radical sceptic") and what it has to do with the UFO phenomenon.
What I am going to say about Hume´s thoughts about knowledge and truth has not so much to do with the UFO phenomenon per se, but rather the point of bringing up Hume´s scepticism has to do with everyone interested in the UFO phenomenon (both proponents and debunkers), and who would like to see the UFO subject getting more serious attention outside the UFO community.
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 the following question: 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.
