Extraordinary Claims

Impossible as it may seem, broadcast television has just stepped up its game a notch or two with the updated version now on Fox of Carl Sagan's, "Cosmos." Produced by Carl's widow, Ann Druyan, and hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson (American astrophysicist, director of the Hayden Planetarium, New York) "Cosmos" revisits the popular Astronomy series of 30 years ago. The computer graphics and production elements have been updated. But the heart of the series and enthusiasm that Carl showed for his subject matter shines through.

For me, as a writer of the Science Fiction genre, it is a joy and pleasure to see this series. But I must admit a little sadness at not seeing Carl with his distinctive gestures and that wonderful captivating voice. He had a way of making the complicated uncomplicated. And no more so than his oft-said phrase, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." He applied it to many facets of his communication with us the mere mortals of this earth but he applied that phrase most specifically when it came to UFO sightings and claims of close encounters of the third kind, contact.

And so it is this week with the wild conspiracy claims and theories of what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that we should apply this same law of extraordinary claims. As of this writing, the wreckage, plane, crew and passengers have not been found. Some of the wilder claims I heard this morning was that it was hit by a meteor. Another doozy was that it was sucked up into the belly of a UFO mothership to be transported to another planet. Another beauty was that it was hijacked, the passengers were disembarked and the Boeing 777 is going to be refitted as a bomber aimed at Los Angeles or New York,

Okay all you doomsdayers, prove it. Where is the evidence? Of course, there is none to this point as to what actually happened to this ill-fated plane.

Like Carl said, and like the actual originator of the "Extraordinary" quote,  (Marcello Truzzi, On the Extraordinary: An Attempt at Clarification, Zetetic Scholar, Vol. 1, No. 1, p. 11, 1978,) said...where's the evidence
?
Maybe there is a lesson for life in all of this...when someone gives you an absolute statement ask them to prove it with hard evidence and not just a gut feeling. Maybe that is why the Law is based on evidence so that wild claims don't punish the innocent and leave the rest of us blind and stupid.

Anyway, I don't like to rant-off like that too often, so I appreciate your patience and indulgence.

And I would also like to encourage you to check out my new "The SETI Trilogy" anthology, 3 books for the price of 2, either on Kindle or Nook or Apple iBooks. To get direct links go to my website: www.frederickfichman.com.

This is what the cover looks like:

By the way, Spring is officially here so great weather is just around the corner. bye for now.

Fred F

btw: Also around the corner, first release of a new novel now In-Work: