This is true, there are people who have honest sighting and experiences, but just because they are by credible people doesn't mean they aren't shooting stars, birds, or classified military aircraft (innocent mistakes as you mentioned).There are, however, a number of credible sightings that are honest and accurate and bear serious consideration.
There are two things that I think will keep alien visitation and abductions alive:
1) The inability for people to accept something the government says, for instance, it doesn't matter how many declassified documents are released to the public, they won't be happy until someone admits there really are aliens... it will never die until governments across the world say "um, yeah there are aliens, are you happy?". People will always claim information is being hidden from them until they get the answer they want!
2) People don't play ET's psychologist often enough. Why the hell would a creature (or creatures) who can control enough energy to get themselves here zig zag back and and forth in our atmosphere? Which is more likely, a drunk alien (perhaps trying to screw with our heads) or the military testing a new aircraft's top speed or maneuvering abilities?
Agreed, I would love to see him approach this as well, it however does involve physical experiences that can be caught on camera, so it isn't necessarily as far-fetched (far-fetched as in people seeing one, not them being aliens). Also, religious/spiritual superstition is actually having a negative effect on our global civilization, people not being able to identify weird lights they see in the sky and then calling them aliens isn't starting wars, hurting our children's education or affecting how people view genetic engineering, and non-conventional biological research.I would very much like to see Dawkins do his homework on the UFO issue since he's so willing to rationally analyze and debunk other areas where claims for the supernatural are being made. It's not even-handed or fair in my opinion to focus in one area and leave out an area where stronger evidence exists.
Elijah, out of all fairness, I agree that every flavor of superstition should be investigated and scolded, however I think religion is an especially easy target because so many believe in it, and so many allow it to have an effect on their lives and their moral policies.
Edited by Joseph, 18 August 2007 - 05:41 PM.