Belief First, Explanations & Rationalizations Later.

[Cryptid]

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This is a national disgrace. What alien is going to stop here? No coffee, no donuts, nothing. This is precisely why aliens haven't contacted us yet. A new branch of government, the Alien Welcome Division needs to be created and massive amounts of funds poured into it.

We already have an Alien Welcome Division.

It's called NORAD.

How do we know what to believe and what to doubt? Once you begin to ask questions like “How do we actually know anything?” Your beliefs start to fall one by one. How would we know if aliens were visiting Earth or if sticking needles in special points on the body could cure disease? This questioning doesn’t always end well, as some people will choose to reject science so they can maintain their belief in aliens or miracles. Others keep questioning. This process is never done -- it is an endless journey.

 

[Tom]

We already have an Alien Welcome Division.

It's called NORAD.

How do we know what to believe and what to doubt? Once you begin to ask questions like “How do we actually know anything?” Your beliefs start to fall one by one. How would we know if aliens were visiting Earth or if sticking needles in special points on the body could cure disease? This questioning doesn’t always end well, as some people will choose to reject science so they can maintain their belief in aliens or miracles. Others keep questioning. This process is never done -- it is an endless journey.

Now I thought NORADs mission was to help guide and protect Santa.

I religiously log on every 24th and watch Santa zig zag accross the earth at amazing speeds. I even have the Tee Shirt.

What were we talking about again?

 

[Tom]

Oh yes. Beliefs.

I think It has already been mentioned that it can be a positive thing in the sense that first comes imagination of what could be. That aspect must be part of science itself.

And I see it in a similar way to speech. It can be good, bad or neutral, but the concept of allowing free speech with only the most necessary limitations is sound.

We already have provision for this (In the USA, among other countries) concerning religion specifically. But I can see that expanded to beliefs in general.

I think sometimes the scientific minded see beliefs as an enemy, as something to be eliminated. But besides above considerations it also has other factors at work against it doing so.

While science can reasonably proof things via evidence, it cannot disprove things due to lack of evidence.

I suspect beliefs/imagination in an ingrained trait in humans. And short of reprogramming DNA or something similar it might be slowed for a time but cannot be stopped from ever anew sprouting again. I think it would be a mistake to try.

If I have a neighbor who plays nothing but Marching band Music on his outside PA system all day, it may be annoying to me, but as long as he turns it off at a reasonable hour there is nothing wrong with it. I feel the same about a neighbor who sets up beacons for aliens. I might tell the neighbor I don't believe that stuff myself, but... if by some chance they do show up would he mind coming and getting me? I will bring lots of coffee and donuts.