Ufology
Ufology is the investigation of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) by people who believe that they may be of extraordinary origins (most frequently of extraterrestrial alien visitors).
Quotes
editDo you know why I can't stand ufologists? Because with very rare exceptions they are stupendously, hopelessly, spectacularly incompetent. And with their noisy incompetence they do nothing but make ridiculous a field of inquiry that could be serious if only they stopped talking nonsense and mistaking every blurred pixel for a trip out of town by the Venusians. If, then, journalists, instead of uncritically reporting the aforementioned nonsense, deigned to have a moment of critical sense instead of being whores of the click, ufology could finally become a science instead of a nonsense. Not at all. [...] Formulating hypotheses is the duty of every researcher; But the true researcher also goes one step further, which is to try to discard hypotheses that are not supported by the facts and to put them to the test, instead of jumping to conclusions. That's what's wrong with ufology: it's loudly propagandized by people who are so enamored with their worldview that they ignore the most basic methods of verification; so fervent that they are able to write down what they should do and then not do; so fixed on the single track of their own thought that they do not notice their mistakes and instead accuse others of not having an open mind; They are so self-centered that they get when someone dares to point out their mistakes. Few escape this model [...]. Feel, fufologists [...], but it's not my fault that you write rubbish and make a fool of yourself. And get, journalists, but it's not my fault if you publish any nonsense without verifying it. (Paolo Attivissimo)
Note
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Bibliography
editAcademic books about ufology as a sociological and historical phenomenon:
- Denzler, Brenda (C.E.2003). The lure of the edge: scientific passions, religious beliefs, and the pursuit of UFOs. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-23905-9.
Ballester-Olmos, V.J.; Heiden, *Richard W., eds. (C.E.2023). The Reliability of UFO Witness Testimony. Turin, Italy: UPIAR. ISBN 9791281441002. Pro-ufology
- Hynek, J. Allen (C.E.1998). The UFO experience: a scientific inquiry. Da Capo Press. ISBN 1-56924-782-X.
- Vallée, Jacques F. (C.E.1991). Confrontations: A Scientist's Search for Alien Contact. Random House Value Publishing. ISBN 0-517-07204-1.
Skeptical opinions
- Klass, Philip J. (C.E.1983). UFOs: The Public Deceived. Prometheus Books. ISBN 0-87975-322-6.
- Sheaffer, Robert (C.E.1986). The UFO Verdict: Examining the Evidence. Prometheus Books. ISBN 0-87975-338-2.
- Graff, Garrett (C.E.2023). UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government's Search for Alien Life Here—and Out There. New York: Avid Reader Press. ISBN 9781982196776. OCLC 1407420009.
Ufology studies Gillmor, Daniel S.; Condon, *Edward U. (C.E.1970). Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects. Vision. ISBN 0-85478-142-0.
- Rutledge, Harley D. (C.E.1981). Project Identification: The First Scientific Field Study of UFO Phenomena. Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-730705-5.
