Have you ever noticed that when it comes to a reported haunting, a UFO sighting, or a cryptid sighting ( for example, Bigfoot, the Michigan Dogman, Ogo Pogo), most people tend to quickly separate into the opposing camps of Debunkers or True Believers?
In fact, reports of paranormal evens are frequently framed in terms of opposing belief systems, as in, "I believe in UFOs," or "I don't believe in UFOs."
Everybody has their beliefs, and healthy skepticism is definitely called for when it comes to extraordinary claims. Yet the tendency to reduce all paranormal claims and sightings to an instant yes/no answer before any serious investigation is conducted, is a major roadblock to understanding what is actually going on. It can even discourage or prevent good research from ever taking place.
True Believers tend to look only for evidence that shows that the phenomena they are researching are absolutely real. By taking this approach and not testing their assumptions, they can easily discard evidence that shows that what they believe is incorrect and ignore better explanations.
Continue reading: http://www.examiner.com/x-16975-Grand-Rapids-New-Age-Examiner~y2009m7d21-How-Debunkers-and-True-Believers-discourage-serious-paranormal-research
