I'm just wondering what the general take is from members of this board: Do you look at topics as something to be proved true, or something to try to be debunked to see if there is any good information that still stands?

Well both . I'm really into conspiracies but one major problem is figuring out which ones are true or have some truth to them and which ones are false or disinformation. I like to read as much as I can on them and see how much proof there is to support it. And I also really think about how possible it might be based on scenarios related to what's happening now (if that makes sense at all). With all the conspiracies out there they can't all be 100% true, but at the same time if you look closely at some of them there often are several things that do make sense . You've just gotta at the same time as being open minded, be discriminate.

To elaborate a bit on what PC said, I sort of take the same approach.

I think you'll find that the reason most of us are here is to find the truth or at least look for new insights into what could be true.

We all have our areas of passion be it UFOs, psychic phenomena, ghosts,conspiracies or what have you. The funny thing (funny odd not funny haha) is that at some point two or more of these areas will converge on one case.

In order to prove something, truly prove it, some debunking must happen. You have to sift through the chaff to get to the wheat.

What may seem to some members like a lot of debunking is in the end members looking for truth. It's just that some of us have been investigating certain aspects of this for so long that we have a very low tolerance of shenanigans.

My personal approach on most subjects is that on the first read I just read it through, taking in everything at face value. Then step away and let the "information" sink in. Then read it again this time using your own personal logic sensors, does this ring true, is that accurate.

If there are dates or places and times that can be checked, check them, eliminate anything you possible can that is a mundane explanation. Once you've done that, and believe me that is an incredibly rare occurance, then you are left with a real mystery...at least in my opinion.

I"ve had an extraordinary amount of coffee today, so I hope that makes sense.

Welcome to the boards.

SPiderj

I'm here on ATS because, in general, I >want the (good) stuff we discuss here to be true. I would love to see that benevolent aliens have been visiting the Earth. I would love to see that you really are channeling your past life as handmaiden to Cleopatra. I want to believe that you have a car/truck/airplane/ufo that runs on water vapor. That you really did summon (and bind) a Dimensional Shambler. etcetera.

Part of that though, is that I've gotten old enough that I'm not just jumping after dreams anymore. Because I want these miraculous things to be shown to be true, I know that we need to provide proof that other people will accept. While "I know that aliens are here because my spirit guide, the parasitic twin of Edgar Cayce's college roommate, told me so" is perfectly acceptable to me as a statement of your own personal beliefs, I can't accept it as verifiable proof of your proposition.

I want proof of these things, not just for my own beliefs but to show everyone else that the world is more wonderful than we think it is. That it still holds surprises and amazement. To do that, though, we need to be able to provide proof that is beyond reproach, and that's a difficult thing to do in these days when photo manipulations that will pass casual inspection can be done with a $80 program and a few weeks' worth of hard work.

So, here, I'm an optimistic skeptic. I ask hard, probing questions. Not with the hope of shooting the poster down and making myself look cool. Rather, I ask those questions, I take the skeptic's stance, because I dream of the day that the poster will be able to reply to each one of my questions, will be able to negate each one of my counterproposals with the kind of evidence that..well, that I woulnd't be embarrassed to show my coworkers

The mind has unlimited potential.
OK YOU GUYS READY FOR THIS ONE ... It takes alot of long hard thought to get it ...................



Noone can comprehend the mind like the mind comprehends itself !!!

Originally posted by abbyful
I'm just wondering what the general take is from members of this board: Do you look at topics as something to be proved true, or something to try to be debunked to see if there is any good information that still stands?

Both. Thats how your sort fact from fiction, legit news from disinformation.

Its important not to believe everything you hear, but also to give angles awau from the mainstream a chance.