Peoples beliefs cloud their judgement

First off:

This forum is dedicated to the all-important highly speculative topics that may not be substantiated by many, if any facts and span the spectrum of topics discussed on ATS. Readers and users should be aware that extreme theories without corroboration are embraced in this forum.

I think this is appropriate to post this here from that statement.

As a member of ATS and watching it over the past year, I have noticed a common practice among members. My conclusion comes to the fact that peoples individual belief system clouds their judgment to hear the facts.

Now, this goes all across the board from religion to aliens. When simple hard facts are presented, people do not want to hear the facts. They are set in there ways and don't want to hear the other side of the fence.

Example in point:

Hard-core ufo believers don't want to hear questions asked about crafts, they believe they are right and if you ask questions you don't need to be heard, as well as hard-core religious people.

But, how can we come here and have a scholary debate, if we cannot debate the facts?

I will use this thread as an example: Been on this a site a long time and now I get pics

I asked regular factual questions and got accused of derailing the thread or making accusations. What have we come to, where we can't examine and dissect claims that we see that are somewhat suspect. Why can't we post in places in which we feel that we support the other side from a factual standpoint? This is what a debate is all about:

to engage in argument or discussion

If the site them is to deny ignorance, why do people feel the need to deny others access to something they believe in?

Have you ever thought this? If we ask enough questions and the answers tend to lean in your favor, we might just start to believe?

Agreed.
There are extremes everywhere.
There are people who would cry out hoax even if a spaceship landed in their kitchen and the aliens made them breakfast.
There are others who want that breakfast so much that they see aliens in their tea.
In the middle there are pragmatists armed with reason and hope.
There are also jokers, idiots, pranksters, and many people with way too much time on their hands with too many computer skills and not enough social ones.
Then a great mixing bowl such as ATS provides a forum in which to mix the proverbial above mentioned fruit.
Throw in a picture that could be anything from a firefly to galactic cruiser, and voila:
Dozens of people with different reasons and intents talking at each other with very little getting accomplished. Focusing on each other and not the subject at hand.
The fact is, it's just a bleeding light! You can look at it for days and and days and it's still just a bleeding light.
But no, moderators have to intervene from New Zealand, to calm people down.
What to do, come to your conclusions about whatever evidence is presented, post it, take a deep breath, and remind yourself that at the very least these people don't know where you live.
I don't even know if I'm even addressing your post now.
Serenity Now!

reply to post by schrodingers dog

Dozens of people with different reasons and intents talking at each other with very little getting accomplished. Focusing on each other and not the subject at hand.

Yes, like someone in the thread asked about my school I am going to this semester. What did that have to do with the OP. People try and focus on discrediting others, but don't take the time to examine the facts. That is why R.A.T.S. exists.

reply to post by jhill76


There is no commonly agreed upon framework and no rules committee. In their absence it can get unruly. I try to remember that regardless of the dogmatic bad behavior of some posters, my responsibility is to not join in the race to the bottom, but keep returning to a common framework of logical analysis and critical thought. Some respond to it, some are unable or unwilling to. If enough people commit to not feeding the beast it will turn around.