Personalities in Ufology + Suggested Reading?

This is a multi-part question, but first a little background: I recently joined MUFON and am considering going through their field investigator training. I've been interested in the UFO phenomenon since childhood and am generally well-educated on the subject, at least in comparison to the general public. I've listened to a ton of Coast to Coast, have watched several documentaries, have done a decent bit of reading here and there, etc., and am familiar with the bigger cases, such as the Phoenix Lights, Stephensville, Rendlesham, etc.

With that said, I am forced to acknowledge that my knowledge of the subject greatly pales in comparison to some of the users here. So two questions. . .

1. I am, to various extents, familiar with many of the personalities in Ufology, such as Richard Dolan, James Fox, Phillip Corso, Stephen Greer, etc. In the opinion of you guys, who (and not just limited to this list) are the most reliable people within the field and why? For that matter, who are the least reliable?

2. On the same note, if one were to want to put themselves through a crash course on the subject matter, what books would you put on your suggested reading list and why?

Thanks for everyone's help in advance.

The best book on general UFOs is probably Timothy Good's "Above Top Secret".

For simple sheer fun and a historical perspective on alien encounters, check out "Faces of the Visitors" by Kevin Randle. It is a sort-of field guide to aliens people claim to have seen.

I would also recommend "The Cult of the Alien Gods: HP Lovecraft and Extraterrestrial Popular Culture". It is a deconstruction of the "ancient alien" theories and how they were inspired by HP Lovecraft's writings.

"Frauds, Myths and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology" is actually a college textbook, a primer on archaeological views on supposed mysteries such as ancient aliens, Atlantis and creationism.

The book that everyone absolutely needs is Carl Sagan's The Demon Haunted World. While not specifically about UFOs, it is a treatise on critical-thinking and the scientific method.

Doomsday, thanks for the detailed reply. I'll try to check those out for sure. I've heard Timothy Good on C2C and have had The Demon Haunted World suggested to me by others.

Am I correct to infer from your post that you fall more on the skeptical side of the fence?

EDIT: I just went to look for Above Top Secret on Amazon and it doesn't seem to be in print. The only available copy is a used copy for $87. What gives?

[edit on 30-6-2010 by shadow_priest_x]

You joined mufon to investigate the phenomona, or did you join mufon to find a new religion?
Most of the well known names tend to be spreading more of a religion than anything that will help you.
The problem is, alot of these well known chaps are ultimately trying to explain the why, while giving little to no evidence of anything...they are fun to listen to of course...all of them, from greer, to lear, to even the raelian cult...but all should be taken with a grain of salt if your trying to uncover the truth of UFOs...

Its like trying to see if there is any proof of God, and talking to people whom never give proof, but instead talk about why God loves you and how you should pray to him, etc...it never actually advances your knowledge base.

So, I suggest just do your own research...listen to them all, but take nothing they say as fact (because it isn't...until they produce solid evidence of their claims, then what they are just doing is starting a little cult and producing some excellent and somewhat plausable science fiction).

The best place to go deeper into the field is where your already at...research mufon itself...cross reference it with air traffic, etc...dont focus in on the why...your trying to figure out if there even is such a thing as something unique to begin with...search government disclosure documents around the world and read from sourced credible places...good luck in your hunt.

Originally posted by shadow_priest_x
Am I correct to infer from your post that you fall more on the skeptical side of the fence?

You would be correct. Even if you do not agree with the skeptical side of the equation, a healthy dose of skepticism is required if you are going to spend any time in this field. Critical thinking is vital. There is no more important trait.

Though you may not agree with the skeptics, read skeptical sources. Do not rely on others to tell you what skeptics think, find out from the skeptics themselves. Do not seek out only those sources that confirm your beliefs. Always seek to falsify them, always look for a different perspective. You may find a different way of looking at things or discover important information otherwise ignored, left-out or hidden.

Originally posted by shadow_priest_xEDIT: I just went to look for Above Top Secret on Amazon and it doesn't seem to be in print. The only available copy is a used copy for $87. What gives?

ABEBooks.

Follow that link. You'll find copies for under $5.

[edit on 30-6-2010 by shadow_priest_x]

Originally posted by SaturnFX
You joined mufon to investigate the phenomona, or did you join mufon to find a new religion?

I joined MUFON because, from what I've been able to gather, they're a pretty level-headed and scientifically-minded group. There are some members who are a little more new age-ey in their approach--I have already met one, in fact--but I believe that the group as a whole is going about things the right way.

Personally, I'm a real fence sitter when it comes to anything speculative.

Originally posted by SaturnFXThe problem is, alot of these well known chaps are ultimately trying to explain the why, while giving little to no evidence of anything...they are fun to listen to of course...all of them, from greer, to lear, to even the raelian cult...but all should be taken with a grain of salt if your trying to uncover the truth of UFOs...

Its like trying to see if there is any proof of God, and talking to people whom never give proof, but instead talk about why God loves you and how you should pray to him, etc...it never actually advances your knowledge base.

I understand this sentiment completely, which is exactly why I'm trying to get some input. I feel like some researchers are doing exactly that: researching. James Fox, for instance, put a lot of work into Out of the Blue and I Know What I Saw. He drew on a lot of different types of evidence.

I think it's important to discern the difference between evidence and indisputable proof. I consider there to be a lot of evidence behind the Phoenix Lights case. Obviously something was in the sky that people were unfamiliar with and I don't think it was flares. But you obviously can't prove what it was.

I felt like Lynne Kitei's book and documentary on the Phoenix Lights case was very well done and about as thoroughly researched as would be possible without actually capturing whatever the craft/object was that was in the sky. So it's other researchers like that who I'm looking for and not the type who do a lot of speculating with either no evidence or fabricated evidence.

Originally posted by SaturnFX
The best place to go deeper into the field is where your already at...research mufon itself...cross reference it with air traffic, etc...dont focus in on the why...your trying to figure out if there even is such a thing as something unique to begin with...search government disclosure documents around the world and read from sourced credible places...good luck in your hunt.

Thanks.

It's daunting not knowing exactly where to start, who and what is credible, etc. But I'm going to do the best I can. The main reason I'm looking at becoming a field investigator is to cut out the middle man of books and documentaries and get exposed to the actual witnesses and other materials first hand.

[edit on 30-6-2010 by shadow_priest_x]

Originally posted by DoomsdayRex
You would be correct. Even if you do not agree with the skeptical side of the equation, a healthy dose of skepticism is required if you are going to spend any time in this field. Critical thinking is vital. There is no more important trait.

Though you may not agree with the skeptics, read skeptical sources. Do not rely on others to tell you what skeptics think, find out from the skeptics themselves. Do not seek out only those sources that confirm your beliefs. Always seek to falsify them, always look for a different perspective. You may find a different way of looking at things or discover important information otherwise ignored, left-out or hidden.

I understand and agree with you. I am personally of the position that you should take a middle of the road approach that allows to be neither too skeptical nor too gullible. I actually mistrust . . . well, everyone and everything . . . but especially people who seem too far on either side of the equation. I also find that the most extreme examples of both skeptics and believers will take similar paths of trickery and outright fraud to support their own positions.

It's very frustrating.

Originally posted by DoomsdayRex
ABEBooks.

Follow that link. You'll find copies for under $5.

Awesome, thanks. Looks like he has books that were published before Above Top Secret that are still in print and widely available. Any idea why that is?

The UFO Watchdog is the best single place to begin your quest.

dB

This topic comes up fairly regularly... and as ever i will whole heartedly recommend the following

Operation Trojan Horse.. John Keel

Passport to Magonia /Anatomy of a phenomenon: unidentified objects in space--a scientific appraisal / The Invisible College : What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race / Messengers of Deception: UFO Contacts and Cults/ Dimensions: A Casebook of Alien Contact/ Confrontations - A Scientist's Search for Alien Contact / Revelations : Alien Contact and Human Deception... by Jacques Vallee...

For Archaeology..Read John Allegro's...The Sacred Mushroom and Cross.. then do some research on the reaction to his work from the * establishment* within archaeology and that tells you much of what you need to know about the frauds, lies and outright suppression, due to where much of archaeology's funding arose from prior the 1970s and to be honest, a goodly amount of it, still arises from .

i don't recommend following ufology. i recommend reading ancient history and THEN follow the threads where they lead. there's just something not quite right about the current incarnation of data on the topic. if at any time in our history, we would be most ripe for disinformation, it is now that we are approaching the scientific event horizon, if you will. i would be EXTREMELY cautious with modern day ufology.

[edit on 30-6-2010 by undo]

Originally posted by davidbiedny
The UFO Watchdog is the best single place to begin your quest.

dB

Awesome. I appreciate it. I like how the Hall of Fame has, like, 30 names listed on a single page and the Hall of Shame is massive and listed by letters of the alphabet.

Originally posted by FireMoon
This topic comes up fairly regularly... and as ever i will whole heartedly recommend the following

Operation Trojan Horse.. John Keel

Passport to Magonia /Anatomy of a phenomenon: unidentified objects in space--a scientific appraisal / The Invisible College : What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race / Messengers of Deception: UFO Contacts and Cults/ Dimensions: A Casebook of Alien Contact/ Confrontations - A Scientist's Search for Alien Contact / Revelations : Alien Contact and Human Deception... by Jacques Vallee...

For Archaeology..Read John Allegro's...The Sacred Mushroom and Cross.. then do some research on the reaction to his work from the * establishment* within archaeology and that tells you much of what you need to know about the frauds, lies and outright suppression, due to where much of archaeology's funding arose from prior the 1970s and to be honest, a goodly amount of it, still arises from .

Hey, I appreciate it for sure. Lots of interesting titles there. I've heard of a few (like "Messengers of Deception") but I haven't heard of most. Which leads to a question. . .

Are the best titles on the subject actually more obscure and by less well-known authors than the mainstream?