Actually, Parrot, this is a good chance for me to clarify something I feel is trivialized, not just in this thread, but moreso in the world at large: As odd as this sounds, data is NOT the most important element of studying aliens, ancient or otherwise. Data is second-most-important. What is MOST important, I believe, is mind-set. Our society, our Western way of thinking, only sees the physical world, and thus gets tunnel-vision. Furthermore, we develop prejudices and bias ways of thinking that go against science itself, simply because we, following our human nature, get comfortable with the "reality" that science has thus far explained. We border on religious devotion to the physical world we know. We get comfortable with the way things "are". "We've explained that, we don't need to go back there". It's comparable to not liking to vacuum your house before AND after a party, necessary thought it may be. The fact that people are probably already thinking me "crazy" from this one paragraph, because I'm saying there are things beyond the physical, is a sign of just how much this materialistic world-view has come to dominate our thinking.
Now, certainly science is a far better way to look at the universe than past attempts like philosophy, superstition or religion. But science is not as absolute as we like to think. It, like religion, superstition and philosophy before it, is prone to human preference. Also, we are dealing with things beyond our scientific understanding, and very easily perhaps beyond our science's ABILITY to understand. After all, "science", as it was understood centuries ago, could not account for things we take for granted today. Progress does not come just from "more data". It comes from changing the way we look at things as a whole. We will never get anywhere in the study of aliens if we try to shoehorn such incredible phenomena into our 20th century modalities of study.
Comprehension is paramount, because to truly understand aliens, we need to undergo a paradigm shift in consciousness. Simply demanding more data will only handicap understanding because it would be data forced to fit into our current mind-set. Therein, science becomes no different than the religions that science itself struggled against for the past few centuries. It's just that instead of what can be found in a Bible, people are demanding that all revelation be found in a test tube or under a microscope. But the universe -- indeed, the multiverse -- plays by different rules, rules we cannot even imagine.
Still, it *is* reasonable to say "show me", but again, data is of secondary importance. If one does not have a mind-set ready to properly use the data he receives, data is worthless. This is why I've spent more time on this thread focusing on opening minds, and indeed encouraging others to look at things for themselves. I don't want to be a prophet. I don't want to start a new dogma by saying "I said so and thus that's the way it is". In that, science and religion are inseparable, in at least as much as they have been practiced in regards to aliens. It's much more important to break free of the tyranny of both faith AND overly-data-dependent thinking, and develop a greater mind, indeed a greater ability to interpret not just data, but also the intangibles that no microscope can see, things that our intuition, psychic abilities, sixth senses, seventh senses, and clues given by entities beyond the understanding of terrestrial science can give us.
Whew. That was a lot to say. Let me come back down to Earth now and address your concern.
I believe there was indeed a misunderstanding. Certainly your comment in email could have been taken both ways by our respective mind-sets, and so it was. I took it as a snub of me, of data I had not yet shown, and you took my stance in the context of past experiences with other inquiries. Both understandable, but we veered off from the same path. Perhaps we can find that same path again.
Hopefully, this little chat here can bring things full circle, so I return to my question from earlier today: The Ica Stones. Like I said, in the interests of fairness I want to talk about those, as I'm 50/50 on their veracity. They could be real, they could be a hoax. But at least they are a tangible thing we CAN put under the microscope. But in that same interest of fairness, let's not use the proverbial microscope as our *only* means of study. Let's consider testimony as well, circumstances, etc. To get to the bottom of any mystery you need more than data. Data alone, sometimes, isn't enough. After all, courts use witnesses, circumstances, etc.
For those that don't know the Ica Stones, here they are in brief: Tens of thousands of stones in Peru (stored in the city of Ica, hence the name), bearing carvings showing things that rewrite history, such as advanced technology and even man co-existing with dinosaurs. Now, when these stones were sold to tourists decades ago, the sellers (farmers) said they carved them. That "hoax explanation" was a convenient out for the mainstream, I daresay. But consider this: That same claim kept the sellers out of prison (violating antiquities protection laws). So, the real question is, are they genuine? Can they be dated? Could a few farmers have carved tens of thousands of stones? Many questions need to be asked. I'd like to believe in them, but at the same time, I need more proof. Indeed, I myself demand data as well as other corroborating evidence, such as legends that speak of them, similar stones found in other sites, whatever may turn up.
So, does anyone have such answers, or questions, about the Ica Stones?
Just a little something I thought to add, which is probably a better way to speak my mind than the lengthy essay above:
"A scientist never says *can't* . . . the moment he does, he is no longer a scientist, but has become a priest, defending a belief of truth rather than the pursuit of truth".
I feel this is important because in regards to aliens, science often says "can't". "They can't be . . ." or "This can't be because this is the way it is", etc. Consider WHY we have those barriers to knowledge known as "Can't". Oftentimes, it's not about absolute data, but about comfort zone. But the pursuit of truth is ALWAYS demanding one to step OUTSIDE their comfort zone. Just consider that, please. And I say that to everyone (including myself).