I Admit it! I'm Biased and not Credible - Help!

I don't want to be, but I am.
I'm biased.
I'm not credible.
I admit it. I want to believe in UFOs too much.

I don't look at all the evidence, I look for evidence supporting what I want to believe. Forget everything that I've said or posted. I admit it, I'm not credible.

How can I change? I don't want to be biased, I've said that already. But I cannot deny that I search for data supporting Et UFOs and try to ignore evidence for the opposite conclusion.

I do want to find the truth, but when I research I selfishly search for my own truth, or the truth that I want to believe in.

Right now I'd tell you I believed in UFOs, but how can I be sure? Maybe my wanting to believe is clouding my judgment.

How can I become an impartial and honest researcher? Not only concerning UFOs but in life? I would appreciate any suggestions or advice.

When you look at individual evidence, you don't need to instantly believe or disbelieve in order to obsorb in the information.

Just always try to ask questions, especially never let others make conclusions for you. None of us 'know' anything, from an experiencer of the phenomena to a dedicated researcher- the answers are vague and the questions are limitless.

I think if most of us were honest we would all admit to being somewhat biased on any number of subjects. I freely admit that I am the same way when it comes to the whole "Trust Your Government" thing.

I think you are on the right track by just admitting that you know you have this issue. That alone will help you to judge a little more evenly IMO. Those who do not admit it are the ones who would probably have the biggest problem being impartial.

Most of us do hold strong opinions on at least one or two key things and know deep down inside that NO amount of evidence will shake them. Just keep doing your research and being aware of how your are taking the information in... that's all any of us do/can do.

reply to post by thesearchfortruth


I think we are all biased in someway, however, in this particular case I believe mathematical probability is on your side.

reply to post by thesearchfortruth


Ask a lot of questions. Think for yourself.

reply to post by thesearchfortruth


A good, honest post. I am your " Opposite " in that I am the ultimate alien ( Rather than ufo...)
sceptic.I am almost impossible to convince otherwise.

I need hard, tangible evidence for the likelihood that extraterrestrials have visited earth.

We don't have any ? A lot of supposition and conjecture ( And money made ! )

Don't get me wrong, I won't deny that there are almost certainly other life forms out in the cosmos.

I try to think about the science involved in crossing the light years, and find it difficult to accept
that It is possible.

I just don't think they have been here. But then looking at the state of our world, would you ?

Regards.

reply to post by thesearchfortruth


It's ok to believe in UFO's, they REALLY do exist. What do you think they might be? Don't be afraid to think 'outside' the box, like, they might be from Zeta Ridiculi! (Sorry "Zeta", I couldn't resist myself again, feel free to chastise me ! ).

If you want something deeper than that from me, all I can say is this. I have seen things in the sky, sometimes, on purpose! that do extraordinary things, that really are very, very difficult to explain. In other words, just can't be identified. Aside from that, I couldn't tell you what they are, where they come from, or what they are supposed to be doing! But there is stuff up there that does stuff, and no one can debate that. But you've gotten good advice here. If you want to believe, go ahead. Start asking yourself questions, and then do some research, and see what you come up with! And it always helps to leave yourself an open mind. Nobody else knows for certain what or where they came from. I suggest you look at the What and Why before you go down the rabbit hole and look for Who and where! Keep your eyes on the skies!

Originally posted by CarbonBase
reply to post by thesearchfortruth

 

It's ok to believe in UFO's, they REALLY do exist. What do you think they might be? Don't be afraid to think 'outside' the box, like, they might be from Zeta Ridiculi! (Sorry "Zeta", I couldn't resist myself again, feel free to chastise me !

).

oh, that's quite alright.

"I don't know" is perfectly acceptable as an answer also.

One thing I see...especially here...are opinions posted by members that read a few books the last 4-5 years and watched some YouTube videos....and then throws out their "opinions". Let me explain further.

Picking just one topic: UFO-ALIENS. 1st, to begin with, UFO's dont always mean to represent flying saucers-spaceships...only objects-flying that are unidentified....birds, leafs etc.
ALIENS doesnt absolutely refer to people only from other planets. You could be from Mexico.
Both these words are thrown around as absolutes. They are not.

I have read books on religions and UFOS since it become fashionable for the hippie movement in the 1960s. I have read hundreds of books on these subjects from the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, MIllenium, and the next decade 2010 and on.

So when someone makes their points based on several years of YouTube, and a few popular books of recent release...my only problem with that...and those posts like "My theory of UFO's is..." I can surmise that its based on mostly recent and not-so-reliable info, videos and books. Believe me, I understand.

Just last week, a poster said to me "Yeah? Well, Ive been reading (on that subject) for FIVE years!" My response?
"I have been reading on this subject for 47 FORTY SEVEN years".

I believe crediblity lies in your research, your cross-referencing over time, watching some documentaries, films and videos and even radio shows..over a LONG time. That amount a info gives you and your opinions validation based on research both good and bad, in abudance, over time.

So, your credibility goes up because of your lengthy research...and your opinion counts. Bias is still possible even after a lifetime of study on a subject or subjects. BUT THATS OK. You have that bias based on long, long term and a variety of study of a particular subject. THATS OK TO BE YOUR EDUCATED OPINION.

So in the end, after the research over time on all that you can find good and bad on a subject, every book, docmnt, etc written ...and what you can get your hands on...ALLOWS your bias to be taken as a valid opinion based on your long research. So you can be biased and you can be not-credible. But, I dont think you are either.

Read everything you can....PEACE

Bias and not credible What are you doing on ATS, you sound like what most consider a normal person.

Start by realizing that if you want other people to believe what you believe in, endorsing and disseminating false evidence hurts that goal, as does dismissing good evidence which doesn't align with your beliefs. If you want to be credible, you must be very careful about holding up an item of evidence as true or false.

Having bias is part of being human: there is ample high-quality empiric evidence that human beings have all got lots of biases which impair their ability to think objectively about a variety of situations. Read up on logical fallacies and known biases so you can guard yourself against them, try to maintain a mental distance between yourself and what you're arguing, and make sure to argue for the other person's perspective in your head before you he does so you can find the flaws in your own arguments and fix them beforehand.

Maintain a healthy scepticism about everything. Understand that I don't mean "scepticism" in the sense that some people here seem to construct it, whereby being a "sceptic" means adhering to a particular belief system which cannot admit the possibility of aliens/UFOs/here-to-fore unexplained phenomena (let alone evaluate any evidence about that possibility). Instead, I mean demanding that *all* claims be investigated and backed by objective evidence and/or testimony before being accepted, that all evidence be examined for its provenance, and that all testimony be evaluated for its veracity.

Finally, recognize that if what you want to believe is actually an objective fact in the real world then blindly accepting every falsified bit of "evidence" just obscures the facts you're trying to reveal.

Diogenes

reply to post by mysterioustranger


Hmmm. . . merely reading books and watching films over a number of years, without reference to actually evaluating said evidence, is a case of the informal fallacy known as argument from authority. In this case you're designating yourself as an authority on a given subject on the basis of having been a long-time consumer of media products surrounding the subject. However, it does not follow from that basis that your opinions are correct.

Diogenes

Originally posted by thesearchfortruth
I don't want to be, but I am.
I'm biased.
I'm not credible.
I admit it. I want to believe in UFOs too much.

I don't look at all the evidence, I look for evidence supporting what I want to believe. Forget everything that I've said or posted. I admit it, I'm not credible.

How can I change? I don't want to be biased, I've said that already. But I cannot deny that I search for data supporting Et UFOs and try to ignore evidence for the opposite conclusion.

I do want to find the truth, but when I research I selfishly search for my own truth, or the truth that I want to believe in.

Right now I'd tell you I believed in UFOs, but how can I be sure? Maybe my wanting to believe is clouding my judgment.

How can I become an impartial and honest researcher? Not only concerning UFOs but in life? I would appreciate any suggestions or advice.

Ahhh, my friend. You've just discovered one of life's greatest secrets.

No one is impartial and everyone is biased.

It's human nature, nothing to be ashamed of. The question is....now that you recognize your bias, will you allow it to cloud your judgement?

In this case, awareness is truly all you need. Now there will always be that little nagging voice reminding you to look deeper, be more critical, find alternative answers. If you heed it, you will go far.

Congratulations. It's a big step.

reply to post by thesearchfortruth


Being biased is normal - I don't really think there is a truly objective way to handle Life in general, as it is simply our subjective experience. Even scientists have to be extremely careful to craft their studies in ways that do not feed into their personal bias regarding the potential outcomes!

So - how to research carefully? Well. I would start with your own experience, if you have had a sighting, and write down For Yourself what the events were, taking out interpretation or meaning. i.e. I saw a light in the sky - it moved in a strange pattern - it sped up suddenly and disappeared - put in all the details you can remember.

OR if it is someone else's sighting - do the same for it and remove all interpretation of the event. Keep it to the straight-forward facts of Who, What, When and Where. Then see what the possibilities are for that event. For example: So & So saw three glowing, flickering globes. They drifted slowly across the sky in a random pattern, not in a consistent triangular shape. It was night time, full dark, around 11 PM. The globes winked out one by one about 15 minutes later. Ok- in that example, questions to ask might be 1) what could it have been and 2) why could it have been this and not something else. 1) it could have been Chinese Lanterns - OR - it could still be unidentified (UFO). 2) it fits the MO for chinese lanterns, there was no defiance of physics involved (i.e. super-speeds, abrupt changes in speed, right angle turns at high speeds) and no clear details of any kind of 'craft' were apparent - the film or footage or witness testimony did not give any clear details other than "globe"
One could reasonably assume that these were Chinese Lanterns as a primary guess, as it is the simplest answer. Note that calling this sighting possible Chinese Lanterns does NOT in ANY way preclude the possibility of "real" or "unidentifiable" sightings at other times, but is a way of separating "wheat from chaff." If this was a "real" sighting, it is not remarkable enough to give energy to the debate, and so can be put in the 'most likely not ET or other-worldly/not ours' column.

IF on the other hand there is evidence that our current laws of physics were defied, and/or that there were some indications of "high strangeness" i.e. sudden loss of time after seeing the craft, etc. with no substance use/abuse being in the picture, well then you might put that in the "Unknown" category.

If an actual factual ET gets off a ship, hands you a baggie with his DNA, a map to the star system he's from and a Rosetta Stone for his language and culture, let's you take tons of photos of him and his pals, gives you a guided tour of the ship and happily waves goodbye, well, then you MIGHT be able to convince some hard-core skeptics that you are indeed a hoaxer. LOL! ;-) Especially if you write a book about it to sell...

Does that make sense?

peace to you,

AB

Everybody is biased but you must force yourself to take in account that biased force in your judgement about any subject that it is involved.

One approach is study Critical thinking. I am not kidding you. It's a great subject in its own and a helpful tool to try avoid, as much is possible, the interference of your biased/blind spot. Another thing I found is helpful is take your time to study about fallacy when you are dealing with web forum. Trying to understand what is "fact" and what is "opinion".

Btw, this is useful in all aspects in your life, not only about UFO subject.

reply to post by thesearchfortruth


Well, Sir, first let me take some time to honestly and sincerely applaud you for this thread. It takes usually quite a long time for people to "break out" from these uhm inner circles of belief.

I think there is only one possible route for you to follow. And that is the calm voice of reason and careful analysis of the evidence presented.

In my personal opinion, the existence of UFO´s cannot be denied. BUT I think that most of these cases can be explained by rather normal phenomenons. Weather patterns, astronomic events, test flights of unknown crafts, etc.

I will however say that there are quite a few cases that DO seem to be unexplainable. The japanese airliner comes to mind or several reports out of military sources.

Does that mean that those were alien crafts though? I honestly do not know and I personally choose to not see that as evidence either way.

Another perspective that might help you, is that the existence of UFO´s is not really connected to the existence of alien life. I do think that the existence of some form of intelligent life besides us in the universe is a given.

I say wait with your judgement until we know a little more. The way scientific knowledge is developing and especially the speed of it, I do think that it is highly likely that we will probably get some more answers or at least hints within the next few decades.

And again, let me express my highest respect for you. And I am not talking about a thread on some weird forum (no offense guys hehe). I am talking about admitting this to yourself. I know that this is not easy.

My hat is off to you, Sir.

Bias is like an ego. It good to have, but don't let it swallow you.

Take a break from your usual habits in daily life. Leave the UFOs alone for a while and travel or take some online courses. Perhaps some Philosophy 101 and your typical "critical thinking" type courses to exercise your ability to reason and accept Occam's Razor (the simplest hypothesis to explain any given phenomenon). Try new things, talk with new people. A lot of psychological insights can be gleaned from deeply-rooted fantasies. Ask yourself what does the fantasy and wish for there being ETs and UFOs do for you? Does it give you hope that you can escape any particular pain or trauma?

Ultimately, humanity as a whole desires there to be a higher intelligence that can help us out of the mess we find ourselves in. And I believe that the collective power of consciousness is powerful enough to manifest any reality. So be careful what you wish for!

reply to post by DiogenesTheDog

Exactly the opposite. Im no authority....but anyone can be better INFORMED by years of research. And that outways anything someone says after a youtube video or 2. Thats it.

Im certainly not right or have any of the answers. But I have read much on a wealth of subjects than others...and certainly others have BURIED me with all THEY have read. My only single point. A child may say the Moon is made of green cheeze. An adult may say the moon is a satellite of our Earth. And one who's keeping up with all the outlandish and (possibly true?) theories of late....may say its been discussed of late that our moon may even be artificial.

1. The child knows nothing...yet.
2. The adult sticks with our average explanation and interpretation from what we learned in school.
3. And the reader who is aware (as we ATS'rs are here) that there are other possiblities and possible explanations available for ones who's followed the subject, has pondered the information, read a zillion things about and related to the topic...and made aware of theories out there...however controversial....is in a perhaps a better position to discuss the subject. Im no expert, and Im no authority about anything.

When I was younger, and a Christian (Catholic)...I read the Bible, the Koran, the Talmud, Torah, and read about Zen Buddism, Shintoism, even Atheism. I became well versed about the overall meaning of GOD, and the meaning of the other religions and their practices. It was much better than one who may read only one of them, and that brought me closer to my own beliefs.

This multitude of info...as it would for anyone...gave me a great understanding than if I read about just one, and only one book.

Originally posted by thesearchfortruth
I don't want to be, but I am.
I'm biased.
I'm not credible.
I admit it. I want to believe in UFOs too much.

I don't look at all the evidence, I look for evidence supporting what I want to believe. Forget everything that I've said or posted. I admit it, I'm not credible.

How can I change? I don't want to be biased, I've said that already. But I cannot deny that I search for data supporting Et UFOs and try to ignore evidence for the opposite conclusion.

I do want to find the truth, but when I research I selfishly search for my own truth, or the truth that I want to believe in.

Right now I'd tell you I believed in UFOs, but how can I be sure? Maybe my wanting to believe is clouding my judgment.

How can I become an impartial and honest researcher? Not only concerning UFOs but in life? I would appreciate any suggestions or advice.

I think this also equally applies to the debunkers out there