"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." (Carl Sagan). What's your opinion?

Answer 1

I agree with the late Sagan. I also like this quote by Steven Weinberg (from Dawkins):

Some people have views of God that are so broad and flexible that it is inevitable that they will find God wherever they look for him. One hears it said that 'God is the ultimate' or 'God is our better nature' or 'God is the universe.' Of course, like any other word, the word 'God' can be given any meaning we like. If you want to say that 'God is energy,' then you can find God in a lump of coal.

Answer 2

Carl Sagan? Wasn't he the guy who wrote Cosmos? Where the heck is my Cosmos book anyway?

Extraordinary Claims require extraordinary evidence, but you have to define extraordinary in a certain way for that to make sense. A claim that *appears* to give us expected results other than what we see should require unexpected evidence, otherwise the claim is worthless in that we have no reason to agree with its predictions

Answer 3

Carl Sagan was a genius, and I believe he is right in that statement. I just wish those creationists would take note though. Their claims are pretty extraordinary, yet they haven't even provided any evidence, extraordinary or otherwise.

Answer 4

I would agree with this statement, espeically in a scientific frame of reference.

For instance, if a scientist were to assert that raw elements could combine to form complex organic molecules which could then combine to form cells which could reproduce, undergo significant changes, combine with other cells to form multi-celled organisms, undergo further significant changes to form many variable organisms, I would expect to be provided with extraordinary evidence to back up these claims, including verifiable and repeatable experiments that reproduce each step in this process.

In the absence of evidence for an extraordinary claim, humans have the capacity of "faith" that at some point in the future, the extraordinary evidence will exist to prove the claim they believe in.

Answer 5

I think that is one of the best quotes ever. Of course it does raise the question of what "extraordinary" is and how much that is culturally determined. An extraordinary claim to a western scientist might seem quite ordinary to an african shaman and vice versa. But as a general rule of thumb it is very useful, especailly among people within the same culture.

Answer 6

How can anyone claim to have a great scientific mind, and think our puny little world is the only place that has life, compared our vast Universe?
Not to mention theories of mutli-dimensional realities?
Carl Sagan is the perfect example of what happens when one gets
in the public eye. They get full of themselves and their own opinion.
Case in point. Jerry Falwell!

Answer 7

That's exactly right, thus the problem with the concept of God -- an extraordinary claim with NO evidence.

Answer 8

Well, evidence isn't REQUIRED, unless you want to gain believers in your extraordinary claims. You can claim whatever you want right up to the time someone Baker Act's you.

Answer 9

i think any claims require evidence .. so quite rightly the more extraordinary the claim .. the more evidence i want
of course

Answer 10

In these modern times when people can check details out more readily on their computers at home or at their local library then you need to back your claims with cold hard facts.

But then at the end of the day if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bulls***!!