When Less is More
So, when is less more? Well when it comes to proving woo or paranormal claims, some people just don't get that often less is more. Many paranormal researchers point to their mountain of evidence. UFO researchers files bulge with photographs of unknown flying objects. The unspoken is that unknown is another word for extraterrestrial visitors.
Big foot enthusiasts have plaster casts galore, folklore and encounter accounts. Loch Ness has some lovely photographs, both from regular cameras and sonar. Champy, the Lake Champlain monster has his own photographs and sightings. It seems that most paranormal believers have a lot of smoke so certainly there must be a fire.
The problem is that what paranormal researchers need is not more evidence, they need better evidence. One dead body. One UFO landing somewhere like in the middle of New York City, or on the lawn of the White House. Even one simple DNA strand from Nessie, Champy, Bigfoot or an alien would far more tip the scales than the entire mountain of evidence offered so far. More isn't what is needed, just better.
When Einstein came up with his theory of relativity, it was just a theory. But science quickly stepped up to find evidence confirming this theory. Teams of scientists were sent around the world to photograph a solar eclipse that would back up Einsteins theory.
When Darwin came up with the theory of evolution, science was quickly able to find confirmation. Even today Darwin theory is now accepted as fact because it is confirmed over and over again. As science progresses, as with the use of DNA, it helps us understand more about evolution and how it has shaped us and continues to shape us.
A theory like a giant monster lives in Loch Ness, should only be confirmed as time goes on. Certainly science has spent money searching Loch Ness and watching for any sign of a giant lake inhabitant. If anything, every tourist with a camera and every boat, should be only making the case stronger. Instead, it's the same old bad mountain of evidence that piles in. Fuzzy photographs, video and sighting, but not one dead body, not one bone, not even any Nessie poop.
Almost every paranormal book I've read, and I enjoy reading old ones from the 50's and 60's, includes the line "very soon everyone will this is true!" Read a new book on the paranormal, it will also probably include "very soon everyone will know this is true!" People are very careful never really to define "very soon".
