In my book The Great Paradox of Science: Why its conclusions can be relied upon even though they cannot be proven (that I hope all readers of this blog have bought!) I discuss in some detail the nature of scientific logic that enables us to arrive at very firm conclusions about so many things despite never having absolute certainty. This is particularly important in the case of assertions about the non-existence of any entity. Believers in things for which there is no positive evidence (such as gods and ghosts) point to this lack of proof to suggest that it is reasonable to believe in their existence.
My book argues that that argument is invalid and that in science we can quite confidently assert in the non-existence of some things (and have done so in the case of the aether and phlogiston for example) and that same logic can be extended to assert the non-existence of other things.
I used the example of the Loch Ness monster to show why we can be confident that it does not exist even though we cannot prove it to be so. So I am always curious when reports come along, as they regularly do, that someone has seen it and even provided photographic evidence, contradicting my claim. Last week, I came across such a claim.
A tourist has captured an incredible series of photographs that have sparked online claims that he has snapped a picture of the Loch Ness Monster.
…Adding that at first he spotted what he assumed at the time was some sort of fish, he said: “I started taking a couple of shots and then this big fish came to the surface and then went back down again.
“It only appeared in one shot and to be honest that was something of a fluke. I watched for a while as you can see from the last picture but didn’t see it again.”
He estimated that it was 30 feet away and about 8 feet long.
He stated that it was only during lockdown that he has had time to look through the photos he had taken from his two week trip, stating that he had “hundreds” to go through as he’s a keen photographer.
But as always happens with good old Nessie, it turns out to be yet another hoax that was uncovered by internet sleuths who found the original photo that had been used to Photoshop the fake monster.
So my book’s claim that we can be confident the monster does not exist is safe.
I keep thinking that 3D modeling and photoshop will eventually kill off the idea of the faked UFO or monster picture. They’re all so easy to fake, now, that a real image of a UFO would have to be remarkably good to pass muster. People only accepted photos of a hubcap someone threw in the air because not everyone had gotten enough experience with image fakery to realize how coincidentally bad the photos of the UFOs seem to be.
We should pass laws the aliens and Loch Ness Monsters should wear body-cams.
That would only prove that gawkers exist.
What we really need is a law that requires aliens and monsters to appear in ‘person’ on the talk-show circuit.
Maybe water-monsters lack the technology to build stills?
In high school I had a public speaking class. For one assignment, I chose to defend the existence of Nessie! I don’t think I knew about the elephant’s trunk explanation for that one famous photo (if that’s not itself apocryphal).
My 5&1/2-year-old granddaughter recently asked me if Santa was real. I explained that he isn’t, but that many children like to believe that he is. She understands, and can explain it back to me. I’m so proud of her desire to know the truth.
The so-called “Loch Ness Monster” was conclusively proved to exist in the Doctor Who story “Terror of the Zygons”, as the Skarasen, and used to attack London sometime in the 1970s. This was hushed-up by UNIT, despite being witnessed by many Londoners. That habit of ignoring plainly-visible evidence perhaps why brexit is considered a good idea…?