Ufology
Ufology is the the study of UFO reports, sightings and other related phenomena.While many ufologists strive for legitimacy and some are respected scientists in other fields, ufology has never been fully embraced by the scientific community, for a number of reasons. Some ufologists consider the general attitude of mainstream academics as arrogant and dismissive, or bound to a rigid World view.
Ufologists embrace a wide spectrum of approaches, beliefs and attitudes, from those regarded by some as quacks or kooks (i.e. David Icke); to respected mainstream scientists like Carl Sagan, some of whom argue that UFO reports are as worthy of study as any topic, and deserve case-by-case analysis using the scientific method. Study of UFO sightings this way has yielded very interesting and important results, mostly about weatherfenomena and human (mis)perception.
Most critics consider ufology a pseudoscience or protoscience.
Broadly, there are schools of thought to explain UFO sightings:
- The self-explanatory Extraterrestrial hypothesis.
- The Psychosocial Hypothesis.
- Various occult and paranormal notions.
- Religious explanations, such as the Bloody Virgin Mary hypothesis.
Ufological Groups or Individual