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A short three week course on UFOs is being offered at IPFW (Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne). Universities are certainly a fine place to think about and debate extraordinary claims, however the course description doesn't fill me with confidence.

It goes without saying that UFOs exist. There are lots of things in the sky that people are sometimes unable to identify for one reason or another. But the jump from that fact to the assertion that these unidentified objects are advanced space craft piloted by extraterrestrial beings is simply not supported by evidence.

This course would be much more useful if it
It goes without saying that UFOs exist. There are lots of things in the sky that people are sometimes unable to identify for one reason or another. But the jump from that fact to the assertion that these unidentified objects are advanced space craft piloted by extraterrestrial beings is simply not supported by evidence.

This course would be much more useful if it studied why people are sometimes unable to identify objects in the sky, what proper spotting techniques can improve the rate of positive identification, and all possible explanations for those that remain unidentified. Studying the implications of alien life at this point is a bit like daydreaming about what you will do with your lottery winnings before you scratch off the ticket, fun but not very productive until you determine if they exist.