I Want to Believe

The Fox television show The X-Files was a huge hit show in the 1990s. The main plot of the show centered around two FBI agents, Fox Mulder (played by David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (played by Gillian Anderson), as they investigated paranormal activity occurring around the country. I grew up and loved that show I would watch it every Sunday night in my room with the lights turned off, needless to say that led to a lot of really sleep Mondays. One of the things that always stuck out in my mind was a poster that hung in Mulder's office [Image at left of Mulder's office from Wikimedia by Alistair McMillan] with a U.F.O. and block lettering saying "I WANT TO BELIEVE". At the time I wasn't sure why but I in this show rich in cryptozoology and the paranormal I was always drawn to that poster.

A couple (part 1 and part 2) of recent posts over at Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs by David Orr got me thinking about that again. As a scientist I have learned to not "believe" anything unless it is supported by the evidence but I still find myself turning on shows like Finding Bigfoot and Monster Hunters sort of as a guilty pleasure when they are on during the weekend and there is nothing better on T.V. but I don't know why. Or at least I didn't until I was finishing up the second post by David the truth is I WANT TO BELIEVE.

As David discusses in his first post mainstream science and cryptozoology have a tenuous history at best. While I won't rehash all his arguments here, seriously go read his posts, it basically comes down to much of the hunting for mythological beasts does not follow what would typically be described as science. Take the search for Bigfoot as an example every movement in the woods of Washington every fur every unidentifiable footprint every black or brown blur on videos is taken as evidence of this mysterious ape. This is the reason why there are very rarely scientists on these shows, and the ones that are normally get drowned out behind the all of the pseudoscience. This does not mean that actual scientists don't look into these events as David points out the discovery of a living pterosaur, or a bigfoot, or a Nessie would bring droves of people that want to find out more about it. Even at the great blog Tetrapod Zoology, Darren Naish often discusses cryptozoology, and as he points out we are more likely to find an unknown creature in the depths of the ocean than in the forests of Washington.

One major flaw I see in modern cryptozoology, or ufology, is that it assumes that ancient cultures did not have the imagination that we have today, or in the case of ufos the willpower to build pyramids etc. We know that we have many advances from the ancients in the form of technology and the understanding of science but that does not mean that didn't have the ability or even the smarts to think up their own legends and to think up ways to build impressive buildings. We have the ability to accomplish what we do today because of those that came before us or to use the phrase common in science, "We stand on the shoulders of giants." To take away the accomplishments of the past takes away not only what they accomplished but what we accomplish today because it means that we as a species do not have the ability to do great things without help. These are things that are often cited as proof of cryptid animals and ufos, this isn't evidence it is condescending.

As a scientist by training I understand the need for evidence and so far none has been presented for these phenomenon I have a hard time thinking of these things as existing. But I have always had an interest in these things for some reason or another. It is on this point that I refer back to Agent Mulder's office, while he did believe he didn't have any want to that poster has more meaning to me. I may not believe in these phenomenon but a part of me definitely want to so let me conclude by saying:

I WANT to believe