Michael D. Swords
Professor emeritus, Michael Swords, was a Professor of Natural Science at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1962 with a B.S. degree in Chemistry, and also holds an M.S. degree from Iowa State University in Biochemistry (1965), and a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University (1972). His major professional involvements were teaching and writing in the areas of general sciences and anomalous phenomena. His teaching centered about human biology, the history and philosophy of science, scientific methodology and environmental studies and the parasciences of which UFOlogy is a member. His writings have concentrated mainly on topics in UFOlogy, parapsychology, and cryptozoology. He has won his University's Teaching Excellence Award (1978). Dr. Swords is a board member of the Center for UFO Studies and a former editor of the Journal of UFO Studies. He published regularly in the International UFO Reporter and the Journal of Scientific Exploration. He is a member of the Society for Scientific Exploration and a former board member. He has been active in the Coalition for UFO Research as one of CUFOS' representatives and was a presenter at the Sturrock - Rockefeller workshop. His main areas of publication work in UFOlogy have involved explication of the scientific status of the elements of the Drake Equation for estimating numbers of extant extraterrestrial civilizations, and other aspects of science in defense of the reasonableness of the ETH. More recently, his research has focused on the history of the field, as well as its more puzzling phenomenology. Currently he is proud to be associated with a small group of "scholars" [if we may] calling ourselves "The UFO History Group", who are engaged in archival research and the group production of a "history of the field" written entirely from primary documents and emphasizing the intelligence community's responses and action.*
POSITION STATEMENT:
If one insists on applying hypotheses to it, then I think that the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis remains a viable one for dealing with the phenomena sufficiently (just as angels, demons, fairy folk, a capricious God, an extradimensional Gamester et al, do). And, I think the ETH, because it in no way stretches the current scientific paradigm beyond what is already admitted ontologically, remains the simplest (& therefore tentatively best supported) hypothesis available. It is not a proven hypothesis. It is also, despite insistent claims by certain "experts" and debunkers, in no way disproven, nor even, in my opinion, damaged.
Professor emeritus, Michael Swords, was a Professor of Natural Science at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1962 with a B.S. degree in Chemistry, and also holds an M.S. degree from Iowa State University in Biochemistry (1965), and a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University (1972). His major professional involvements were teaching and writing in the areas of general sciences and anomalous phenomena. His teaching centered about human biology, the history and philosophy of science, scientific methodology and environmental studies and the parasciences of which UFOlogy is a member. His writings have concentrated mainly on topics in UFOlogy, parapsychology, and cryptozoology. He has won his University's Teaching Excellence Award (1978). Dr. Swords is a board member of the Center for UFO Studies and a former editor of the Journal of UFO Studies. He published regularly in the International UFO Reporter and the Journal of Scientific Exploration. He is a member of the Society for Scientific Exploration and a former board member. He has been active in the Coalition for UFO Research as one of CUFOS' representatives and was a presenter at the Sturrock - Rockefeller workshop. His main areas of publication work in UFOlogy have involved explication of the scientific status of the elements of the Drake Equation for estimating numbers of extant extraterrestrial civilizations, and other aspects of science in defense of the reasonableness of the ETH. More recently, his research has focused on the history of the field, as well as its more puzzling phenomenology. Currently he is proud to be associated with a small group of "scholars" [if we may] calling ourselves "The UFO History Group", who are engaged in archival research and the group production of a "history of the field" written entirely from primary documents and emphasizing the intelligence community's responses and action.*
Many published works include
Many articles and papers in the MUFON Journal & Symposium Proceedings
International UFO Reporter
Journal of Scientific Exploration
UFOs and Government: A Historical Inquiry *
Many articles and papers in the MUFON Journal & Symposium Proceedings
International UFO Reporter
Journal of Scientific Exploration
UFOs and Government: A Historical Inquiry *
POSITION STATEMENT:
If one insists on applying hypotheses to it, then I think that the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis remains a viable one for dealing with the phenomena sufficiently (just as angels, demons, fairy folk, a capricious God, an extradimensional Gamester et al, do). And, I think the ETH, because it in no way stretches the current scientific paradigm beyond what is already admitted ontologically, remains the simplest (& therefore tentatively best supported) hypothesis available. It is not a proven hypothesis. It is also, despite insistent claims by certain "experts" and debunkers, in no way disproven, nor even, in my opinion, damaged.