Is ‘Extraordinary Evidence’ Unreasonable? by Mick West

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Mick West examines the history and criticism of the “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” maxim, showing how its vagueness invites accusations of unfairness from UFOlogists and parapsychologists. He argues that skeptics should move beyond catchphrases and instead apply Hume’s principle of proportioning belief to evidence, stressing that claims violating established science demand especially strong proof. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/08/is-extraordinary-evidence-unreasonable/ About the Author: Mick West is a writer, investigator, and debunker who enjoys looking into the evidence behind conspiracy theories and strange phenomena and then explaining what is actually going on. He runs the Metabunk forum, tweets @mickwest, and is the author of the book “Escaping the Rabbit Hole”. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/ Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is a production of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Center for Inquiry.

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