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strangeness of the facts

"We are so far from knowing all the agents of nature and their diverse modes of action that it would not be philosophical to deny phenomena solely because they are inexplicable in the actual state of our knowledge. But we ought to examine them with an attention all the more scrupulous as it appears more difficult to admit them."

Principle of Laplace: "The weight of the evidence should be proportioned to the strangeness of the facts."

Theodore Flournoy
From India to the Planet Mars

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impulse toward revolt

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religious prejudice and superstition

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complete absence of any supporting data whatsoever

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