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Biography:
J. Allen Hynek (1910-1986) was an astronomer with the Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory in Cambridge, Massacusetts when he became responsible for tracking the
Earth's first artificial satellite. Eventually, however, he became better known for his
advocacy of the idea that alien spacecraft are actively and regularly visiting our planet.
He was not always a believer and in fact started out as a skeptic. The U.S. Air Force put him in charge of their "Operation Blue Book" through the 1950s and 60s. This project was created to investigate all of the reports of UFO sightings. He was able to explain most of the claims, but there were a few which he could not and this, evidently, lead him to become less of a skeptic and more of a believer.
In 1973, Hynek founded the Center for UFO Studies in Illinois in an effort to do more research into alleged sightings - reseach which the government was no longer bothering with. At some point in time, Hynek stopped believing that we were being visited by "real" alien spacecraft and that, instead, the sightings were of craft which are from some alternative reality or universe.
Hynek is the person who created the concepts of encounters of the "First, Second and Third Kinds." According to Hynek, and encounter of the "First Kind" involves simply seeing some unidentified object which is presumably an alien ship. An encounter of the "Second Kind" requires the presence of physical evidence of aliens - pieces of their ship, for example. Finally, an encounter of the "Third Kind" would involve sightings of and, perhaps, an encounter with the actual aliens. This latter idea was popularized by Stephen Spielberg in his movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind on which Hynek served as a technical consultant.
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Related Resources:
Skepticism & Critical Thinking
This is the main index for issues dealing with skepticism, critical thinking, logic and arguments. The first section is Critical Thinking itself - how to think about claims and arguments you hear, how to critique arguments, and how to formulate your own arguments such that they are more likely to be sound and valid. The second section is about Skeptical Investigations - the practical application of the critical thinking skills covered in the first section. Here you will find critiques of things like astrology, alternative medicine, parapsychology, the New Age and more.
