by Carl Sagan

"A fire-breathing dragon lives in my garage"

Suppose (I'm following a group therapy approach by the psychologist Richard Franklin) I seriously make such an assertion to you. Surely you'd want to check it out, see for yourself. There have been innumerable stories of dragons over the centuries, but no real evidence. What an opportunity!

"Show me," you say. I lead you to my garage. You look inside and see a ladder, empty paint cans, an old tricycle -- but no dragon.

"Where's the dragon?" you ask.

"Oh, she's right here," I reply, waving vaguely. "I neglected to mention that she's an invisible dragon."

You propose spreading flour on the floor of the garage to capture the dragon's footprints.

"Good idea," I say, "but this dragon floats in the air."

Then you'll use an infrared sensor to detect the invisible fire.

"Good idea, but the invisible fire is also heatless."

You'll spray-paint the dragon and make her visible.

"Good idea, but she's an incorporeal dragon and the paint won't stick." And so on. I counter every physical test you propose with a special explanation of why it won't work.

Now, what's the difference between an invisible, incorporeal, floating dragon who spits heatless fire and no dragon at all? If there's no way to disprove my contention, no conceivable experiment that would count against it, what does it mean to say that my dragon exists? Your inability to invalidate my hypothesis is not at all the same thing as proving it true. Claims that cannot be tested, assertions immune to disproof are veridically worthless, whatever value they may have in inspiring us or in exciting our sense of wonder. What I'm asking you to do comes down to believing, in the absence of evidence, on my say-so. The only thing you've really learned from my insistence that there's a dragon in my garage is that something funny is going on inside my head. You'd wonder, if no physical tests apply, what convinced me. The possibility that it was a dream or a hallucination would certainly enter your mind. But then, why am I taking it so seriously? Maybe I need help. At the least, maybe I've seriously underestimated human fallibility. Imagine that, despite none of the tests being successful, you wish to be scrupulously open-minded. So you don't outright reject the notion that there's a fire-breathing dragon in my garage. You merely put it on hold. Present evidence is strongly against it, but if a new body of data emerge you're prepared to examine it and see if it convinces you. Surely it's unfair of me to be offended at not being believed; or to criticize you for being stodgy and unimaginative -- merely because you rendered the Scottish verdict of "not proved."

Imagine that things had gone otherwise. The dragon is invisible, all right, but footprints are being made in the flour as you watch. Your infrared detector reads off-scale. The spray paint reveals a jagged crest bobbing in the air before you. No matter how skeptical you might have been about the existence of dragons -- to say nothing about invisible ones -- you must now acknowledge that there's something here, and that in a preliminary way it's consistent with an invisible, fire-breathing dragon.

Now another scenario: Suppose it's not just me. Suppose that several people of your acquaintance, including people who you're pretty sure don't know each other, all tell you that they have dragons in their garages -- but in every case the evidence is maddeningly elusive. All of us admit we're disturbed at being gripped by so odd a conviction so ill-supported by the physical evidence. None of us is a lunatic. We speculate about what it would mean if invisible dragons were really hiding out in garages all over the world, with us humans just catching on. I'd rather it not be true, I tell you. But maybe all those ancient European and Chinese myths about dragons weren't myths at all.

Gratifyingly, some dragon-size footprints in the flour are now reported. But they're never made when a skeptic is looking. An alternative explanation presents itself. On close examination it seems clear that the footprints could have been faked. Another dragon enthusiast shows up with a burnt finger and attributes it to a rare physical manifestation of the dragon's fiery breath. But again, other possibilities exist. We understand that there are other ways to burn fingers besides the breath of invisible dragons. Such "evidence" -- no matter how important the dragon advocates consider it -- is far from compelling. Once again, the only sensible approach is tentatively to reject the dragon hypothesis, to be open to future physical data, and to wonder what the cause might be that so many apparently sane and sober people share the same strange delusion.

[quote]LOL, when you think jesus is all about teaching love, I know for a fact you have to clue what he is all about. I see your an atheist...Not that I am going to try to convert you, that would be a waste, the first gift we all have been given is the gift of choice. And eve, then adam choose to bite the fruit and open their eyes, so to speak. Besides, if you were a real atheist, you would know more about Christianity then most christians. To me, that is the mark of a true Atheist anyways. They are always good to go to when I need to find something out about the bible.[/quote]

Wow, what a douchebag. this is some of the most ridiculously stupid shit i've read on the internet tonight. a real atheist knows more about christianity then christians? what does that say about your religion then? i love this type of christian. not only does he take me completely out of context, he is so righteous he feels the need to post in someone's personal journal to insult someones thoughts and opinions. it merely strengthens my resolve.

edit, i meant to say personal journal, not private, you people can fucking relax now.

I've noticed when i see someone under 50 percent match i can come to the immediate conclusion that jesus will be mentioned multiple times in her profile. i could almost make a drinking game out of it. recently, i read a profile that mentioned jesus in three of her sections and also a fondness of UFC. ah, christianity, when you aren't teaching love, you enjoy watching two men beat the shit out of eachother. We've come so far.

Zomg! Cliff Bars and Apple Juice!

Licorice & Shreddies says (3:50 AM):
um
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:50 AM):
i think i'm a crazy magnet
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:50 AM):
or something
kate folsom says (3:50 AM):
Oh, I bet you are.
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:50 AM):
i just got done talking to a woman who msgd me on okc
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:51 AM):
care to guess where this one is from?
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:51 AM):
ghana...
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:51 AM):

Licorice & Shreddies says (3:51 AM):
kate, hold me, i'm scared for humanity
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:52 AM):
she was all like, would you like to have a long distance relationship
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:52 AM):
....
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:52 AM):
7000 miles away? suriously?
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:53 AM):
where do they come from?
kate folsom says (3:53 AM):
That would be hard to manage, yes.
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:53 AM):
got to be a scammer
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:53 AM):
i play stupid rich american
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:53 AM):
and somewhere along the line, i'm supposed to send her money
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:53 AM):
i'm sooo betting
kate folsom says (3:53 AM):
well, don't you love her?
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:54 AM):
totally
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:54 AM):
I'M SO LONELY
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:54 AM):
*gets out checkbook*
kate folsom says (3:54 AM):
Hey, you know, I'm not even deceitful.
kate folsom says (3:54 AM):
I'll just take your money.
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:54 AM):
yeah
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:54 AM):

kate folsom says (3:54 AM):
That is why I'm a much better person to talk to.
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:54 AM):
i gave you 25 bucks already
kate folsom says (3:55 AM):
I know!
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:55 AM):
and i didn't even get a handjob
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:55 AM):

kate folsom says (3:55 AM):
Dude, $25 is at least two handjobs at the "friend" rate.
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:55 AM):
suriously?
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:55 AM):
*goes to write some strongly worded letters*
kate folsom says (3:56 AM):
Well, yeah.
kate folsom says (3:56 AM):
I mean, come on.
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:56 AM):

kate folsom says (3:56 AM):
We're pals!
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:56 AM):
yeah
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:57 AM):
i'm so sick
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:57 AM):
i should be sleeping
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:57 AM):
ugh
kate folsom says (3:58 AM):
I woke up after less than four hours.
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:58 AM):
yuck
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:58 AM):
i need like ten
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:58 AM):
or 12
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:58 AM):
or a week
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:58 AM):
...
Licorice & Shreddies says (3:59 AM):
know how to induce a coma?
kate folsom says (3:59 AM):
Sadly, no.
kate folsom says (3:59 AM):
Not reliably.
Licorice & Shreddies says (4:00 AM):

Licorice & Shreddies says (4:00 AM):
work tomorrow is going to suck
Licorice & Shreddies says (4:00 AM):
it's going to suck my balls
kate folsom says (4:00 AM):
Well, that's nice of it.
Licorice & Shreddies says (4:00 AM):
not in a good way
kate folsom says (4:00 AM):
Oh, crap.
Licorice & Shreddies says (4:00 AM):
like in a 16 year old girl who has never sucked a pair of balls before
kate folsom says (4:01 AM):
Yikes.
Licorice & Shreddies says (4:01 AM):
yeah
Licorice & Shreddies says (4:01 AM):
totally

People say I have a very pretty face and also a killer body... but my sweet cherry pie is really what is good! I get along best with people who are always looking for new people, places and experiences. I've always.."greetings "!! !! im looking to your profile and i like what i saw...if you are interested in hook up , let me know and send me a flower . . make sure that you will bring a box of condom ok?LOL...add me at lorienne_694u at yah00 d0t c0mm or at hun_cherica at h0tmail d0t c0mmm..

a whole box of condoms, eh?

sure we can't just have coffee first?

Licorice & Shreddies says (6:49 PM):
is odwalla and gummi bears an acceptable dinner?
kate folsom says (6:49 PM):
YES!
Licorice & Shreddies says (6:49 PM):
fantastic