[WikiEN-l] Philosophical question re sources

[Ray Saintonge]

Ilmari Karonen wrote:

>Ray Saintonge wrote:
>  
>
>>That's not logical.  If there are no views expressed that challenge the 
>>premise, it necessarily represents the Neutral Point of View. A 
>>rebutting argument that is not verifiable is as good as no argument at all.
>>    
>>
>...so if I claim that there are gigantic hyperintelligent aliens made of 
>lime jello living on a giant pumpkin orbiting Alpha Centauri and that 
>they have five hands and one foot, and no-one makes a verifiable 
>rebuttal, then my claim, being the only published view on the subject, 
>represents the Neutral Point of View about hyperintelligent aliens made 
>of lime jello?
>
Theoretically yes, except that I would say any rebuttal rather than just 
a verifiable one.  It is NPOV because it represents the average of all 
views that have been submitted until then.  In practical terms that 
neutrality will cease as soon as one other person reads the article and 
challenges its contents, unless a visiting Beta Centaurian decides to 
get in on the act.  A challenge to the system can be as simple as a 
polite request for sources to be cited.

Once a request has been made for verification, the original contributor 
has the primary burden of proof, but that does not prevent others from 
supplying proof if they so desire.  If the original statement is as 
patently ridiculous as the one you hypothesize, any attempt at rebuttal 
implies that there was something there worth rebutting, and the very act 
of initiating a rebuttal gives credibility to the original statement.

Ec