The Sagan standard is the aphorism that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". It is named for Carl Sagan (pictured), who used the phrase in his 1979 book Broca's Brain. The standard has been described as fundamental to the scientific method and is regarded as encapsulating the basic principles of scientific skepticism. The Sagan standard is similar to Occam's razor in that both prefer simpler explanations to more complex ones. The Sagan standard is often invoked to challenge data and scientific findings, or to criticize pseudoscientific claims. Similar statements were previously made by figures such as Thomas Jefferson in 1808, Pierre-Simon Laplace in 1814, and Théodore Flournoy in 1899. The formulation "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof" was used a year prior to Sagan, by scientific skeptic Marcello Truzzi. It has also been argued that philosopher David Hume first fully characterized the principles of the Sagan standard in his 1748 essay "Of Miracles".

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagan_standard

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1881:

Andrew Watson captained the Scotland national football team against England, becoming the world's first black international footballer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Watson_%28footballer,_born_1856%29

1947:

Cold War: U.S. president Harry S. Truman proclaimed the Truman Doctrine to help stem the spread of communism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truman_Doctrine

1952:

British diplomat Lord Ismay was appointed the first secretary general of NATO. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastings_Ismay,_1st_Baron_Ismay

1971:

The Turkish Armed Forces executed a "coup by memorandum", forcing the resignation of Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Turkish_military_memorandum

2006:

U.S. Army soldiers gang-raped a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and murdered her along with her family members. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

fluster: 1. (transitive) 2. To throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic; to befuddle, to confuse. 3. (dated) To make (someone) feel flushed and hot through drinking alcoholic beverages; also, to make (someone) slightly drunk or tipsy. 4. (intransitive) 5. To be agitated and confused; to bustle. 6. (Britain, dialectal) To catch attention; to be showy or splendid. 7. (obsolete) To boast or brag noisily; to bluster, to swagger. 8. (obsolete) Of a seed: to produce a shoot quickly. 9. A state of agitation or confusion; a flutter. 10. (obsolete) 11. A state of slight drunkenness or tipsiness; also, the excitement caused by this state. 12. (uncertain) Showiness, splendour. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fluster

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Remember one thing about democracy. We can have anything we want and at the same time, we always end up with exactly what we deserve.   --Edward Albee https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edward_Albee