• @Susaga@sh.itjust.works
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    324 days ago

    No, that audio and that person are first hand sources. There was no hand between them and the thing that happened. You, having heard of what happened from them, are now the second hand. If you disagree, what do you think is the first hand source?

    For a moment, consider the fact you are an imperfect being capable of fault, and you may not know everything that is or was. In this situation, where you are capable of being wrong, is there any hypothetical piece of evidence that could exist that would prove to you if it happened or not? What would it take to change your mind?

    • Call me Lenny/Leni
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      -123 days ago

      Audio/video/pictures/souvenirs can be faked. If one were to ask someone with these (for any situation) “what separates these from someone presenting these where there may be potential for suspicion that any were faked”, whatever the responder says that demonstrates the standing of the source material would raise it to the status of first-hand support.

      The Cold War was, to use a metaphor, a period where everyone was seeing who can pee higher on the wall, filled with many top secrets, goalpost movings, lowered morale, and governments finding new reasons to tax people (Carl Sagan’s CD album currently floating in space took many millions of tax dollars to produce and put there, many things would’ve taken more). It’s technically “not impossible” they went to the moon, but everything given to support it does not support anything aside from what amounts to agnosticism on the subject. Some people believe the moon landing happened. I respect these people. Some of us, however, are in doubt. Around the same time the landing was said to have happened, Carl Sagan said “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”, and while I would give quite a bit more nuance/depth/complexity to the quote (for one thing, “extraordinary” is relative), what we have been given in support for the landings was not extraordinary in a strict sense.

      • @Susaga@sh.itjust.works
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        223 days ago

        You’ve mistaken “first hand” with “verified”. What you’re describing is “unverified first hand sources”. Hardly matters, because third party sources DID verify it.

        Despite the massive block of rambling, semi-relevant text, I can’t help but notice that you didn’t actually answer the question I asked you. What evidence would you need?

        • Call me Lenny/Leni
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          -123 days ago

          If so, they didn’t do it in a way that could be considered conclusive. Someone else here tried to argue that the old equipment can be seen on the moon through the average person’s telescopes, to which I responded that even agencies say this isn’t true, but if it was, it would be a good example of something I’d take, supposing you really need me to mention specific examples. Generally, though, all it takes is to sound like more than authority-backed hearsay and appealing to the circumstantial.