User:Purple Scissor/Sandbox/Pseudoskepticism in debate

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence

If someone says that a claim is extraordinary and therefore requires extraordinary evidence, he is making a positive claim. He thus shoulders a burden of proof to show the claim is really "extraordinary."

In a scientific context, extraordinary means that a claim Differs from well supported theory in a manner which changes some of the basic assumptions of that theory. It can also mean that a claim is unprecedented by other evidence, in an area which has been rigorously investigated.