Hi hobie
Thanks for your thoughts.

When somebody has any kind of personal experience (saw pigs fly or built an over-unity device) and keep it that way, personal, yes, it is his/her experience and his/hers alone.

When that somebody decides to go public with his/her personal experience, he/she better have some proof of it because his/her experience will be scrutinized, dissected, examined and taken apart.

When that somebody doesn't like this kind of investigation, he/she never should of gone public in the first place.

It is the same principle as; "When jurisdiction is challenged it cannot be assumed anymore but must be proven to exist".

I cannot take someone's word for someone's personal experience if I can't investigate it myself. Especially if the personal experience is suspicious already.
The ways to avoid investigation is don't tell anybody of your personal experience or accept the scrutiny or state that it is "my experience".

Because nobody has to prove anything is the reason why mankind is in such a mess. The liars with their lies are running rampant.
However the term; "prove all things, hold fast that is good" still exists, although it might be only for a few of us.

In the truth and for the truth
sow

: Hi, sonofthewind -

: I don't think there's a burden of proof on anyone who makes a
: statement about his or her own personal experience in
: living. The person is "the authority" regarding
: that experience; for all the rest of us the experience can
: only be second-hand at best.

: There would be a burden of proof, I think, only in the case
: where the person for some reason is asking or demanding
: that you believe what s/he is saying. In that case, you
: would be the authority of your own experience, and if you
: say you don't and cannot believe it without some amount of
: proof, then that's the way it is. :) You're the one who
: would know that.

: It's said that European intellectuals, when told about the
: platypus just brought to their shores on a ship from
: Australia, felt certain the thing could only be a hoax, and
: thus refused to go and see it for themselves. As we know,
: the platypus won. :) No matter what the European
: intellectuals felt certain was the truth, they were wrong
: in that case - and if they'd gone to see for themselves,
: they might have changed their minds.

: If I were to say, "I saw a flying pig yesterday,"
: I'd have no burden of proof to convince you that I did
: indeed see such a thing. :) The experience would be mine,
: and whether or not you believe my statement about that
: experience is wholly separate.

: Blessings.

: --hobie