In the absence of useful evidence, apply the appropriate razor(s):
- Alder's razor (also known as Newton's flaming laser sword): If something cannot be settled by experiment or observation, then it is not worthy of debate.
- Hanlon's razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
- Hitchens' razor: That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
- Occam's razor: Explanations that require fewer unjustified assumptions are more likely to be correct; avoid unnecessary or improbable assumptions.
- Popper's falsifiability criterion: For a theory to be considered scientific, it must be falsifiable.
- Sagan standard: Positive claims require positive evidence, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.