Randall Carlson on Why Critical Thinking Matters More Than Deference to Authority

Randall Carlson's research has always been grounded in a straightforward epistemological commitment - look at the evidence yourself, apply reason, remain skeptical, and do not assume that the loudest institutional voice is necessarily the most accurate one.

That commitment is not contrarianism. It is the basic methodology of independent inquiry that Randall has applied consistently across decades of work in geology, archaeoastronomy, and catastrophism - fields where the consensus position has repeatedly failed to account for what the physical evidence actually shows. The willingness to look at all sides of a question, to follow the data rather than the authority, is what led Randall to the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis long before it gained any mainstream traction, and it is what continues to drive his research today.