Talk:Ben Finney

{{DYK talk|8 January|2008|entry=...that Ben Finney, one of the Polynesian Voyaging Society founders who designed, built, and sailed the Hokulea on its first voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti, wrote his thesis on surfing for his M.A. degree?|views=1225}}

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Prevailing view?

I do not feel confident enough to change the article, but I think the following statement is false:

"When Ben Finney was a University of Hawaii graduate student in 1958,[20] working toward his master of arts degree and writing his dissertation on surfing, scholars were not yet in agreement that any canoe voyages over great distances on the Pacific Ocean had been intentional.[21] The prevailing view was exemplified by Andrew Sharp,[22] a New Zealand historian with a low opinion of Polynesian navigation methods and canoes, who believed that such voyages could only have been accidental."

My reason is that in James Michener's Hawaii, published in 1959, he describes Polynesian navigation using the stars. Michener tended to use the prevailing views when doing research for his books, so I think the statement about the prevailing view in 1958 is probably wrong. —Preceding unsigned comment added by TomThunder (talkcontribs) 01:38, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

: The text you blockquoted above is well sourced. I understand your reasoning, but editing along those lines would conflict with the no original research policy. — Athaenara 01:54, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

::Exactly. The blockquoted material is correct. Viriditas (talk) 12:36, 11 November 2008 (UTC)