ABSTRACT
There is no way to tell systematic from accidental gaps in the (cross-linguistic) record since it cannot be shown that a pattern does not exist: there are many languages we do not know about in past, future and present (on a remote island). Hence the remote island argument which may be levelled against any systematic gap candidate. The chapter reviews the position taken by different quarters regarding the canonical incarnation of systematic gaps, i.e., Chomskyan Universal Grammar (UG). The remote island is argued to be a non-issue: it is either trivial (if you believe that there are no systematic gaps) or irrelevant (if you believe that systematic gaps exist). Calling on the remote island is like asserting that pink elephants exist: nobody can prove the contrary but the assertion is meaningless for the study of elephants. Finally, UG is criticized because it merely lists things that do not exist without saying why they are absent. Natural constants such as the speed of light are cornerstones of scientific discovery, but nobody knows why they exist or have the value they do. Adult science does not discredit the search for natural constants because they cannot be explained.
