Belief in alien visits to Earth is spiralling out of control – here’s why that’s so dangerous

[C C]

Heh. The "visitation narratives" are even "overwriting indigenous storytelling"? Perhaps not surprising that reducing the hegemony of Western knowledge methods probably corrupts more than just the "oppression and racism" weighted Eurocentric research tradition itself.

Richard Rorty: "No area of culture, and no period of history, gets reality more right than any other."

And kind of fitting that "comic books" are mentioned, since the "superhero" version of science in those publications and movies -- with its blend of physics/chemistry and multi-community mystical/supernatural beliefs, is maybe a reflection of a socially rehabilitated future where the epistemological approaches of varied cultures receive radically equal representation and consideration. "Comic book science" may be THE pejorative label for decolonized science. --Cynic's Corner
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Belief in alien visits to Earth is spiralling out of control – here’s why that’s so dangerous

Belief in alien visits to Earth is spiralling out of control – here’s why that’s so dangerous

The belief in aliens is now rising to the extent that politicians, at least in the US, feel they have to respond.

theconversation.com

INTRO: The idea that aliens may have visited the Earth is becoming increasingly popular. Around a fifth of UK citizens believe Earth has been visited by extraterrestrials, and an estimated 7% believe that they have seen a UFO.

The figures are even higher in the US – and rising. The number of people who believe UFO sightings offer likely proof of alien life increased from 20% in 1996 to 34% in 2022. Some 24% of Americans say they’ve seen a UFO.

This belief is slightly paradoxical as we have zero evidence that aliens even exist. What’s more, given the vast distances between star systems, it seems odd we’d only learn about them from a visit. Evidence for aliens is more likely to come from signals from faraway planets.

In a paper accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, I argue that the belief in alien visitors is no longer a quirk, but a widespread societal problem... (MORE - details)
_

 

[TheVat]

Yeah, the ET hypothesis believers do seem to be rising, as science education and critical thinking skills are eroded by the viral proliferation of pseudoscience and unvetted fringe science on the Net. When I was young, the main sources of ET theories were in bookstores, e.g. Von Daniken and his ancient astronauts, a mashup of ancient civilization mythologies and UFO lore. So you had to be someone who bought books or read them to get a strong dose of crackpottery. Readers generally have a better intellectual immune system than do YouTube junkies or consumers of other even shorter attention span video-based social media.

 

[Magical Realist]

Too much background noise about UFOs and UAPs can also get in the way of legitimate science communication about the possibility of finding microbial extraterrestrial life. Astrobiology, the science dealing with such matters, has a far less effective publicity machine than UFOlogy.

I don't think anybody is trying to deliberately upstage the scientific quest for pond scum on distant planets. It's just that people on average are more interested in the possibility of ET aliens than of ET microbes. Make a movie about alien contact, like "Arrival" or "Close Encounters", and make another movie about the discovery of slime molds on Titan, and see which is more popular. It's not like that is "getting in the way" of anything. It's just a somewhat sad fact that in this era of instantaneous information, its more important to most of us that information be interesting than that it be factual. I personally have never watched "Ancient Aliens" on the History channel and refuse to do so on principle. But as an avid ufologist who fully believes we are in fact being visited by unknown beings, I follow that developing story more than the scientific search for life. If true it would be vastly more consequential and world-changing than any other scientific pursuit. And I really don't see how banking on that is harming anyone.

 

[billvon]

Heh. The "visitation narratives" are even "overwriting indigenous storytelling"?

Not too worried about that, actually. Indigenous people are good at keeping their own storytelling going.

I am worried about the rise of UFOlogists, Truthers, climate change deniers, Flat Earthers, Anti-Vaxxers, Apollo hoaxers, election deniers etc because they are all a symptom of America's rapid departure from reality into islands of preselected alternative reality. Nowadays you can go on Facebook and look at flat Earther memes, and Facebook's own algorithm will rapidly construct a news bubble that shows you only articles about how the Earth is flat. Any wacko belief you have, someone else has, and Facebook will funnel all that to you - to the point where you really believe that most other people share your views, and that there is scientific backing for them.

(Not just Facebook; that's just a convenient example.)

All of this would not be much of an issue in a meritocracy. But we have a democracy here, which means that dumbing down large segments of the population means we are dumbing down our government as well.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Close Encounters of the Turd Kind was the source of much of this crap.

 

[Jeeves]

As in the Middle Ages, people are insecure, anxious, afraid of the future. Magic - including witchcraft, omens, ghosts and goblins - offered 'explanations' for whatever went wrong in people's lives, a convenient repository for blame and responsibility-shifting and a hedge against helplessness. Space aliens are just the most recent addition to the cast of imaginary monsters and protectors people have invented to help deal with uncertainty.

 

[Magical Realist]

Close Encounters of the Turd Kind was the source of much of this crap.

Actually Close Encounters was inspired by real eyewitness accounts of ufos:

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Unsupported tales, you mean.

 

[TheVat]

The Devil's Tower sculpted from mash potatoes was real, however. As a believer in the Potato, my motto is the inspirational French aphorism, C'est la vie, c'est la guerre, c'est la pomme de terre!

That's life, that's war, that's the potato.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

You left out "Model", so the model would have to be size of the laccolithic butte. You should try to do better.

 

[Magical Realist]

The Devil's Tower sculpted from mash potatoes was real, however. As a believer in the Potato, my motto is the inspirational French aphorism, C'est la vie, c'est la guerre, c'est la pomme de terre!

That's life, that's war, that's the potato.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Actually Close Encounters was inspired by real eyewitness accounts of ufos:

There were gales of laughter when "Turd Kind" hits the theaters in Indiana. The northern half of the state, including everything from just south to Indianapolis and up the Michigan border (including Muncie), was shaved flat by glaciers. The scene where the nuts are hanging out on a HILL waiting for the next pass of the UFOs is stupid, stupid, stupid.

 

[TheVat]

You left out "Model", so the model would have to be size of the laccolithic butte. You should try to do better.

Everyone's an editor. Sometimes brevity, and context, provide these handy loopholes where meaning can shine through anyway.

Re movie locations, I wonder if location scouts just don't like driving too far. I've chuckled at many films set in Nebraska or other Great Plains venue, where it all looks more like Nevada. I.e. just a few hours from Hollyweird.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I graded papers at Purdue for seven years. Get over it.

 

[Pinball1970]

Heh. The "visitation narratives" are even "overwriting indigenous storytelling"? Perhaps not surprising that reducing the hegemony of Western knowledge methods probably corrupts more than just the "oppression and racism" weighted Eurocentric research tradition itself.

Richard Rorty: "No area of culture, and no period of history, gets reality more right than any other."

And kind of fitting that "comic books" are mentioned, since the "superhero" version of science in those publications and movies -- with its blend of physics/chemistry and multi-community mystical/supernatural beliefs, is maybe a reflection of a socially rehabilitated future where the epistemological approaches of varied cultures receive radically equal representation and consideration. "Comic book science" may be THE pejorative label for decolonized science. --Cynic's Corner
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Belief in alien visits to Earth is spiralling out of control – here’s why that’s so dangerous

Belief in alien visits to Earth is spiralling out of control – here’s why that’s so dangerous

The belief in aliens is now rising to the extent that politicians, at least in the US, feel they have to respond.

theconversation.com

INTRO: The idea that aliens may have visited the Earth is becoming increasingly popular. Around a fifth of UK citizens believe Earth has been visited by extraterrestrials, and an estimated 7% believe that they have seen a UFO.

The figures are even higher in the US – and rising. The number of people who believe UFO sightings offer likely proof of alien life increased from 20% in 1996 to 34% in 2022. Some 24% of Americans say they’ve seen a UFO.

This belief is slightly paradoxical as we have zero evidence that aliens even exist. What’s more, given the vast distances between star systems, it seems odd we’d only learn about them from a visit. Evidence for aliens is more likely to come from signals from faraway planets.

In a paper accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, I argue that the belief in alien visitors is no longer a quirk, but a widespread societal problem... (MORE - details)
_

Avi Loeb has published a paper on detecting alien technology using black holes. I stuck it on another thread but it's ok here too.

One author, just him. Quite short.

 

[TheVat]

I graded papers at Purdue for seven years. Get over it.

Not sure what's going on here. If I've offended you somewhere on this forum, it was certainly not intended. This was a casual discussion, in which I posted in a fairly conversational mode not really aiming for the level of discourse I would try for in a formal paper. The reference to Richard Dreyfuss dinner table antics with potatoes was offered in the context of a fairly light-hearted chat, and fairly clear in that context. Rather than sense the tone, you seemed to transform into a grammar martinet and chastised me to "do better." This seems not the optimal tone for getting to know a newbie, but perhaps this is what you construe as fun. Perplexed am I.

 

[exchemist]

Not sure what's going on here. If I've offended you somewhere on this forum, it was certainly not intended. This was a casual discussion, in which I posted in a fairly conversational mode not really aiming for the level of discourse I would try for in a formal paper. The reference to Richard Dreyfuss dinner table antics with potatoes was offered in the context of a fairly light-hearted chat, and fairly clear in that context. Rather than sense the tone, you seemed to transform into a grammar martinet and chastised me to "do better." This seems not the optimal tone for getting to know a newbie, but perhaps this is what you construe as fun. Perplexed am I.

This individual generally seems to like to post one-liners that are not particularly informative or constructive. I've had him on Ignore for a while.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Not sure what's going on here. If I've offended you somewhere on this forum, it was certainly not intended. This was a casual discussion, in which I posted in a fairly conversational mode not really aiming for the level of discourse I would try for in a formal paper. The reference to Richard Dreyfuss dinner table antics with potatoes was offered in the context of a fairly light-hearted chat, and fairly clear in that context. Rather than sense the tone, you seemed to transform into a grammar martinet and chastised me to "do better." This seems not the optimal tone for getting to know a newbie, but perhaps this is what you construe as fun. Perplexed am I.

I don't doubt that.