Thursday, February 24, 2005
Kenneth Arnold started it, Richard Dreyfuss made it believable, David Duchovny made it a cult, and Will Smith made it all awful to watch
Well, ABC did it. They aired a 2 hour, prime-time program about UFO’s. They surprising thing to me is not that they aired it, but that they trotted it out in a pseudo-scientific format, with credible journalist Peter Jennings as host.
I have a cursory interest in these sorts of things, because…
a) I was a pretty big sci-fi nerd when I was younger
b) I used to just accept that UFOs exist
c) UFOlogy is closely tied to Christianity
“What?” you ask when you read c). Let me explain.
Both Christianity and UFO lore are fiercely supported by believers, and mocked by disbelievers. Both Christianity and UFO make outrageous claims about science, but neither is founded in or dependant on science. Neither has smoking gun evidence that they do exist. Both rely heavily on eyewitness accounts. Both continue to find support in each new decade. Both find themselves at once the subject of debate, ridicule, and dangerous cults. And, both frustrate detractors to no end, because no amount of scientific data can disprove the theories, or remove the myth/religion from the mind of man.
We’ll deal with religion in many other entries, but I do want to talk shortly about UFOs. Seeing is believing, as they say, but there are so many who believe who have not seen. Is this safe? Is it valid? And is it even worth looking into? Can’t we just let UFO buffs exist happily without trying to unweave their rainbows (to borrow Richard Dawkins’ brilliant book title).
UFO lore is steeped in conspiracy theories; some so deep and convoluted that there is no way to possibly have a lucid debate over the existence of UFOs. The official position of the US Government is that they do not investigate UFO activity. So if the government is not worried about our air space being compromised, then maybe there isn’t anything to the whole UFO thing, right?
Well, even the harshest skeptic will admit that the government isn’t exactly the most truthful organization. From the little truths and exposed cover-ups spring vast conspiracy theories. This was alive from day one in the UFO debate; stemming from the Roswell incident. A UFO crashed, we are told, on a rancher’s property. The Air Force immediately arrived to investigate. A military man mistakenly allowed himself to have himself photographed with the debris, allowing the press to say it was an UFO. Then came the immediate denial. And, as they say, we were off to the races.
The government’s dark side also helps feed some other weird theories. Is there a Hangar 18 or Area 51 where our secret government scientists study captured UFOs and aliens? Would we fund such a thing? Well, in the 1980’s, the government put a ton of cash into experimentation with remote sensing and ESP. This is documented, and in my opinion, very embarrassing.
The UFO phenomenon is so closely tied to the Cold War era, and all of its conspiracy, cloak and dagger, mass hysteria, and misinformation that it is hopelessly mired in the same troubles. For every proof against, there is a theory righting the counter-theory. So UFOs will always remain.
But should be wasting our time looking into it? It is already assumed that you are not going to convince UFO faithful that they are wrong. A lot of these people have seen things with their own eyes, and will accept no counter-theories. This stubbornness is only further fueled with corroborative reports from other people, and the occasional mysterious confirmation from within the military or government.
Much like Creationism and the notion of Christianity itself, there seems to be some driving need for the scientific community to address UFOs. The scientific community, being concerned with truth, is ultimately the best place to look into such phenomenon. But, I believe, it may be a waste of time. Are there questions science can not ask? No. Are there some they should not bother asking? Yes.
UFOs (and aliens) are so deeply ingrained in our popular culture, that it is a fire that will never be extinguished. It’s fun to think about mysterious otherworldly disks, and their extraterrestrial pilots. Hollywood makes great movies about UFOs, some campy, but others quite convincing. Then there are the comics, the books, TV shows, and the magazine articles.
As many sociologists have realized, the invention of accessible media (starting with the printing press) has undeniably changed human society. We are influenced constantly by messages that bombard us from every angle. Sounds and sights that are constantly available, humming away in every corner of our cities. Many of the messages that drive our cultures are latent; that is, they are embedded so deeply in urban folklore, fiction, and advertising that the sheer repetition begins to create amiability.
This has been studied with regard to attitudes on violence, sex, and religion. Influence weighs very heavy. This is why we see UFOs not being a fringe interest, but a part of popular myth. So much so, that the government has to constantly issue statements. So much so, that there is a new sighting every year that seemingly “blows the roof off” of the debate. So much so, that ABC gambled that a two-hour prime time spot would garner enough interest that it would make enough money to warrant showing (opposite of Survivor and The Apprentice by the way). So much so, that a respected and high profile journalist hosts the said show.
Science has so many better things to look into. UFO belief, other than possibly being falsehood, is somewhat harmless. It’s no secret that Americans have superstitious leanings, and that science is not exactly alive and well in the hearts of our citizens. Rather than fight this on every front, it is better to choose our battles. If we must do anything, we should stick to endeavors like SETI, which offer a logical and scientific way to ask questions and gather data. But SETI has yet to yield anything of interest in 40 years, and in the meantime it has lost all sorts of money and time.
There is nothing wrong with searching; it is healthy and rewarding. But science has so many better areas to point its resources. We still have a huge issue of human origins/evolution to iron out (which regardless of the opinion of many, has huge implications on human society, religion, and history). We also have diseases that we may be able to cure, a planet that we may finally be able to explore more fully (Mars), a vast ocean to navigate, environmental problems to solve, and so on. Science has a full plate, and there just doesn’t need to be room made for UFOs. Leave that to Art Bell, Star Trek, and armchair physicists.
So what I do I believe about UFOs? I am not sure. I don’t think I can come up with a hypothesis to help me decide. I’m pretty sure that eyewitness accounts are not entirely reliable (no matter how compelling). The photos and videos all have a hint of credibility trouble. I am also very aware of the fact that interstellar travel, by what we know about physics, just doesn’t seem to be probable. And furthermore, I am relatively sure that if there was something to it, that there would be some definitive proof by now. I could be wrong. But like fundamental Christianity, there just seems to be something that doesn’t jive with everything else we know, and begs a degree of healthy doubt.
So, its cool that ABC teased us all with the prospect of UFOs. It is a little odd that they would lend a little subliminal credibility to the theory by the way it was presented (if it was on Fox, hosted by Geraldo, we wouldn’t have had to even think twice about credibility). And science probably shouldn’t waste any real time or resources on trying to solve the question. But it is fun to think about. And it won’t go away any time soon.
Horn’s up.
PS – It was nice to see Michael Shermer on national TV. He is a bit sold-out to his causes, but he is a brilliant man, and is honestly concerned with understand the universe as it is, not as we see it, think it is, are told that it is, or want it to be. Shermer is one of the few people who I tend to lend some credibility to (but even then I check his sources from time to time). :)
I have a cursory interest in these sorts of things, because…
a) I was a pretty big sci-fi nerd when I was younger
b) I used to just accept that UFOs exist
c) UFOlogy is closely tied to Christianity
“What?” you ask when you read c). Let me explain.
Both Christianity and UFO lore are fiercely supported by believers, and mocked by disbelievers. Both Christianity and UFO make outrageous claims about science, but neither is founded in or dependant on science. Neither has smoking gun evidence that they do exist. Both rely heavily on eyewitness accounts. Both continue to find support in each new decade. Both find themselves at once the subject of debate, ridicule, and dangerous cults. And, both frustrate detractors to no end, because no amount of scientific data can disprove the theories, or remove the myth/religion from the mind of man.
We’ll deal with religion in many other entries, but I do want to talk shortly about UFOs. Seeing is believing, as they say, but there are so many who believe who have not seen. Is this safe? Is it valid? And is it even worth looking into? Can’t we just let UFO buffs exist happily without trying to unweave their rainbows (to borrow Richard Dawkins’ brilliant book title).
UFO lore is steeped in conspiracy theories; some so deep and convoluted that there is no way to possibly have a lucid debate over the existence of UFOs. The official position of the US Government is that they do not investigate UFO activity. So if the government is not worried about our air space being compromised, then maybe there isn’t anything to the whole UFO thing, right?
Well, even the harshest skeptic will admit that the government isn’t exactly the most truthful organization. From the little truths and exposed cover-ups spring vast conspiracy theories. This was alive from day one in the UFO debate; stemming from the Roswell incident. A UFO crashed, we are told, on a rancher’s property. The Air Force immediately arrived to investigate. A military man mistakenly allowed himself to have himself photographed with the debris, allowing the press to say it was an UFO. Then came the immediate denial. And, as they say, we were off to the races.
The government’s dark side also helps feed some other weird theories. Is there a Hangar 18 or Area 51 where our secret government scientists study captured UFOs and aliens? Would we fund such a thing? Well, in the 1980’s, the government put a ton of cash into experimentation with remote sensing and ESP. This is documented, and in my opinion, very embarrassing.
The UFO phenomenon is so closely tied to the Cold War era, and all of its conspiracy, cloak and dagger, mass hysteria, and misinformation that it is hopelessly mired in the same troubles. For every proof against, there is a theory righting the counter-theory. So UFOs will always remain.
But should be wasting our time looking into it? It is already assumed that you are not going to convince UFO faithful that they are wrong. A lot of these people have seen things with their own eyes, and will accept no counter-theories. This stubbornness is only further fueled with corroborative reports from other people, and the occasional mysterious confirmation from within the military or government.
Much like Creationism and the notion of Christianity itself, there seems to be some driving need for the scientific community to address UFOs. The scientific community, being concerned with truth, is ultimately the best place to look into such phenomenon. But, I believe, it may be a waste of time. Are there questions science can not ask? No. Are there some they should not bother asking? Yes.
UFOs (and aliens) are so deeply ingrained in our popular culture, that it is a fire that will never be extinguished. It’s fun to think about mysterious otherworldly disks, and their extraterrestrial pilots. Hollywood makes great movies about UFOs, some campy, but others quite convincing. Then there are the comics, the books, TV shows, and the magazine articles.
As many sociologists have realized, the invention of accessible media (starting with the printing press) has undeniably changed human society. We are influenced constantly by messages that bombard us from every angle. Sounds and sights that are constantly available, humming away in every corner of our cities. Many of the messages that drive our cultures are latent; that is, they are embedded so deeply in urban folklore, fiction, and advertising that the sheer repetition begins to create amiability.
This has been studied with regard to attitudes on violence, sex, and religion. Influence weighs very heavy. This is why we see UFOs not being a fringe interest, but a part of popular myth. So much so, that the government has to constantly issue statements. So much so, that there is a new sighting every year that seemingly “blows the roof off” of the debate. So much so, that ABC gambled that a two-hour prime time spot would garner enough interest that it would make enough money to warrant showing (opposite of Survivor and The Apprentice by the way). So much so, that a respected and high profile journalist hosts the said show.
Science has so many better things to look into. UFO belief, other than possibly being falsehood, is somewhat harmless. It’s no secret that Americans have superstitious leanings, and that science is not exactly alive and well in the hearts of our citizens. Rather than fight this on every front, it is better to choose our battles. If we must do anything, we should stick to endeavors like SETI, which offer a logical and scientific way to ask questions and gather data. But SETI has yet to yield anything of interest in 40 years, and in the meantime it has lost all sorts of money and time.
There is nothing wrong with searching; it is healthy and rewarding. But science has so many better areas to point its resources. We still have a huge issue of human origins/evolution to iron out (which regardless of the opinion of many, has huge implications on human society, religion, and history). We also have diseases that we may be able to cure, a planet that we may finally be able to explore more fully (Mars), a vast ocean to navigate, environmental problems to solve, and so on. Science has a full plate, and there just doesn’t need to be room made for UFOs. Leave that to Art Bell, Star Trek, and armchair physicists.
So what I do I believe about UFOs? I am not sure. I don’t think I can come up with a hypothesis to help me decide. I’m pretty sure that eyewitness accounts are not entirely reliable (no matter how compelling). The photos and videos all have a hint of credibility trouble. I am also very aware of the fact that interstellar travel, by what we know about physics, just doesn’t seem to be probable. And furthermore, I am relatively sure that if there was something to it, that there would be some definitive proof by now. I could be wrong. But like fundamental Christianity, there just seems to be something that doesn’t jive with everything else we know, and begs a degree of healthy doubt.
So, its cool that ABC teased us all with the prospect of UFOs. It is a little odd that they would lend a little subliminal credibility to the theory by the way it was presented (if it was on Fox, hosted by Geraldo, we wouldn’t have had to even think twice about credibility). And science probably shouldn’t waste any real time or resources on trying to solve the question. But it is fun to think about. And it won’t go away any time soon.
Horn’s up.
PS – It was nice to see Michael Shermer on national TV. He is a bit sold-out to his causes, but he is a brilliant man, and is honestly concerned with understand the universe as it is, not as we see it, think it is, are told that it is, or want it to be. Shermer is one of the few people who I tend to lend some credibility to (but even then I check his sources from time to time). :)
Comments:
What separates the homo sapien mind from other early human species is its imagination and problem-solving skills. Every innovation that we have come up with, from writing to vaccinations, is linked to these abilities. We imagine it, then we can figure out how to do it.
The side effect is that we can imagine lots of things that aren't real, and we feel a need to find solutions to events that we can not explain (at least at the time). So we end up with religions, ghosts, ESP, bigfoot, UFOlogy, etc.
Or, as my husband says, "people want the world to be a lot more interesting than it actual is."
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The side effect is that we can imagine lots of things that aren't real, and we feel a need to find solutions to events that we can not explain (at least at the time). So we end up with religions, ghosts, ESP, bigfoot, UFOlogy, etc.
Or, as my husband says, "people want the world to be a lot more interesting than it actual is."