63 lines
3.4 KiB
Plaintext
63 lines
3.4 KiB
Plaintext
SUBJECT: THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL HYPOTHESIS (ETH) FILE: UFO2693
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From UFOs and the Limits of Science by Ronald D. Storey c. 1981
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Reproduced for educational purposes only.
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The Extraterrestial Hypothesis (ETH)
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By far the most popular "theory" concerning the origin of UFOs, the ETH
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is also the one that over the years has aroused the most emotion and
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controversy. It is based on the assumption that one or more
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civilizations from outer space, far in advance of our own, have
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mastered interstellar space flight and have had the human race under
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systematic observation since at least 1947. SOme see a long-term
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involvement by the extraterrestials and propose that they have been
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watching over man and perhaps even controlling his physical and
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cultural development for millennia, thus linking the ETH to the ancient
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astronaut concept.
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The main problem with the ETH is space and time, space in the sense
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that the average distance between the 130 billion or more stars in our
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Milky Way Galaxy is enormous, and time in the sense that these great
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distances would make an interstellar voyage very long. Then there are
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the economic, engineering, and motivational aspects of such an
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enterprise.
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Despite this, there is a pro-UFO movement which uncritically believes
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in the ETH. There is no problem with such a belief, provided it is
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identified as such and is not construed as representing an empiracal
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fact. At the same time, the idea of an extraterrestial origin for UFOs
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as a hypothesis is quite reasonable, despite the strong feelings
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against the possibility by many scientists who should know better.
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The real basis for the ETH debate, although many involved in the debate
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are seemingly unaware of it, is not whether (or how much) advanced
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intelligence exists in the galaxy. Most scientists will agree that
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there are probably many such intelligent civilizations in the galaxy.
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It is not even whether such civilizations have developed interstellar-
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travel capability. The real point of debate concerns the "volume of
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traffic." That is, most scientists find it very difficult to accept the
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idea of extraterrestial visitation on the scal implied by UFO reports;
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that, to them, tends to invalidate all UFO reports. In fact, if UFO
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sightings were not so common (say, just one good report every three or
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four years), perhaps more scientists would seriously consider the ETH.
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Interestingly, this is precisely the reverse of what many exasperated
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UFO proponents believe; hence, their attempts to "prove" the ETH by the
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sheer numbers of reports.
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Despite intensive research by many individuals, scientific bodies, and
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federal agencies for more than three decades, no proof of
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extraterrestial visitation has been produced. Such an idea, therefore,
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must remain as only a viable and intriguing hypothesis, very difficult
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to test and frustrating to debate.
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**********************************************
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* THE U.F.O. BBS - http://www.ufobbs.com/ufo *
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