Conclusion The Possibility of Alien Life Forms and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
Since the Scientific Revolution in the 18th century, a number of unexplainable anomalies have been carefully recorded by professional astronomers (Vallee & Aubeck, 2010). As expected, these 18th- and 19th-century records of anomalous sightings are consistent with modern findings. In 1977, astrophysics professor Peter Sturrock sent 2,611 UFO sighting questionnaires to members of the American Astronomical Society (Wald, 1979). He received 1,356 responses from which 62 astronomers (4.6%) reported unexplained aerial phenomena being observed or recorded. Among the 1,356 responses, 80% expressed modest or strong approval of whether UFOs merit scientific study.
An unusual double standard exists regarding the ambivalent public perspective on “paranormal” experience. Alleged witnesses or believers of ghosts or angels are casually regarded as religious or spiritual, but belief in the possibility of “alien” visitors is ridiculed and disparaged. Unidentified Flying Objects, however, are not “paranormal.” They are well-documented phenomena that have a long history of sightings. The scientific community has been hesitant in making any assertions due to the over-representation of hoaxes in the media and effective attempts to rule out or obscure UFO records. The most rational answer regarding UAP that may have continued from ancient times to date is that they are not demonic entities, as some Pentagon officials and many other religious groups have believed (Costa, 2018; Knapp & Adams, 2019; Hamill, 2018).
The following supporting evidence has been discussed in this paper to further substantiate UFO and alien encounter claims.
- Unexplainable encounters of child witnesses,
- Noteworthy groups of adult witnesses,
- Modern pilots as witnesses,
- Long history of UFO sightings, and
- Government and military’s stance on UFOs
Upon examining such factors, two possibilities remain: a) Numerous groups coordinate the use of children, trained actors, reporters, and third-party witnesses, and possibly manipulate the military, government officials, generals, pilots, or presidents to promote the belief in UFOs and alien life. These UFO-related groups have been in operation for several centuries, and even date to ancient times. Or, b) Objects created by non-human entities whose technologies may be far superior to our own have already visited Earth.
There exists modern footage from pilots and military generals, as well as historical evidence, of UFOs or UAP that confirms such objects in sightings were not man-made. This coincidentally dovetails with stories presented by child witnesses and notable group witnesses in the past. The governments’ classified UFO studies (AATIP), and verified statements from pilots, scientists, government officials, and the military, only work to strengthen this conclusion. Needless to say, skeptics will always find ways to fault the UFO or “alien ship” encounters that are mentioned here; however, dismissing all notable cases would make this article less of an objective assessment of the possibility of “alien visitors” than a skeptic’s attempt to explain them all away.
The aforementioned events witnessed by young children and groups of adults, in conjunction with UFOs that have been reported by commercial and military pilots, scientists, and astronomers, written about in ancient times, recorded during wartimes, and witnessed all around the world, can only mean that there is some truth to this phenomena. Associating Unidentified Flying Objects with aliens has seldom been regarded as taboo or as a conspiracy theory; however, an alternative, “scientific” explanation that there are a group of organizations working to falsely promote the existence of alien aircraft for their unknown agenda is an even larger conspiracy theory. The fact that truly unidentified UFOs are maneuvered by “aliens” is the simplest explanation that connects the five previously mentioned pieces of the puzzle; it is impossible to deduce an alternative explanation that denies this fact and offers a solution to all five aspects. Assuming that verified UFOs (e.g. reported by Navy pilots) are not the work of “aliens” would require a nonsensical, convoluted “conspiracy theory” that would backfire elsewhere. This does not mean that all reported accounts of “aliens” or “alien ships” are true; however, a small portion of alien encounter reports are worthy of serious examination.
With the advent of smartphones, ubiquitous security cameras, high-speed internet, and increased population density, any close encounter with “alien ships” or “aliens” would now equate to official contact. If these “alien ships” were to make contact now as they supposedly did with children in the past, humanity as a whole will be forced to accept their existence. Any discussion on ethics, philosophy, or religion would be reexamined, and it would fracture the minds of many that are dependent on the contemporary paradigm. Why these aliens have not yet chosen to reveal themselves to mankind should not be used as an argument against the possibility of “alien visitors”; there are still indigenous populations in the Amazon, African rainforests, and South Asia that remain untouched by outside visitors and the advent of modern civilization (Čirjak, 2020).
Skeptics that are unwilling to consider the slightest possibility of “alien visitors” may be over-glorifying human civilization as a whole. While this is not to underplay any literary or scientific works, discoveries, or technological inventions that have benefited mankind, homo sapiens are still responsible for global warming, deforestation, desertification, forest fires, the extinction of countless species, the genocide of their own kind, and the extinction of the closely related hominins (Lejeune et al., 2018; Dirzo et al., 2014). Moreover, a depressingly large number of people choose to remain “skeptical” of vaccines, global warming, evolution, and the spherical Earth despite the developments from the greatest minds that have ever lived (The Guardian, 2019; Pilkington, 2019).
Further Discussion
Alien life has been speculated by many scholars; going one step further and claiming that aliens could have visited Earth, or relating UFOs to alien intelligence, has been regarded as taboo. Noteworthy claims have been ignored by scientists and scholars because there have been notoriously boundless controversies regarding UFO cases. Hoax-like cases are often overrepresented due to one’s desire to seek attention or profit, while respectable witnesses are less willing to discuss details of the events in public out of fear of being ridiculed, thus jeopardizing their career. Unfortunately, attention-seekers and scammers in 4 Please read the author’s note at the end of the article.
tabloids and social media platforms that present extremely far-fetched stories of aliens are likely the ones that easily catch people’s attention, and they have contributed to discrediting other cases that should not be dismissed. The extensive history of UFOs and noteworthy cases from modern witnesses have been ignored when it comes to the scientific examination of alien intelligence and UFOs.
Furthermore, while the idea of intelligent alien visitors may seem wild and modern, the foundation for belief in “alien” life can be traced back to ancient Greek philosophers. Infinite worlds forming and disintegrating were first speculated by Anaximander, the 6th-century BC philosopher who also conceptualized the evolutionary view of the world prior to Darwin (Nardo, 2010; McKirahan, 2001). This idea of an infinite number of worlds, or multiverse, was later adopted by notable atomists such as Leucippus, Democritus, and Epicurus (Rubenstein, 2015). Plato and Aristotle disagreed, however, as they felt that the Earth is unique and that there can be no other such worldly systems; this idea, along with Ptolemy’s geocentric model, neatly fit in with later anthropocentric Christian ideas (Perry et al., 2015). Similarly, in the 3rd century BC, Greek philosopher Aristarchus was the first to theorize a heliocentric view of the solar system, but his ideas were relinquished in favor of the geocentric model of the universe. It was not until Galileo’s conflict with the Church and the invention of the telescope that the heliocentric model began to be accepted in favor of Ptolemy’s geocentric model.
Throughout history, scholars progressively overcame their traditional beliefs and outdated ideas in favor of more scientific answers and logical explanations. We are in a transitional stage where the possibility of alien visitors will supersede the belief in angels, demons, or ghosts. Even though it is often believed that science-fiction novels or films are largely responsible for belief in UFOs as alien aircraft, this is somewhat misleading. What innovative Sci-fi films and novels actually did was make the idea of alien aircraft and the possibility of alien intelligence easily accessible to the public. Before ingenious works from science-fiction writers existed, people who have closely encountered UFOs or aliens have resorted to religious or spiritual explanations, including ghosts, angels, demons, or God(s). It is only because the concept of “alien” was popularized in the late 20th century that modern UFO witnesses were able to accept the unusual events as a non-spiritual experience and consider the possibility of “alien” visitors.
Prospects for Humanity
Public acknowledgment of “aliens” and the disclosure of classified files would be beneficial for removing the taboo associated with aliens and UFOs in the science community. This official revelation would inject more information into the public and encourage scientists to study these subjects, as our current knowledge is incomplete. People will be curious, and thus, scientists will feel obliged to investigate the subject instead of simply dismissing sightings as an anomaly or a hoax. More declassified information, combined with knowledge gained from questioning aliens’ purpose, their composition, and their origin, would ultimately help scientists better grasp the concept of the universe and humanity as a whole.
More importantly, although seemingly unrelated, the acceptance of alien life would be helpful in persuading religious groups to accept climate change. Studies have shown that belief in conservative religions is correlated with doubts of climate change and evolution; conversely, religiously unaffiliated people account for the highest percentage stating that climate change is driven by human activities (Barker & Bearce, 2013; Pew Research, 2015; Rosenau, 2015). Similarly, the belief in the existence of alien life and religion is inversely correlated, with the highest percentage being the religiously unaffiliated group (Salisbury, 2014). In other words, alien intelligence is difficult to explain from the perspective of anthropocentric religions. The possibility of alien intelligence is, however, something that can be predicted or backed by science (Colombano, 2018; Sousa- Silva et al., 2020; Levin et al., 2019). If anything, the seemingly frightening existence of aliens can help people accept science before religion and mitigate people’s strict textbook-based religious beliefs, thereby helping people realize that global warming is caused by humans.
Finally, official disclosure on these strange beings would help us to objectively discern, analyze, and ultimately reassess our current infrastructure and systems. Realizing that while we are the most intelligent animals on Earth, we are not the center of the universe, can encourage us to reexamine things from a third- person point of view. The disclosure and official recognition of these intelligent beings would help mankind grow internally and provide a chance to reassess ourselves rather than clinging onto an outdated, unscientific idea. It can reduce the irrational supremacism traced to religion, nation, interest groups, and institutions.
It may even help us overcome a sense of superiority, exclusivity, and prejudice that fuels meaningless and wasteful conflicts to this day. In the end, the existence of alien intelligence is more about us rather than them. Thus, humans would have another chance to reexamine our thoughts and realize that the universe does not “revolve” around us.
Implications and Limitations
The terms used for UFO/UAPs may have changed over time; however, they have been observed throughout history. Their different names are, in fact, reflective of the contemporary technological developments at the time of their origin. They were called “Foo Fighters” during World War II and “airships” in the early 20th and late 19th centuries. Before this period, they were often referred to as comets, meteors, balls of fire, shields, or balloons. The development of aerial technology has allowed us to objectively discern that these objects, whose names have changed throughout history, exhibited capabilities beyond the realms of man- made technology. Only then were these objects finally labeled as UFOs.
Interestingly, the same theory may also apply to aliens as well.
There are some historical accounts of ghosts involving strange lights from the early 20th and late 19th centuries, which precede the modern alien encounter stories of the mid and late 20th century (St. Louis Globe-Democrat, 1876; The Salt Lake Herald, 1897; Hutchinson News, 1913; The Springfield Leader, 1927).
However, genuine UFO encounters were uncommon, and the number of genuine alien encounters throughout history is likely to be even lower. For one, there would not have been as much controversy or debate surrounding UFOs, aliens, or “ghosts” in the first place if people commonly and frequently encountered UFOs.
Therefore, further research is required to determine if aliens or UFOs are directly responsible for the origin of myths related to ghosts or evil spirits. An example of this is the worldwide superstition related to whistling. Several Eastern and Western cultures believe that whistling can attract ghosts or evil spirits; coincidentally, UFOs are often reported to be accompanied with a low humming or whistling sound.
Ultimately, this article discussed the possibility of ten alleged “alien” encounters in detail along with two possible alien encounters from the 17th and 19th centuries. Some of these stories involve telepathic communication, erasing memories, and possible teleportation; moreover, some specific details of noteworthy alien encounters may still seem too paranormal to be true.
Nevertheless, such strange phenomena may be occurring within the scope of science. In 2014, scientists successfully created computer-mediated brain-to-brain “telepathic” communication of simple two words—“hola” and “ciao”—with the help of widely used medical technologies (Grau et al., 2014). In 2017, scientists succeeded in selectively erasing memories of Aplysia (sea snail) by blocking one of two types of the protein Kinase M; the researchers were encouraged by the fact that the same principle can be applied to human patients who have suffered a traumatic experience (Hu et al., 2017). In 2019, researchers were able to teleport a qutrit in a three-dimensional quantum state for the first time, and now aim to extend this work to the quantum teleportation of the entire quantum state of an atom (Luo et al., 2019). In other words, although supposed alien technological capabilities may be unachievable, they are not unthinkable.