Very astute, Billy. Thanks. I doubt that ET will disengage and leave us to our own certain suffering and self destruction ("Wooden Ships"-CSN&Y). This is not solely our planet, we share it with them. Years ago I was standing below a UFO and it beamed me with a cone of white light. I was not abducted, but I heard these words deeply within myself:" Slowly, gently, satisfaction, joyous." I sincerely suspect that we will eventually get this worked out among all of the necessary parties!
I was just listening to Diana Pasulka saying religions already have categories within them to incorporate other-worldly beings (so religious leaders could say to followers *if* it becomes necessary, don't worry, it's OK) but that die-hard atheists will suffer. Also that the phenomena has several aspects. And the whole thing still seems to be reported as an oddity, though a real one now, but still the traffic flows and Messi is followed avidly (I do!). There are lots of UFOs on Twitter though. I personally will never expect anything overt like a mass landing (Robin Hanson recently seemed to suggest gentle "persuasion", just out of reach if I heard him right and something millions of years older). If it never happens we shouldn't beat ourselves up about it, could be something much longer term. Thanks for being there and informing first hand about Wendt!
I don't think I ever bought into the 'social contract', perhaps because I was brought up within a system that dictated what I did from the age of 5 to 16. The reality seemed to be one of government & justice maintaining order without being too heavy handed (sometimes failing).
Most people are too busy trying to survive and wouldn't have the option of taking defensive measures against a perceived alien threat. Besides, no one would know what precautions (if any) would make a difference. I doubt that gated communities or nuclear bunkers will become more sought after.
Humanity has always lived with the concepts of demons, plagues, famine, war and economic collapse; whereas the existence of advanced alien civilisations provides a degree of hope for the future of Earth. If benign aliens were to become entangled in human affairs, then all sides would probably come to regret it. It's the definition of a no-win scenario for them.
Politics doesn't change. In the UK, any members of Parliament who are aware of the UAP issue are probably hoping not to have to form a policy. SOP is to ignore anything tricky that can be ignored; to sweep it under the carpet if it's small enough.
If aliens made their presence un-ignorable then each government would create a policy advisement group and the rest of us would sit around waiting to see what happened next. But it's far more likely that an alien presence would withdraw rather than step out of the shadows for any length of time.
That's been their general SOP for who-knows-how-long. We know they're here and they know we know, suggesting it's the least disruptive relationship that we can handle at this time.
Surely there's a modern version of Jacques Vallée, working on the hand signals François Truffaut mimed in "Close Encounters"? Human philosophers looking for an intellectual platform where some communication could occur if/when we meet the pilots/engineers/politicians behind the zippy white Tic-Tacs? Is nobody doing that? With the costs associated with education at the best universities these days, surely there's a conference room where the basic tools for communication between terrestrial and extraterrestrial civilizations can be hammered out.
A very 'deep' article Billy. I thought you did a very good job of encapsulating what Alex Wendt discussed at the conference. I felt like I had just left a sociology class after his talk.
As a firm believer in the "replacement theory" I eagerly await being replaced by ETs. The responses of the school children in Africa and the US, who are now adults, is enough evidence for me that they would definitely make the world a better place :-)
Hi Billy,
I hope so, too.
Very astute, Billy. Thanks. I doubt that ET will disengage and leave us to our own certain suffering and self destruction ("Wooden Ships"-CSN&Y). This is not solely our planet, we share it with them. Years ago I was standing below a UFO and it beamed me with a cone of white light. I was not abducted, but I heard these words deeply within myself:" Slowly, gently, satisfaction, joyous." I sincerely suspect that we will eventually get this worked out among all of the necessary parties!
Here's something all you may find interesting:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/stunned-by-ufos-exasperated-fighter-pilots-get-little-help-from-pentagon/ar-AAZddTD?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=aa339e9c108a4394b57aa12810c5fadb
I was just listening to Diana Pasulka saying religions already have categories within them to incorporate other-worldly beings (so religious leaders could say to followers *if* it becomes necessary, don't worry, it's OK) but that die-hard atheists will suffer. Also that the phenomena has several aspects. And the whole thing still seems to be reported as an oddity, though a real one now, but still the traffic flows and Messi is followed avidly (I do!). There are lots of UFOs on Twitter though. I personally will never expect anything overt like a mass landing (Robin Hanson recently seemed to suggest gentle "persuasion", just out of reach if I heard him right and something millions of years older). If it never happens we shouldn't beat ourselves up about it, could be something much longer term. Thanks for being there and informing first hand about Wendt!
I don't think I ever bought into the 'social contract', perhaps because I was brought up within a system that dictated what I did from the age of 5 to 16. The reality seemed to be one of government & justice maintaining order without being too heavy handed (sometimes failing).
Most people are too busy trying to survive and wouldn't have the option of taking defensive measures against a perceived alien threat. Besides, no one would know what precautions (if any) would make a difference. I doubt that gated communities or nuclear bunkers will become more sought after.
Humanity has always lived with the concepts of demons, plagues, famine, war and economic collapse; whereas the existence of advanced alien civilisations provides a degree of hope for the future of Earth. If benign aliens were to become entangled in human affairs, then all sides would probably come to regret it. It's the definition of a no-win scenario for them.
Politics doesn't change. In the UK, any members of Parliament who are aware of the UAP issue are probably hoping not to have to form a policy. SOP is to ignore anything tricky that can be ignored; to sweep it under the carpet if it's small enough.
If aliens made their presence un-ignorable then each government would create a policy advisement group and the rest of us would sit around waiting to see what happened next. But it's far more likely that an alien presence would withdraw rather than step out of the shadows for any length of time.
That's been their general SOP for who-knows-how-long. We know they're here and they know we know, suggesting it's the least disruptive relationship that we can handle at this time.
Surely there's a modern version of Jacques Vallée, working on the hand signals François Truffaut mimed in "Close Encounters"? Human philosophers looking for an intellectual platform where some communication could occur if/when we meet the pilots/engineers/politicians behind the zippy white Tic-Tacs? Is nobody doing that? With the costs associated with education at the best universities these days, surely there's a conference room where the basic tools for communication between terrestrial and extraterrestrial civilizations can be hammered out.
A very 'deep' article Billy. I thought you did a very good job of encapsulating what Alex Wendt discussed at the conference. I felt like I had just left a sociology class after his talk.
As a firm believer in the "replacement theory" I eagerly await being replaced by ETs. The responses of the school children in Africa and the US, who are now adults, is enough evidence for me that they would definitely make the world a better place :-)
Wow. Freaken brilliant. >doffing hat< >urr, baseball cap<