Note: This article was cited within the New York Times (July 22, 2018) as an intellectual counter to the emerging religion of “Ancient Aliens.”
The Grand Design (2012), Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow claimed that “philosophy is dead” (p in the book. 5). They wrote: “We exist however for a short time, and in that time explore but a little the main universe that is whole. But humans are a species that are curious. We wonder, we seek answers. Surviving in this vast world that is by turns kind and cruel, and gazing in the immense heavens above, people have always asked a variety of questions: how do we comprehend the world in which we find ourselves? How exactly does the universe behave? What’s the nature of reality? Where d > philosophy is dead. Philosophy have not kept up with modern developments in science, particularly physics.” (p. 5).
Of course, philosophy continues to be alive in academic journals, Amazon books, together with shrinking philosophy section at the Barnes & Noble bookstores. But, as a force in popular culture, contemporary philosophy is basically dead, primarily given that it has did not keep up using the discoveries in contemporary cosmology. When you look at the wake associated with the stunning achievements regarding the Apollo program and also the Hubble Space Telescope (just two examples), philosophy has failed to generate a popular cosmic narrative that integrates the origins and destinies for the human species in to the vast and wondrous cosmos—an expanding universe stretching across 100 billion light years and populated with 2 trillion galaxies and untold numbers of stars, planets, lifeforms, and black holes. This death began because of the crash of Apollo 8 and Earthrise.
This cosmic and failure that is philosophical ev >2001: an area Odyssey (1968) and Interstellar (2014), Hollywood populates the expanding universe with endless monsters (ex: the Alien series) and apocalyptic warfare (ex: Star Wars), complimented by very little awe, wonder, and discovery. The recent Star Trek films are not too distinctive from Star Wars. Here our company is fifty years after Apollo and thirty years after the Hubble telescope, in addition to dominant ideologies are nevertheless based in cosmic narcissism and human super-specialness—pretending to end up being the center for the universe or beneath the delusion that a Creator or Ancient Aliens are looking out for us.
The hit television series Ancient Aliens (2010-) has hijacked the cosmic narratives from Apollo and 2001 and claims to explain humanity’s origins and destiny in the universe in the absence of a meaningful space philosophy. In Ancient Aliens, we are able to see philosophy’s corpse that is mediated where an attempted space philosophy and cosmic narrative have crashed and are usually still aflame in the us from the History Channel.
Two Val >The ancient-astronaut theory draws upon two val > may have developed space travel technologies that enable them to traverse the distances that are great relative ease. at the least this is the “wormhole” scenario depicted in touch (1997) and Interstellar (2014) . That sa we have been visited, precisely because the distances are so vast, the universe is so gigantic, and our planet is so tiny > it is highly unlikely.
Yet, such a possibility (however slim) is just one reason why 2001 http://www.edubirdies.org/buy-essay-online/ offers such a vision that is compelling of origins and destinies. In the end, it will be an moment that is epochal find a black monolith somewhere in the world or even the moon, beaming out a radio signal to an alert and curious species. Such a possibility is extremely popular with me, at the least the theory is that. While the astronaut Taylor says in Planet regarding the Apes, “Out there, there needs to be something a lot better than man. Has to be.” Of course, if ancient astronauts have visited Earth, they might have possessed technologies that are extremely advanced been viewed as gods, angels, and miracle makers by premodern humans. Much like the apes in 2001, the humans would have looked at the technologies with fear and amazement. But have any astronauts that are ancient visited Earth?
Where’s the monolith that is black?
Where’s the same as the black monolith in 2001 — that single artifact of indisputable extraterrestrial design or origin? Where could be the evidence that is verifiable ancient astronauts or extraterrestrials visited our world to enlighten our species, perform great deeds, and guide our art, technology, and architecture? It’s possible some might be way more advanced and enlightened than our species, I am open to actual empirical evidence since I think extraterrestrial life forms surely exist and. Unfortunately, most of the ancient-astronaut theorists can point toward is a few mysterious artifacts, none of which may be linked to visitations that are extraterrestrial.
Where are the “Chariots regarding the Gods”?
In my youth, I watched reruns or VHS tapes of 2001 and Planet associated with the Apes times that are many along with many other science-fiction films. I also recall viewing reruns of Chariots of the Gods and Mysteries of the Gods, which aired in the television station that is local. The shows are now available on YouTube, and my viewings that are recent the majority of my original memories of these. Both films clearly attempted to connect astronauts that are ancient Apollo and space exploration, aided by the Voyager space probe and starship Enterprise appearing early in Mysteries associated with the Gods. Viewing the films that are above my youth inspired us to read Chariots of this Gods?, readily available at the time in local bookstores. I viewed the films and see the book with rapt attention, precisely because von Daniken appeared to be providing “evidence” for a person narrative that was section of a bigger celestial narrative away from theism that prevailed in Texas, where I became born and grew up (in a largely secular household). Initially, this thesis was quite attractive and seemed to reflect an alternative model for human origins and possible destinies. It seemed like a attack that is plausible the cultural and historical orthodoxy for the age, particularly the pre-Copernican ideologies associated with the proselytizing evangelicals in my own suburb.
Upon later reflection, however, i discovered myself questioning the logic of the book’s assertions and came to comprehend that von Daniken’s “ancient-astronaut” thesis was deeply mistaken. The book’s flaws were exposed in a 1976 Skeptical Inquirer article along with a written book entitled The Space Gods Revealed that featured a forward by none other than Carl Sagan.1 By 1977, Chariot associated with the Gods? was debunked in a BBC-PBS creation of Nova in an episode called “The Case associated with the Ancient Astronauts.”2 The episode refuted the following claims: a picture of an ancient astronaut was carved on a Mayan sarcophagus, the Nazca Lines in Peru were originally an ancient-astronaut spaceport, ancient astronauts inspired various carvings on Peruvian stones, and ancient astronauts built the pyramids in Egypt while the Moai statues on Easter Island.
The above mentioned assertions are among the most ludicrous and illogical interpretations of human artifacts created by the ancient-astronaut theorists, and all are wholly unproven. The series is an attack on logic, rationality, and the nature of ev >Ancient Aliens has been on television for seven seasons suggests there are sizable audiences who are quite gullible, unable to think logically, and scientifically illiterate in many ways. Plus, you can find irresponsible and television that is intellectually bankrupt, but that is nothing new either.
In the wake for the Trump pres >Chariots associated with Gods? and Ancient Aliens, virtually all associated with the so-called ev >never be solved.
Virtually all the claims of extraterrestrial influence made on Ancient Aliens assume that human civilization and consciousness have little creativity, originality, or ability to innovate. The idea that is general that, without some help from the ancient astronauts, humans will be helpless and could never build such great structures or make profound scientific discoveries. Plus, the show assumes there is absolutely no room for chance, surprise, emergence, singularities, or some of the insights of chaos and complexity theory. The series represents an assault on rationality and scientific methods, not unlike all other paranormal movies and television shows in the end.