Note: This article was cited within the New York Times (July 22, 2018) as an counter that is intellectual 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 but also for a few days, plus in that time explore but a small area of the universe that is whole. But humans are a curious species. We wonder, we seek answers. Staying in this world that is vast is by turns kind and cruel, and gazing at the immense heavens above, people have always asked a variety of questions: just how can we comprehend the world in which we find ourselves? How can 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, and also the shrinking philosophy section at the Barnes & Noble bookstores. But, as a force in popular culture, contemporary philosophy is largely dead, primarily because it has neglected to carry on with with the discoveries in contemporary cosmology. Within the wake of the stunning achievements associated with Apollo program in addition to Hubble Space Telescope (just two examples), philosophy has did not generate a popular cosmic narrative that integrates the origins and destinies regarding the human species into the vast and wondrous cosmos—an expanding universe stretching across 100 billion light years and populated with 2 trillion galaxies and untold variety of stars, planets, lifeforms, and black holes. This death began with the crash of Apollo 8 and Earthrise.

This cosmic and philosophical failure is ev >2001: a place 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 almost no awe, wonder, and discovery. The recent Star Trek films are not too different from Star Wars. Here our company is fifty years after Apollo and thirty years following the Hubble telescope, while the dominant ideologies continue to be located in cosmic narcissism and human super-specialness—pretending to function as center associated with 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 also still aflame in America on the History Channel.

Two Val >The ancient-astronaut theory draws upon two val > may are suffering from space travel technologies that allow them to traverse the distances that are great relative ease. at the very least that is the “wormhole” scenario depicted in Contact (1997) and Interstellar (2014) . That sa > it is highly unlikely we have been visited, precisely as the distances are incredibly vast, the universe can be so gigantic, and the planet is indeed tiny.

Yet, such a possibility (however slim) is the one reason why 2001 offers such a vision that is compelling of origins and destinies. After all, it would be an epochal moment to find a black monolith somewhere on the planet or the moon, beaming out a radio signal to an alert and curious species. Such a possibility is extremely popular with me, at the very least the theory is that. As the astronaut Taylor says in Planet associated with the Apes, “Out there, there needs to be something better than man. Needs to be.” Of course, if ancient astronauts have visited Earth, they might have possessed technologies that are extremely advanced been seen as gods, angels, and miracle makers by premodern humans. Much like the apes in 2001, the humans would have looked upon the technologies with fear and amazement. But have any ancient astronauts actually visited Earth?

Where’s the black monolith?

Where’s roughly the same as the black monolith in 2001 — that single artifact of indisputable extraterrestrial design or origin? Where is 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? Since i believe extraterrestrial life forms surely exist also it’s possible some might be way more advanced and enlightened than our species, i will be open to actual empirical evidence. Unfortunately, all the ancient-astronaut theorists can point toward is a couple of mysterious artifacts, none of buy essay online and that can be connected to visitations that are extraterrestrial.

Where are the “Chariots of this Gods”?

Within my youth, I watched reruns or VHS tapes of 2001 and Planet regarding the Apes times that are many along side a great many other science-fiction films. I also recall viewing reruns of Chariots of the Gods and Mysteries associated with the Gods, which aired from the local television station. The shows are currently available on YouTube, and my recent viewings confirmed most of my original memories of those. Both films clearly attempted to connect astronauts that are ancient Apollo and space exploration, with the Voyager space probe and starship Enterprise appearing early in Mysteries associated with the Gods. Viewing the above films in my youth inspired me to read Chariots regarding the Gods?, readily available at that time in local bookstores. I viewed the films and read the book with rapt attention, precisely because von Daniken appeared to be providing “evidence” for a human narrative that has been section of a larger celestial narrative beyond your theism that prevailed in Texas, where I happened to be born and spent my youth (in a largely secular household). Initially, this thesis was quite attractive and did actually reflect an alternative model for human origins and possible destinies. It seemed like a attack that is plausible the cultural and historical orthodoxy of this age, especially the pre-Copernican ideologies associated with proselytizing evangelicals during my suburb.

Upon later reflection, however, I found myself questioning the logic associated with 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 Gods? was debunked in a BBC-PBS creation of Nova in an episode called “The Case of this 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 in addition to Moai statues on Easter Island.

The above assertions are being among the most ludicrous and illogical interpretations of human artifacts produced by the theorists that are ancient-astronaut and all sorts of 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’s nothing new either.

In the wake for the Trump pres >Chariots for the Gods? and Ancient Aliens, virtually all of this ev that is so-called be solved.

Practically all the claims of extraterrestrial influence made on Ancient Aliens assume that human consciousness and civilization have little creativity, originality, or capacity to innovate. The idea that is general that, without assistance from the ancient astronauts, humans could be helpless and may 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 any 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.