Note: This article was cited into 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, plus in that time explore but a little the main universe that is whole. But humans are a curious species. We wonder, we seek answers. Located in this world that is vast is by turns kind and cruel, and gazing at the immense heavens above, individuals have always asked a variety of questions: how do we understand the world for which we find ourselves? So how exactly does the universe behave? What is the nature of reality? Where d > philosophy is dead. Philosophy has not kept up with modern developments in science, particularly physics.” (p. 5).

Needless to say, philosophy is still alive in academic journals, Amazon books, and the shrinking philosophy section at the Barnes & Noble bookstores. But, as a force in popular culture, contemporary philosophy is essentially dead, primarily given that it has did not keep up utilizing the discoveries in contemporary cosmology. Within the wake associated with the stunning achievements associated with the Apollo program and the Hubble Space Telescope (just two examples), philosophy has failed to generate a favorite narrative that is cosmic integrates the origins and destinies associated with 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 amounts of stars, planets, lifeforms, and black holes. This death began with the crash of Apollo 8 and Earthrise.

This cosmic and failure that is philosophical ev >2001: A Space 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 hardly any awe, wonder, and discovery. The Star that is recent Trek are not too different from Star Wars. Here we have been fifty years after Apollo and thirty years following the Hubble telescope, and also the dominant ideologies are still located in cosmic narcissism and human super-specialness—pretending to be the center associated with the universe or beneath the delusion that a Creator or Ancient Aliens are searching out for us.

In the lack of a meaningful space philosophy, the hit television series Ancient Aliens (2010-) has hijacked the cosmic narratives from Apollo and 2001 and claims to describe humanity’s origins and destiny when you look at the universe. In Ancient Aliens, we could see philosophy’s mediated corpse, where an attempted space philosophy and cosmic narrative have crashed as they are still aflame in the usa on 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 great distances with relative ease. at the least that 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 one reasons why 2001 offers such a compelling vision of human origins and destinies. Most likely, it might be an moment that is epochal find a black monolith somewhere on the planet or even the moon, beaming out a radio signal to an alert and curious species. Such a possibility is quite appealing to me, at the least in theory. Because the astronaut Taylor says in Planet associated with the Apes, “Out there, there has to be something much better than man. Has got to be.” Of course, if ancient astronauts have visited Earth, they would 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 could have looked at the technologies with fear and amazement. But have any ancient astronauts actually visited Earth?

Where’s the monolith that is black?

Where’s the equivalent of the monolith that is black 2001 — that single artifact of indisputable extraterrestrial design or origin? Where is the evidence that is verifiable ancient astronauts or extraterrestrials visited our planet 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, all of the ancient-astronaut theorists can point toward is a couple of mysterious artifacts, none of which can be connected to extraterrestrial visitations.

Where would be the “Chariots associated with Gods”?

Within my youth, I watched reruns or VHS tapes of 2001 and Planet for the Apes times that are many along side a number of other science-fiction films. I also recall viewing reruns of Chariots regarding the Gods and Mysteries for the Gods, which aired from the local television station. The shows are currently available on YouTube, and my viewings that are recent almost all of my original memories of them. Both films clearly attempted to connect ancient astronauts to Apollo and space exploration, with the Voyager space probe and starship Enterprise appearing early in Mysteries for the Gods. Viewing the above films in my youth inspired me to read Chariots for the Gods?, readily available at that 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 human narrative that has been element of a bigger 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 seemed to reflect an model that is alternative human origins and possible destinies. It appeared like a plausible attack on the cultural and historical orthodoxy for the age, especially the pre-Copernican ideologies associated with the proselytizing evangelicals in my own suburb.

Upon later reflection, however, i discovered myself questioning the logic regarding the book’s assertions and came to realize that von Daniken’s “ancient-astronaut” thesis was deeply mistaken. The book’s flaws were exposed in a 1976 Skeptical Inquirer article along with custom writing login a book entitled The Space Gods Revealed that featured a forward by none aside from Carl Sagan.1 By 1977, Chariot regarding the Gods? was debunked in a BBC-PBS creation of Nova in an episode called “The Case of the Ancient Astronauts.”2 The episode refuted the following claims: An image of an astronaut that is ancient 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 plus the Moai statues on Easter Island.

The aforementioned assertions are one of the most ludicrous and illogical interpretations of human artifacts produced by the ancient-astronaut theorists, and all sorts of are wholly unproven. In lots of ways, 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, struggling to think logically, and scientifically illiterate. Plus, you can find irresponsible and intellectually bankrupt television programmers, but that is nothing new either.

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

Virtually all the claims of extraterrestrial influence made on Ancient Aliens assume that human consciousness and civilization don’t have a lot of creativity, originality, or ability to innovate. The idea that is general that, without some help 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’s absolutely no room for chance, surprise, emergence, singularities, or any of the insights of chaos and complexity theory. In the long run, the series represents an assault on rationality and scientific methods, not unlike all the paranormal movies and television shows.