13.1.4 Research Paper

Introduction to Ufology:  

Although sightings of extraterrestrial life have been occurring for decades, evidence and sightings hold no substantial backing to prove alien existence. Since most of the sightings happen in the United States, the government takes care of the ordeals in order to keep national security – preventing any suspicion about extraterrestrial life. Factors such as Hollywood productions and films have also increased national fears about aliens. Portraying extraterrestrial life as dangerous monsters that want to take over the world and kill society simply for the purpose of power only adds to the conspiracy of ufology. The concept of alien existence highlights the logical fallacy of ad ignorantiam, in that both sides of the argument hold plausibility. Aliens can be thought of as real because there is no evidence to discredit their existence; however, aliens could also not exist because there is no evidence that supports their existence. Since there is insufficient evidence for alien piloted UFOs, it results in insufficient evidence for alien life; however, there is still validity in believing in the possibility of alien existence.

When analyzing ufology, the question at hand for the concept strives to answer how justified it is to believe in aliens. While there displays a great lack of scientific evidence, what little evidence remains leans toward disproving the belief in aliens. The practice of cherry-picking is highly utilized in the topic of ufology due to this insufficient amount of concrete evidence. The insufficient data of alien piloted UFOs results in the insufficiency of alien life evidence. As UFOs are considered as extraterrestrial forms of technology, they are repeatedly associated and corresponded with alien life. Yet, there is not a single piece of evidence that proves aliens are the pilots of these aircrafts. Such evidence is nearly unachievable due to the need for more advanced technology. However, while the theory of ufology continues to be disproved through a lack of evidence, there is still validity in believing in aliens. The largeness and vastness of the universe results in a majority of it being left undiscovered and even untouched by modern technology. It is nearly impossible to prove or disprove any imaginative creature the mind is capable of producing because of the uncharted world.

As a majority of the universe remains undiscovered, the possibility that extraterrestrial life exists still remains as a plausible outcome. Only a small percentage of this universe has been explored, leaving 95% of outer space not even touched by NASA or international technology. Outside of this universe, no substantial technology has been invented to even reach any other universe or galaxy, opening an infinite amount of possibilities for extraterrestrial life. However, the correlation between aliens and UFOs does not always exist when searching for answers. While there have been claimed sightings of unidentified flying objects throughout the world, but primarily in the United States, the claims are rarely associated with observing an alien. Since society reports sightings of UFOs even without the claims of alien life, it does not support the claim that extraterrestrial life pilots the flying objects. Even when organizations such as NASA search for signs of life in outer space, they look for aliens themselves, not necessarily any flying objects. However, NASA discusses the importance of looking for any evidence of extraterrestrial life at all, even a claim for microbeings on alternate planets. Astronauts, such as Carl Sagan, highlight the importance of reaching deeper into space as “the universe is a pretty big place. If it’s just us, it seems like an awful waste of space” (Sagan, 2020). As the possibilities seem endless for what may exist outside of this world, companies like NASA even think it’s hard to believe the humans on earth exist as the only lifeforms at all. Since there remains no physical evidence that UFOs exist, it also corresponds with the idea that aliens do not exist as well; however, there is always a possibility that life outside of earth exists.

Meteorology Lens 

Meteorology, which is used to collect data on the atmosphere, has affected the belief of extraterrestrial life. Numerous meteorology devices that float in the air have been falsely accused of being UFOs solely because of appearing unfamiliar to the human eye. Other items such as drones, military aircrafts, and meteor fireballs have also been depicted as UFOs due to their similar appearance to commonly thought of or imagined UFOs. Weather Balloons, which are used to help with weather prediction, have been mistakenly persecuted for being a UFO holding aliens (Shepherd, 2022). Lightning exists as a natural phenomenon and has also fallen victim to the accusation of  being a UFO. Atmospheric electrical phenomena can be confused as UAPs. An article states, “Sprites appear when lightning from thunderstorms excites the electric field above the storm, producing dancing flashes of bright light (Livescience, 2010). Sprites are red and have a jelly like shape, which is why it can be mistaken as a UFO to the human eye. Although there remains no physical evidence of alien existence, many people still believe in the possibility that they exist.

Military Science Lens  

Military Science, the study of military processes, institutions, and the study of warfare has been a common example of Ufology for decades. The most common occurrence being the mysterious and highly classified United States Air Force Base in Lincoln county Nevada. Otherwise known as Area 51, it is the birthstone of arguably the most controversial UFO sightings known to mankind and this is mainly because of its popularity. Typically, with a raise in popularity this becomes a vast political point between all parties. Miroslav Vacura an Associate professor at Prague University states “The problem is that when scientific “facts” became a powerful weapon in political struggle, the experts and institutions that produce them multiplied.” Vacura knows the corruption of these “experts and institutions” and writes further “Some of these institutions (usually think tanks), as Davies (2016) points out, are willing to produce scientific “facts” to support any political position.”

Vacura explains how these institutions will manipulate anything for both parties to hide evidence as well as create false evidence for political use. This is why Military Science is a main example of ufology, however the tendency of misidentifying Military spacecraft more often than not outweighs the correct identification of UFOs as extraterrestrial life. An example of this is the U-2 military plane “The glider winged jet capable of flying above 70,000 feet was often spotted high above airliners in the 1950s before the secret spy aircraft was publicly disclosed. High altitude testing of the U-2 soon led to an unexpected side effect – a tremendous increase in reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs)” (Barber). Once again these ‘think tanks’ that were introduced from Vacuras piece, take the sightings and blow them out of proportion making it evident that military science is a main contributor to the misconception of UFOs.

Astronomy Lens  

Since ufology’s main area of focus takes place in outer space and the universe, astronomy becomes a great factor that alters the way society views extraterrestrial life. Astronomy, the study of the universe, plays a huge role in the recordings and sightings of unidentified flying objects. The belief of what UFOs look like can hinder the understanding of humans if they would have a different appearance than originally believed. People today are so focused on their own imagination and propaganda of what unidentified flying objects may look like that they aren’t open minded to the alternative possibilities of the real appearance of extraterrestrial life. “If evidence of extraterrestrial life appeared in our solar system, would we notice it? If we were expecting the band of gravity-defying ships on the horizon, do we risk missing the subtle sounds of others arrivals? What if, for instance, that evidence was inert or defunct technology – the equivalent, perhaps, of a billion year old civilization’s trash” (Loeb, Avi). Natural astronomical occurrences are oftentimes mistaken as alien life forms flying in UFOs. Even without the proper evidence or reasoning to believe so, the conspiracy that aliens are responsible for these phenomena exists because there is so much possibility in the universe that it could be them.

“I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north – an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal” (Ezekiel 1:4, KJV). Although some people believe that the Bible isn’t a source of logical information, there have been many times where the Bible has mentioned or hinted at extraterrestrial life. Throughout some parts in Ezekiel 4, Ezekiel describes what he has seen which seems to resemble what the modern imagined unidentified flying object looks like. While ufologists cherry pick this information from a very vague passage, it is still used as evidence in their arguments. However, these claims are extremely indistinct in the sense that alien existence can not be proven because the Bible does not directly mention the appearance of a UFO.

Interpretation:

Similar to the concept of religion and believing in God, the faith in believing something one can not see corresponds with the concept of aliens. Although there really is no physical evidence to prove God’s existence, millions of people still believe and practice religion because of individual faith. The same goes for aliens in the sense that people still believe without the proper evidence. The connection of aliens to religion is uncanny as the “…belief in UFOs is an analogy to religion, but one that lets them feel they are modern people in tune with scientific culture” (Vakoch). Since there is no evidence to disprove God’s existence, it is very plausible that God can be real – much like extraterrestrial life. Within the Bible, Jesus gives a lesson to his disciple Thomas about the importance of believing without seeing. When Thomas questions the fact that Jesus resurrected from the dead, Jesus showed him his wounds from crucifixion – bringing assurance to Thomas’s doubts: “because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”(John 20: 28-29, KJV). While Thomas needed proof in order to believe Jesus rose from the dead, there were still many others who believed without the physical evidence. This same concept applies with ufology and highlights the logical fallacy of ad ignorantiam. One is able to still believe in an unknown idea or lifeform while there is no evidence to support it because there is always a chance that the idea is true.

Conclusion  

Since there remains a great lack of physical evidence when it comes to proving the existence of aliens through sightings of claimed UFOs, it is not justified in believing in alien life. However, this should not discredit the possibility of finding extraterrestrial life someday. Science and technology are constantly advancing, and astronomical research is being conducted to explore space in deeper ways. Having an infinite number of universes that are unexplored warrants the ability to discover possibilities that we can only imagine and dream of. A majority of just this universe exists as a mystery to even experts at NASA and space organizations around the world. They are constantly working to uncover the secrets that the universe holds in terms of extraterrestrial life. The possibilities surrounding UFOs are endless as they have undergone many interpretations and are “…made to fit into larger patterns of belief ranging from anti-government conspiracies to Christian eschatology”(Darity). Since so little is actually known about UFOs, there remains a large plethora of prospects trying to explain the mystery of alien life. While it is not possible to confirm the existence of UFOs because of the lack of evidence so far, it also remains impossible to prove alien existence; however, with the ever increasing abilities of technology and striving for discovering the infinite amount of universes, the possibility that alien life exists still holds validity.