Ancient Aliens

[Rich Engle]

Since I'm descendant from aliens, this is all so old to me.

--Brant

that's why I didn't sign an organ donor card, but I do intend to get rich selling my remains on eBay and take a cruise

You've shared so much about yourself lately. It all clicks together now, after all these years.

rde

Wonders about the cruise destination. Intergalactic, no doubt.

[william.scherk]

Michael -- in the referenced thread from RoR, Ed Thompson did not jump on your case, nor did he accuse you of being a Born Again Christian. Perhaps another thread exists at RoR.

That was the thread. Obviously, I read a lot between the lines. Perhaps too much. Thanks.

You are welcome, MEM -- I was very curious about an argument that could be made for an Alien Intervention In Evolution, if you truly believe that Earth's evolution has been tinkered with. I hesitate to accept that -- I prefer to think that you find Alien Tinkering to be a fun Sci-Fi idea.

I note that the four articles you featured on 'gaps' in evolution have nothing to do with alien intervention.

-- the first makes several intriguing points about where 'gaps' in the dinosaur/bird lineage are expected to be found, and compares with the then missing fossil record of chimpanzees.

-- the second -- a 1988 article by Sackett "[e]xamines three types of gaps in the fossil record: real gaps, imaginary gaps, and temporary gaps."

-- the third article reviews a discovery that closed a gap in the fossil record, and suggests "cladistically-based predictions of pre-Jurassic choristoderes are themselves seemingly reinforced by this discovery."

-- your fourth 'gap' article puts forward a non-alien explanation of '

Romer's Gap

,' and details the authors' argument that "a precipitous drop in the oxygen content of Earth's atmosphere is responsible."

In your first post in the RoR thread you wrote this: "Forces greater than we can muster and can only imagine in science fiction probably intervened in the "natural" evolution [ . . . ] and left a clear record."

All in all, this is little more than a "God of the Gaps" trope, a fallacy -- as if things that cannot (yet) be explained are therefore probably due to supernatural actions by unseen forces.

[George H. Smith]

Last week on Netflix, I started watching Season 1. I was introduced to quite an array of topics, focused on the possibility/evidence of alien influences within our ancient civilizations (Mayans, Egyptians, American Indians).

While I don't necessarily buy a lot of the theories proposed, I'm specifically intrigued by the architectural feats of these past civilizations. The one that stands out prominently is Puma Punku ruins in Bolivia. The precision of the stone masonry and how the pieces interconnected is mind-boggling, even to today's experts and craftsmen. One guy was quoted as saying that if tasked, he would turn the job down because it would take him a lifetime to complete. Granted, in those days, it wouldn't have been the work of one man, but a community.

There are other remarkable pieces of evidence that merit consideration, but I'm curious if anyone else has watched these series and given it serious consideration with regard to plausibility. One thing's for certain: our ancestors had a profound knowledge of the stars. But how did they gain that knowledge, and how did we not inherit it?

~ Shane

I've watched the History Channel for years, but I'm afraid I don't share your enthusiasm for the "Ancient Aliens" series. It is largely junk history -- the sort of thing the History Channel does to attract viewers who don't care for real history. You will learn more about history by watching "Pawn Stars" (a terrific series and one of my favorite shows) than you will from "Ancient Aliens."

Ghs

[BaalChatzaf]

.

While I don't necessarily buy a lot of the theories proposed, I'm specifically intrigued by the architectural feats of these past civilizations. The one that stands out prominently is Puma Punku ruins in Bolivia. The precision of the stone masonry and how the pieces interconnected is mind-boggling, even to today's experts and craftsmen. One guy was quoted as saying that if tasked, he would turn the job down because it would take him a lifetime to complete. Granted, in those days, it wouldn't have been the work of one man, but a community.

~ Shane

What the ancients had was lots of cheap labor plus genius management.

The Egyptians and the Incas managed great stone works. The really brilliant thing was their ability to manage the work of tens of thousands, sequence the tasks, deliver the material when it was needed where it was needed. It was all done without PERT charts and computers too. The management of the work was positively brilliant and done by biologically ordinary humans who stood five and a half feet tall.

What people some times overlook is the fact the the ancients were as smart as we are today on a person for person basis. They didn't need Ayn Rand or Aristotle to think clearly or logically. The ancients were not only as smart as us, they were us! They just were born much sooner than we were. In some ways their accomplishments exceed ours. They were able to do stuff with a lot less technology because the fancy technology had not yet been invented. They had to figure out things we never needed to bother with.

Here is something to think about: the Antikethira planetary computer. A handheld completely mechanical device that encapsulated the movements of the sun, the moon and five (then known) major planets. No transistors. Just wonderfully machined gear wheels and superlatively applied Euclidean geometry. Not a differential equation in sight (they were invented about 300 years ago). Just clear unclouded perfectly executed thought. Nothing like it was produced until the time of Pascal who invented an adding machine that carried the digits. And it was done by people who had not yet invented the zero.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[sbeaulieu]

I've watched the History Channel for years, but I'm afraid I don't share your enthusiasm for the "Ancient Aliens" series. It is largely junk history -- the sort of thing the History Channel does to attract viewers who don't care for real history. You will learn more about history by watching "Pawn Stars" (a terrific series and one of my favorite shows) than you will from "Ancient Aliens."

Ghs

George,

I agree there are probably more hooks in that show's water than required. I'm just keeping an open mind about our past and I enjoy some of the topics that are brought up. I don't buy into a lot of the junk history, but some important (albeit unanswered) questions are being raised. That's the hook I'm biting, not necessarily the interpretation of the speakers on the show. Call it going to a yard sale. Not everything is for me, but a few things are certain to catch my eye ;)

Pawn Stars is an awesome show!

~ Shane

[syrakusos]

All in all, this is little more than a "God of the Gaps" trope, a fallacy as if things that cannot (yet) be explained are therefore probably due to supernatural actions by unseen forces.

It is not a position I would argue strongly. We went to the moon. We send robots beyond the solar system. Sure, 1000 years ago or even 100 when people dreamed of flying they had the mechanisms wrong but truly we do fly higher faster and farther than any bird. What I wonder about is not the supernatural but only the very natural.

Edited June 9, 2011 by Michael E. Marotta

[caroljane]

Baal and anyone else interested in Bible-as-History, do you ever watch The Naked Archaeologist? He isn't all that naked, he always wears his yarmulke, but it is a fun and informative show investigating various corners of the "greatest story ever told" from Genesis on.

[BaalChatzaf]

Baal and anyone else interested in Bible-as-History, do you ever watch The Naked Archaeologist? He isn't all that naked, he always wears his yarmulke, but it is a fun and informative show investigating various corners of the "greatest story ever told" from Genesis on.

Simcha Yakobovsky is amusing but I cannot take him seriously.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[caroljane]

Baal and anyone else interested in Bible-as-History, do you ever watch The Naked Archaeologist? He isn't all that naked, he always wears his yarmulke, but it is a fun and informative show investigating various corners of the "greatest story ever told" from Genesis on.

Simcha Yakobovsky is amusing but I cannot take him seriously.

Ba'al Chatzaf

No, he hardly invites that. But a lot of the scholars he interviews can be taken seriously. I always enjoy the show and learn sommething.

[Rich Engle]

Mike Hill just shared this on Facebook. Sort of a recap of the whole thing on Lake Erie. I remember when this first started. You'd go out in Mike's back yard, sit on lawn chairs, and wait. All about 5 minutes from my former home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug9-szKFAgc&feature=player_embedded