For the purposes of this poll, ‘UFO’ means an extraterrestrial craft. Not the kind of UFO that I’ve seen. (It looked like the saucer in The Day The Earth Stood Still as it flew over the Washington D.C., only the one I saw wasn’t moving.) That one was something I couldn’t identify, but I doubt it was from ‘Outer Space’.
So: Do you believe UFOs exist and are visiting the Earth?
I don’t. For one thing, I’m not aware of any evidence that cannot be explained by entirely Earth-bound means. I’ve hallucinated due to sleep deprivation, and the hallucinations seemed real. Therefore I wonder: Is it more likely that people who have seen UFOs were seeing extraterrestrial spacecraft? Or that they were tired and imagined them? Or if they were, because of the position(s) of the object(s), simply mistaken? Given that there’s no apparent, particular reason for ETs to visit the Earth (unless they happen to have picked up radio signals from 100 years ago when they happened to be in the neighbourhood – and then it would still take them 100 years to get here at the speed of light), why would they come? I suppose it’s possible that an alien race could have detected the Earth in its orbit thousands of years ago, much as we have detected planets around other suns, and have been curious; but why Earth, and not another planet in another part of the galaxy? Would an alien spend the time to come for a look-see? And why have we never found a single bit of alien machinery, strange alloy, or something made of an isotope of an element that is rare or unheard of on Earth?
Which is not to say that I think we’re alone in the universe. I think that the odds of there being intelligent, technologically-advanced life on other worlds are very good considering the billions of galaxies containing billions of suns in the cosmos. I just don’t think they’re coming here.
[sub]Which does not in any way diminish my liking for science fiction.[/sub]
Do I believe UFOs exist and are visiting the Earth?
Nope.
I really can’t address the other part of your post right now - the do I believe we’re alone in the universe part - I’m trying to think of a way to put what I think about it into words that will make sense. (Unlike my last sentence.) :rolleyes:
I would like to believe, but with the weight of sheer numbers of stars and the distances involved, the chance of it would seem to approach zero.
I was a big fan of Star Trek TOS and Heinlein growing up. I would love for friendly visitors to appear. I just don’t think its likely. Maybe in the entire history of earth, visitors in some sort of interstellar sub-light generation ship could arrive in system but consider the short time man has existed. Lets say 65,000 to 2.5 million years depending on your definitions, this is very small percentage of the time Earth has and will exist.
Was about 15 and Scott, Gary and I all spent the night on Scott’s father’s yacht that was docked on the Illinois River. It was just the three of us. We just hung out and talked and ate and fished. That night, very hot and humid, we decided to sleep in the back of the boat on a large lounge area, under the stars. The three of us just talking and looking up at the sky. I think it was Gary who first noticed three really bright stars in sort of a triangle directly above us. They didn’t move. We sort of wondered about it as we had studied some astrology in scouts a few weeks earlier and didn’t remember that formation. Anyway, we were all still looking at the three stars and talking about something when, about 15 minutes later, the three of us suddenly saw an amazing sight. The three stationary stars suddenly were not stationary anymore. One star went tearing off in a southerly direction at an amazing speed. Another went towards the east, but not quite as fast, and the last one went northwest, but slower than the other two.
We were pretty excited and shouting, “did you see that!? Did you see that!?”
The “stars” did not cross paths, they had simply hovered in a triangle pattern for quite awhile, and then separated.
I cannot say what they were, but they were certainly unidentified, and they were flying objects so - I guess that qualifies me as a believer in UFO’s.
Do I think Martians came down here and settled earth as Tom and his raving Scientologists would like us to believe? No. But do I think there is intelligent life in the universe? Safe bet is yes. And they are probably intelligent enough to avoid us at all costs.
I’m with Carl Sagan - I believe that it is a mathematical improbability that we are alone in the universe. That being said, I have no reason to disbelieve or believe that we have been visited by extraterrestrials here on the Planet Earth.
Objects have been seen flying and not been identified, therefore we have numerous instance which prove that UFO’s exist.
No alien spacecraft have been found, examined, and reported on by anything resembling a reliable source, so I believe that if we are being visited by aliens, their technology is sufficiently sophisticated as to confound capture by us terrestrial types.
Do I believe in things in the sky whose nature is not immediately obvious or identifiable? Yes.
Do I believe that it is possible - indeed, probable - that intelligent life exists elsewhere in this universe? Yes.
Do I believe those two things have something to do with each other? No.
Do I believe that small grey people with too-big eyes and too-thin necks have crossed the infinite gulf of interstellar space just to mutilate cattle, flatten crops, and stick video cameras up the parts of Whitley Strieber that other beers cannot reach? Certainly not.
If there are space-faring aliens out there, they might come calling some day, I guess. But I’m pretty sure that, when they do, it’ll be obvious. (Either that, or they will have good enough technology to observe us undetected, even by Whitley Strieber.)
There are numerous reports of objects in the sky.
If investigated, the vast majority have mundane explanations.
There are reports of alien abductions.
If investigated, there is no evidence.
There are long running rumours of aliens at Roswell or teleporting ships at Philadelphia. There is never anything to find (except allegedly at Area 51!).
So there is no reason to assume that aliens have arrived here. I am mathematically hopeful there are aliens out there (but probably a long way away, both in space and time).
Or, rather, while I believe that it’s not impossible, I think it is very, very unlikely, and that none of the supposed evidence offered in support comes even close to measuring up. The fact that so many people put so much credence in the various stories and tissue-thin proofs says a lot more about human nature than it does about ostensible visitation. (And as I’ve said in other threads, I think we’re seeing the birth of a brand new strain of religious belief.)
Ditto that, too. But given the mind-bending scale of not just the physical size of the universe but the timescape involved, it’s pretty arrogant for anyone to think the alient visitors are not just here but here now.
Good point. I cannot say for a fact that aliens aren’t visiting Earth; just that there’s no real evidence that they are, and that I think it’s very unlikely.
I’m a big Sci-Fi geek, so I’ll get that out of the way up front. I’ve read things like the Drake Equation and the Fermi Paradox, and remain somewhat hopeful that both theories are flawed to some degree, mainly in their conservatism. I am hopefully optimistic that we are not alone in this universe or galaxy. The mystery is whether we’ve been visited. I tend to view it this way: As a member of a non-terrestrial race capable of interstellar travel would I announce myself or would I study. Therein lies the crux; a species/being capable of interstellar travel would have to share some general psychology would us terrestrial types, of only wanderlust, the need to explore or the desire to spread out. Said species would also likely be cautious enough to study us from afar or at least in a way as not to confirm it’s presence.
I’m of the opinion (held very loosely but nonetheless) that many religious experiences like some of those in the bible way have been attempts to explain phenomenon we now label UFOs.
So in short I do think it’s likely there are UFO’s and that they’ve visited but not in the way of crop circles and crap like that.
That or I read too much science fiction and consume too much weed.
The only way that we could be being visited by aliens is if they possess faster-than-light means of propulsion, as thats physically impossible as far as we know then I think its very, very unlikely.
Personally I’m hoping that friendly aliens arrive some day soon with a massive fleet of ships to welcome us into the Galactic Union with all the other groovy sentient species. Living in a Culture style civilisation would be so much cooler than my current day to day existence…
I pray that there’s intelligent life somewhere up in space, cuz there’s bugger all down here on Earth.
OK. I’ve never seen a UFO. Nor have I knowingly met an extratereestrial. To me it seems ludicrous to assume we are alone. And by extension that those we share the universe with have all failed to attain space flight. We have an imperfect understanding of physics as is evidenced by new paradigms being intorduced every hundred years or so. Thus I refuse to believe that just because we “know” it is impossible to travel meaningfully close to the speed of light, others don’t have that very technology installed in their commuter craft as mandated by local governments.
We know jack squat about physics and how the universe REALLY works and who else is out there. I can’t bring myself to disbelieve something just because I haven’t seen it.
No. I do not believe there are or have been visits to Earht by Intelligent life from another world.
I do believe it is highly probable that life of some kind exists on other worlds.
I think it is also likely that life evolving into the intelligent City-Builders (Civilization) is less common but not limited to this planet. This is based on the Earth having never produced intellegence until just a few moments ago (geologically speaking) and only then because of two catastophic events wiping out the dominent life forms. The first and second eras lasted many millions of years and produced nothing like higher intelligence.
As to “our new Overlords…” I have never seen a case in history of an technologically advanced race encountering a more primitive one were the story turned out well for the “backwards” peoples. I think our prospects would be less than hoped for.
I was just saying that not believing in UFOs does not equal not believing in extraterrestrial life.