# The UFO Poll **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 12, 2002, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ufo-poll/103278 "2002-04-12T18:16:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ufo-poll/103278/61 "2002-08-09T17:19:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AHunter3 \* > • If Einsteinian physics is wrong about the speed of light being a constant that defines the maximum attainable speed, a rather huge chunk of what we think we know is in doubt, and an internally consistent picture of the universe that appears to be verified by observation would turn out to be something else instead. That doesn’t mean it can’t be so, but does anyone have any real reason to think so aside from wishful thinking? [Yeah, actually.](http://theage.com.au/articles/2002/08/07/1028157961167.html) There’s still a lot about the universe we don’t understand. Saying so doesn’t make me a fanciful kook; it makes me a scientific realist. The idea that what we understand about the laws of physics won’t change in the next five hundred years, however, strikes me as unbelievable. If history has proven one thing, I think it would have to be that we cannot accurately imagine the future. As to the UFO question… I have insufficient evidence to come to a conclusion at this time. ---
**Author:** ![Rockford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Rockford](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rockford)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2002, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ufo-poll/103278/62 "2002-08-10T05:51:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by webguy1000 \* > **To be staunchly against earth having been visited throughout the centuries is to deny the overwhelming evidence that there are unnatural structures on this planet, many of which we can’t justify having been built by man.** > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kamandi \* > \*\*Pray, what structures (and evidence) might these be? \*\* The Egyptian pyramids, obviously… haven’t you ever seen Stargate? It’s obvious that the pyramids were built by malevolent aliens since they’re very old and we don’t know everything about them. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2002, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ufo-poll/103278/63 "2002-08-10T21:18:18Z")
When I imagine what an advanced civilization might do to explore the universe I extrapolate from the sattelites we send out today. Then I try to project existing technology into the future. OK, a silver disk enters the atmosphere, flies around a while, then leaves. Is this an alien spacecraft? Probably not. Occam’s Razor basically. But is it **possible** that it is an alien spacecraft dipping into the atmosphere to take some readings and then move on to the next planet? Sure. It could be some kind of un-ah-aliened vehicle with sensors snooping around the solar system. Proving it is the rub, and the important part. Flying actual aliens around is another story. For that I think you have to pack a lot of stuff. You know, the “mother ship” and all that sci-fi stuff. Or not. Who really knows? Color me skeptical but interested. Now that we know how tough life really is, unlike when I learned science as a kid, the possibilities seem much greater that life is teeming throughout the universe. Problem is, based on the human example, intelligent life (and other life to a lesser degree) has a tendency to destroy itself, or be destroyed, over time. Good example, asteroids. We are now smart enough to know that given a period of millions of years the chances of an asteroid wiping out the human race is 100%. Nobody really disputes that. But, nobody in power takes the risk very seriously. Oh, not to mention toxic waste, nukes, biological engineering, etc… ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2002, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ufo-poll/103278/64 "2002-08-10T21:26:14Z")
I’ve seen plenty of cool stuff in the skies but there ain’t no flying saucers. I take the view that in this day and age there are few areas of the world without some form of surveillance - CCTV’s in towns, privately owned camcorders and cameras. If there were objects in the sky identifiable as alien space ships of some sort we would have positive proof of them by now. Simple as that really. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ufo-poll/103278.md?page=3)