Why Science is so afraid of aliens

[Magical Realist]

Across the board there is huge irrational resistance in science against the prospect of alien contact. It isn't unprecedented. Religion too seems to have long had a strong impulse to deny the existence of advanced NHIs. The motive is the same. It simply displaces man from the throne of the universe if there are higher more intelligent beings lurking around. The die-hard anthropocentric hubris of both science and religion is that WE are the ultimate beings, gifted with the divine powers of infallible rationality and perfect technology and God's loving favoritism among all the lower life forms thruout universe.

And Science has a particularly huge stake in them not existing. For if they are more advanced than us and possess technologies if not physiological superpowers that make us look like cavemen with rocks and sticks in comparison, that is a very humbling if not nihilistic scenario. And scientists are certainly not the types to admit higher intelligences than themselves. They are after all the unquestioned priests of the modern religion of secularist materialism, defended tooth and nail against the assaults of alternative worldviews. It just doesn't fit into their rationalist Enlightenment narrative. Hence the all-the-more jolting ontological shock of future disclosure if not direct contact, which every day appears more and more inevitable. Granted there are some scientists who have bucked their establishment, many having been experiencers themselves. Perhaps these courageous trailblazers will lead the way for their lost and flailing brothers and sisters when the time comes.

"Civilised life, you know, is based on a huge number of illusions in which we all collaborate willingly. The trouble is we forget after a while that they are illusions and we are deeply shocked when reality is torn down around us."----J. G. Ballard

[stryder]

While indeed there is the concern of something more Apex than ourselves in the Universe. I'm pretty sure the main thing that undermines life elsewhere, is distance. It took at least 11 centuries for that ATLAS meteor to reach the centre of our solar system and it will take another 11 for it to leave. Thats thousands of years just to cross this star system, let alone to travel to the one next door.

Thats a long time to keep something in some form of stasis, it would imply that you'd need a generational ship the size of a small moon or larger. And even then the problem would be memory... it's bad enough remembering where you put your keys five minutes ago, imagine trying to remember the overall planned mission to visit another world and how that memory could degrade, be lost or convert into something else.

You'd also have to consider that riding around for thosands of years means you could start your journey advanced compared to where you are heading and then find out that you are more primative when you arrive.

[C C]

While indeed there is the concern of something more Apex than ourselves in the Universe. I'm pretty sure the main thing that undermines life elsewhere, is distance. [...]

Many of them don't like the Rare Earth hypothesis or the idea that complex life is uncommon. So for them it's indeed the isolation factor. But if the lack of signals and other long-distance indications continues, they'll probably have to at least become pessimists about technological civilizations being abundant.

[Syne]

It's just a matter of repeatable, empirical evidence. Science is built on siding with the bulk of empirical evidence.

[Magical Realist]

I'm pretty sure the main thing that undermines life elsewhere, is distance.

Yeah that's the tired old excuse always trotted out, as if they wouldn't by now have means of travelling totally exceeding anything we know about considering all the accounts of them defying gravity and inertia and even mass. And then there's the persistent and what's looking to be more and more feasible mode of wormholes and transdimensional bridges, which all come out of Einstein's equations. It's almost as if scientists have never seen a decent sci-fi movie in their lives.

[Syne]

Positing unknown physics to justify a theory that is not borne out by empirical science is science fiction, not science.

[Magical Realist]

"Representative Anna Paulina Luna promised to hold a press conference addressing what she described as materials or information of “nonhuman origin,” a move that comes as pressure mounts on the Pentagon over delayed releases of unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP, footage.

Luna, a Florida Republican who chairs the House Oversight Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, has been among the most vocal lawmakers demanding greater transparency from the Department of Defense (DOD, also known as the Department of War) regarding unexplained aerial encounters. Her remarks follow a Pentagon update acknowledging delays in releasing dozens of UAP videos sought by lawmakers, including footage recorded by U.S. military personnel.

The Pentagon has said it is working with other agencies to review and consolidate the material before public release, citing classification and national security concerns. The missed deadline has drawn criticism from Luna and other members of Congress, who said that unexplained activity near U.S. military assets raises oversight and security questions. Luna has accused DOD officials of slow-walking disclosures ordered by Congress and the White House, vowing to continue pushing for the release of the material.

The Department of War's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office [AARO] is working in close coordination with the White House and across federal agencies to consolidate existing UAP records collections and facilitate the expeditious release of never-before-seen UAP information," a Department of War official told Newsweek on Wednesday. "Since the office was established, AARO has made progress to make UAP information available and transfer those records to the National Archives in accordance with federal law. We welcome the president's initiative to supercharge these efforts and make more UAP information available to the public as soon as possible."

What Did Luna Say About UFOs?

Luna's comments were made aired Wednesday during an episode of the Pod Force One podcast hosted by Miranda Devine.

“I have seen evidence in a SCIF that leads me to believe there are things we cannot explain," Luna said. "I have observed things that are of nonhuman origin and creation. That’s my opinion.”

Later in the interview, she added: “When it’s declassified, I will have a press conference, and I’ll show you exactly what we saw.”

What Did Luna Say About Aliens?

In 2024, a study by Harvard social science researchers suggested that aliens could be living underground on Earth or on the moon, and that UFOs and other unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) might be evidence of them getting around.

During the podcast, Devine asked Luna about aliens, pressing the lawmaker that if she had to make a decision on whether or not aliens are "moving among us with their strange machines that have all sorts of powers," what would she say.

"Do you think that's plausible?" Devine asked.

“I don’t call them aliens, and I don’t know what these things are that they’re using, right?" Luna said. "But I think that there's stuff that we have witnessed as members of Congress, been briefed on that we cannot explain."

Her comments build on years of growing congressional focus on UAPs. Lawmakers in both chambers have convened multiple hearings since 2022 examining military encounters with unexplained objects, intelligence community reporting and the work of the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, which was established to investigate such incidents

At the hearings, defense and intelligence officials have repeatedly said there is no verified evidence that the phenomena represent extraterrestrial technology. AARO leadership has said that many reported sightings are eventually attributed to airborne clutter, sensor limitations or classified U.S. programs, though a subset remain unresolved.

Still, testimony from military pilots and whistleblowers has fueled bipartisan calls for greater transparency. Some lawmakers have argued that the classified handling of UAP data has eroded public trust and limited meaningful congressional oversight, while skeptics warn that disclosures might ultimately prove less dramatic than suggested.

What Happens Next With UAP Declassification

Luna has not publicly detailed what information she plans to present at the promised press conference, though in the podcast, she added that more information will be coming out soon.

"I think that the American people will have many of their questions answered," she said."

https://www.newsweek.com/ufo-update-cong...1777486432