Episode 56 — “The Ancient Astronaut Theory — is now Live!
This week’s episode is dedicated to a theory that is both fascinating and highly controversial. This theory is that in the distant past, extraterrestrial explorers may have visited Earth and even influenced our evolution (cultural or biological). Known as “paleocontact,” this idea has been explored extensively in science fiction, which includes 2001: A Space Odyssey — based on the short stories “ Encounter at Dawn” and “ The Sentinel” by Arthur C. Clarke — The X-Files, Stargate, and Prometheus.
A number of prominent scientists have also recommended that this idea be taken seriously. This includes Carl Sagan and Igor Shklovskii in their seminal book Intelligent Life in the Universe and Prof. Avi Loeb in his book Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and our Future in the Stars (which I recently reviewed). That being said, there’s also the pseudoscientific and conspiracy theory-laden version of this school of thought, which is optimized by the theories of Von Daniken and shows like “Ancient Aliens.”
Like I said, it’s controversial, but mainly because there are those who have taken what is fascinating food for thought and turned it into something ignorant and reminiscent of 19th-century racial dogma. Check out the episode to hear more about this idea, where it comes from, and where it departs from scientific curiosity and becomes the kind of stuff that inspires satirical memes (you know the ones I mean!)
Where to Listen:
Originally published at http://storiesbywilliams.com on October 22, 2023.
