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Permalink Reply by Alex on February 8, 2012 at 3:25pm

At first, I thought this was one of the worst shows on tv. However, by taking an entirely different mindset, it has become one of my favorites. Here is why...

If you follow politics at all, you will remember onetime republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain. If you're a left-wing politics dork (guilty!) you also watchli a lot of Rachel Maddow. Cain's campaign was filled with so many outrageous gaffes that Rachel concluded there was no way Cain could be serious. She began receding to the campaign as an "art project" that satirized the electoral system. From that point on, I saw the Cain campaign as hilarious entertainment. This is the mindset that makes Ancient Aliens great.

The next time you see Ancient Aliens, don't think of it as an historical or astronomical investigation, think of it as an elaborate satire of ridiculous pseudo-science. The alien experts quickly become caricatures of creationist scientosts, climate deniers, and blind faith fanatics. It really is quite hilarious making all the connections.

Of course, I could be completely wrong and these are just more hacks making terrible television.

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Permalink Reply by Suzanne Olson-Hyde on February 8, 2012 at 5:47pm

I see what you see Alex. I luv Rachel Maddow, Jon Stewart and Tim Minchin satirizing these people, they make my day, and give me hope - but the gullible do believe it. Have a look at Student of Knowledge comments - it is enough to make me cry. Herman Cain followers, or right wingers 'get money at any cost', would not be watching Rachel or Jon :(

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Permalink Reply by Suzanne Olson-Hyde on February 8, 2012 at 5:41pm

The brilliant thing about humans is the imagination - the brain can think up anything. In a couple of hundred years time, there is going to be a religion following The Lord of the Rings, another following Star Trek, oops, sorry, that's already happening, Matrix. Look what SCientology believe in!!!!!!  it's also what gets us to the moon. This bloke is one of the reasons I hate, per se, religions. Just on the bandwagon to make money. And for a History channel to air this codswallop, disgraceful.

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Permalink Reply by Tex in the City on February 8, 2012 at 9:48pm

This is adding nothing to the conversation, but I just noticed I wrote the original post over a year ago.  ANd the fact that people are still talking about it makes me both happy and sad.  I mean really - Ancient Aliens?  Why would there need to be an ancient alien anymore than an ancient god or ancient angel?

The show is still on the air, and they continue to film new episodes.  What a trip.

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Permalink Reply by Jared on February 9, 2012 at 10:47am

I have to admit I seem to be drawn to watch it when its on. I mean I would say pretty much it is speculation based on an argument that if it fits it must be true and is horse shit. You can tell there is much stretching done to make their points... I mean time traveling Nazi's really?  Now sadly I almost am more likely to believe that it's possible that a few of the things presented as being possible seem more likely than the bible. I think the way we should approach it is by saying hey some of the more interesting ideas with decent arguments are worth a look with a more serious manner as skeptics. The interesting thing in all of this is that whether  or not aliens had anything to do with ancient peoples there have been some things coming out that point to that it's possible that many civilizations may have formed much earlier then we thought. Interesting indeed. Anyways the Ancient Aliens TV show... mostly just for fun for me.

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Permalink Reply by Ryan McCauley on February 9, 2012 at 11:31am

So you all dont belive aliens visited here in the past? But yet you belive it when people say their abducted and have their butts played with?
And the idea of a alien race checking out possible candidates for life sustaining planets, ya thats rediculus, its not like us humans waist time and money exploring the solar system.
It would be retarded not to explore, especially if its easier for them.
And unless you know the absolute answers to everything being a realist is a time thing. Because the general knowledge of one is accumulated by the knowledg society allows.
You would probably say that when people thought the world was flat, you would have known better.
Did you know if you touch a baby bird its mom will abandon it?? Wrong, half the world thinks thats true but its not. Think of all the birds that coulda been saved, had people known the truth. But yet society says the bird will die even though it will not.
This is because proof isn't needed for society to except something as real and pass it on as general knowledge.
Im starting to see why people call atheism a religion.

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Permalink Reply by Heather Spoonheim on February 9, 2012 at 11:41am

Did I say that I believed it when people said they were abducted and molested?  Perhaps you should learn to read a little better.

I don't suggest that aliens have never been here because it would just be too hard - I simply have no reason to believe they've been here because I've seen zero compelling evidence of such a visit.  This is similar to my stance on invisible boogiemen/gods.  If I have a religion, then my central dogma is requiring evidence before formulating a belief, period.

Now, when everyone thought the earth was flat, their observations supported that.  Look around you...are you able to see that you are standing on a ball?  The curvature is so slight that to the naked eye the earth seems flat.  Without further evidence, that is what I would believe.  What people were missing, in the equation, was just how massive the earth really is.  Even knowing the earth is round, I also realize that the curvature is so slight that in my day to day life it functions as flat.  It's about degrees of being wrong - and you really should look up that book, the Relativity of Wrong, or whatever it was called.

Why are you so married to this idea of aliens?  Because it's cool?  I think it's cool, and love to give it consideration - but it's pure fantasy.

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Permalink Reply by Dave G on February 9, 2012 at 2:10pm

WWho said that they accept the claims of alien abductees? You're straw manning, Ryan.

There is no evidence of alien visitation to the Earth, either currently or in the past. Without evidence, why should anyone accept the claim? If evidence surfaces of an alien presence, then accepting the claim becomes reasonable, provided that the evidence is sound.

What is generally believed and what is accepted as scientifically viable are not the same thing and is actually an argument in favor of not believing things to be true without supporting evidence.

You seem to be presenting a common 'all or nothing' fallacy, wherein if we do not know everything (your 'absolute answers') then we can't say we know anything.

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Permalink Reply by Ryan McCauley on February 9, 2012 at 11:39am

I obviously dont belive in god, but to think a world started by a "god" is absolutely impossible, is just closed minded.
A human could easily create life on another planet, and manipulate it as they see fit right now.
So realist what is the ultimate outcome of life? You must know. You had to know what a particle accelerator was 50 years ago. Or wait no never mind its not a time thing, I remember now.
You knew what terrabites were a hundred years ago, man you must be brilliant to know everything and understand that science doesn't change every day.

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Permalink Reply by Heather Spoonheim on February 9, 2012 at 11:49am

No, it's not closed minded to recognize the superstitious, paranoid writings of Bronze Age cult leaders as having no compliance with the cosmos we can now observe.  To suggest that there might still be gods because we don't know everything is EXACTLY like saying "Perhaps there might still be a luminiferous aether, because I have not, as yet, checked under my desk."  The luminiferous aether was proposed to explain a predicted phenomenon.  When the predictions were falsified, we knew it did not exist.  To suggest that the luminiferous aether may then be something else is to admit that what it had originally been proposed to be does not exist.  It is the same with gods.

People can make up all the gods they want, but that does not cause them to exist.  We will yet discover things which we did not know existed, but to apply the word 'god' to those things simply proves that the things fabricated by man never existed.  You can reduce the meaning of the word to absolute nonsense, and then you'll have gods, because nonsense is seemingly eternal in the human mind - just watch the History Channel if you don't believe me.

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Permalink Reply by Ryan McCauley on February 9, 2012 at 12:02pm

But thats my point. When whats real can be proven wrong over a course of time, so how can you belive something that is only true to your current situation?
Your entire world could be shattered in a day with a new discovery.
So sure aliens could or could not have visited here. but why be so passionate about something that could so easily be proven wrong tommorow. Were would you stand if that really is a alien ship at the bottom of the baltic. What would you do? Shift your entire way of reasoning and understanding because what you were so passionate about just blew up in your face.
Sounds like a faulty system.

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Permalink Reply by dragotron on February 9, 2012 at 12:07pm

Ryan, the argument you're raising here is had everyday by everyone here. The argument that: "Why don't you believe something that you can't prove is false."

So my question to you is... Why don't you believe in the Flying the Spaghetti Monster?

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