| Some weeks ago I came across a story in which | | | | existence of extraterrestrial intelligence |
| it was mentioned that a noted scientist had | | | | and equally the justification for SETI |
| classified SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial | | | | efforts imply that the galaxy is already |
| Intelligence) as a religion. There was also a | | | | fully explored. Even if there is enormous |
| rebuttal by a SETI astronomer to the effect | | | | quackery in this area, every claim needs to |
| that SETI was indeed a serious scientific | | | | be checked out. An alien visit at some point |
| endeavor. Neither argument was convincing. | | | | in the past is more likely than not, and it |
| | | | could provide clues on where to find them. |
| I asked ancient astronaut expert Morten St. | | | | Wholly ignoring this area is still another |
| George about this. Is SETI a religion? He did | | | | example of the collective unconscious |
| not respond with a direct yes or no. He | | | | desiring failure. |
| merely spoke of a psychological concept known | | | | |
| as the collective unconscious. I understood | | | | 4. SETI astronomers tend to assume that the |
| this to be a type of mental archetype that | | | | extraterrestrials think like humans, employ |
| lies deep and hidden in the minds of | | | | human technology, and communicate at the |
| humankind, causing people to make mistakes on | | | | wavelengths suggested by the collective |
| purpose. According to Morten, a specific | | | | unconscious. Logic dictates that if there is |
| archetype is at play here and it can be | | | | another technological civilization out there, |
| described as follows: God created man in his | | | | it has to be far more advanced than us since |
| own image, therefore humankind is the only | | | | humans have possessed technology not even for |
| intelligent life form in the universe. | | | | a split second on a galactic time scale. So |
| | | | why would an advanced civilization want to |
| Morten said that the collective unconscious | | | | communicate at a frequency that has lots of |
| affects the SETI astronomers just like the | | | | galactic background noise rather than a |
| rest of humankind. The SETI astronomers | | | | frequency that has little or no static? Once |
| consciously want to make contact with | | | | again the collective unconscious controls |
| extraterrestrials but unconsciously, or | | | | SETI thinking, leading to certain failure. |
| subconsciously, they do not want to. The | | | | |
| result is that the collective unconscious has | | | | Sky-wide searches at ridiculous wavelengths |
| led the conscious efforts of the SETI | | | | will never produce results. Morten thinks the |
| astronomers to perpetual failure: | | | | collective unconscious has incapacitated the |
| | | | SETI astronomers, leaving them wholly unable |
| He gave me a few examples: | | | | to ascertain genuinely good targets and then |
| | | | perform concentrated, multi-faceted, |
| 1. SETI astronomers have looked closely at | | | | multi-bandwidth searches on those targets. |
| nearby stars for extraterrestrial | | | | Instead, they blindly turn their telescopes |
| intelligence. Beyond all doubt it has become | | | | around and around, merrily, subconsciously, |
| obvious that intelligent life does not evolve | | | | knowing that they will never pick up a |
| on every planet. Why in the world should we | | | | signal. Thus, the argument that SETI is a |
| believe we would find it on a nearby planet? | | | | religion is a strong one, and religion, not a |
| The chances of that are so remote it is not | | | | lack of extraterrestrial intelligence, |
| worth of drop of effort. Yet enormous time | | | | accounts for SETI's overall failure to date. |
| and effort have been lost searching nearby | | | | |
| stars, time and effort that could have been | | | | Morten has the following recommendations for |
| much better spent looking in places likely to | | | | SETI astronomers who find themselves able to |
| be more productive. A classic example of the | | | | break away from the impediments of the |
| collective unconscious causing failure for | | | | collective unconscious. Stop, think, and |
| SETI. | | | | regroup. The objective is extraterrestrial |
| | | | intelligence and the only road to finding it |
| 2. SETI astronomers have undertaken blanket | | | | is to make use of human intelligence. One |
| surveys of the entire sky. Why would any | | | | must consider the probabilities. The most |
| rational scientist want to waste limited | | | | likely scenario is as follows: at least one |
| resources searching aloof sections of the sky | | | | alien civilization is widely dispersed |
| with low star density when those resources | | | | throughout the galaxy and that alien |
| could be better spent searching areas with | | | | civilization a) possesses extremely advanced |
| high star density and correspondingly higher | | | | technology, b) knows that we are here, and c) |
| chances of finding an alien communication? Or | | | | is not sending us any messages. |
| why not search areas of the galaxy where dark | | | | |
| clouds might have protected an evolving | | | | What can SETI astronomers do in such |
| civilization from deadly cosmic rays, making | | | | circumstances? Recognize what they are up |
| those areas a more likely place for a | | | | against and try to outsmart the aliens. Probe |
| civilization to have had the time to achieve | | | | dark clouds along the galactic plane, search |
| technology? Another classic example of the | | | | for energy trails deposited by their near |
| collective unconscious contributing to SETI | | | | speed-of-light spaceships, search for |
| failure. | | | | potential artificially-created energy sources |
| | | | and concentrate searches in those areas, read |
| 3. SETI astronomers tend to ignore all | | | | science fiction books for ideas on futuristic |
| ancient astronaut and ufology claims. Perhaps | | | | space communication technologies, try to |
| they want to be considered as respectful | | | | detect and intercept communications that use |
| scientists by the world community? The fact | | | | those technologies. It is time to elevate the |
| of the matter is that, on a galactic | | | | dignity of our species and demonstrate our |
| timescale, it does not take very long to | | | | ingenuity in a cat and mouse game. |
| explore the galaxy. The arguments for the | | | | |