Change of Belief in the Scientific Research Pioneer UFO
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Intellectual property of the researcher Jose Antonio Caravaca.
For decades it has been observed that many of the people who approach the study of the UFO phenomenon experienced a curious transformation in their beliefs. At first, denial or ignorance of UFO paradigm, become willingly accept the existence of flying saucers and their crew to subscribe, unspecified time later, a radically away from the extraterrestrial hypothesis belief. This fact what we called "The Paradox Hynek". To dramatize the changes that occur in a person interested in UFOs, we can cite the example of Josep known astronomer Allen Hynek, considered until his death the "father of scientific ufology".
1. SKEPTICISM
For those who are completely unaware of the enormous casuistry produced by the "flying saucers" and rogue "crew", the subject of UFOs fallacy seems an authentic product of misunderstandings and various ravings. A subject devoid of any scientific interest.
One of these was downright skeptical professor Joseph Allen Hynek, an astronomer famous, to which the first news of the invasion of flying saucers seemed irrelevant. In fact, without having any information on this emerging phenomenon in his hands, Dr. Hynek was interviewed by the newspaper "The Columbus Citizen" on July 6, 1947, to give its opinion after learning experience the famous Kenneth Arnold (24/06/47), and the stir raised around the US territory by the appearance of dozens of "flying saucers". Its position was clear from the holder of the press release: "Scientific Ensures Frisbees probably not from Space." The mysterious flying discs that ensures been seen by the United States probably are not objects from the outer space.
(...) Professor Hynek insisted again that he could not speak officially on the validity of reports of flying discs until you have definitive proof that they are real, not merely products of imaginative minds. "
Professor Hynek was a renowned professor of North-Western University, deputy director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and director of Lindheimer Astronomical Research Center. Precisely because of events caused by the sighting of Kenneth Arnold in 1947, Dr. Hynek was "recruited" by the USAF to collaborate on various projects dedicated to the official study of UFOs, "Project Sign" (1947/1949), "Project Grudge" (1949/1952) and "Project Blue Book" (1952/1969). In his role as scientific advisor Dr. Hynek showed a skeptical stance inflexible. In fact their most negative conclusions about UFO incidents investigated earned him, by the press, the nickname of "Dr. Do not". In an article entitled "History of UFO Research: Are real flying saucers" published in the "Saturday Evening Post" in 1966, Hynek conducted a review of his career as head of government committees dedicated to clarify the UFO: "In 1948 when I first heard about UFOs, I thought it was absolute nonsense, as any scientist would have. Most of the early reports were too vague.. "When you enter the bathroom and looked through the window I saw a bright sky light is moved up, down and sideways When I looked again and was gone". At that time I was director of the Observatory of Ohio State University in Columbus. One day I had a visit from several men's technical center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which was only 97 kilometers away in Dayton. With some obvious embarrassment, men played the theme of "flying saucers" and asked if I could serve as a consultant in the field for the Air Force. The work seemed to me that it would not take long, so I agreed. When I started reviewing cases, I assumed that there was a natural explanation for every sighting, or at least would have if we could find the missing pieces of the puzzle. That is why, generally subscribed to the opinion of the Air Force, which held that the sightings were the result of misunderstandings, delusions or hallucinations. "...
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| Dr. Joseph Allen Hynek - Astronomer and Skeptics |
Their close collaboration in the official investigation suffered a point of no return, when the USAF, who had been appointed project adviser Bluebook Michigan sent him to explain a multitudinous UFO sightings that had occurred in the area, and had even been observed by police officers. About Dexter Marsh had an interesting encounter occurred, starring the mannors family and several police officers were able to observe the evolution of a strange luminous object. Pressed to the many complaints and requests from the media, the USAF decided to issue a statement. The choice was Dr. Hynek that in a famous press statement made on March 25, 1966 in Detroit Press Club said adamantly that "A gloomy swamp is the most inappropriate place to be visited by beings from outer space. It is not the place for a helicopter to fly over several hours, or in which it was tested a silent secret genius ". For the astronomer sightings of those lights had a perfectly natural explanation, "swamp gas (...) which generate methane, which ignite on contact with oxygen in the air." Obviously this explanation caused a wave of overwhelming public outrage that led to a ridiculed Dr. Hynek to distance themselves from the official position. The "agnostic" Dr. Hynek had finally seen the light ...
2. CONVERSION
After learning firsthand many UFO reports that resisted conventional explanation, Dr. Hynek, as do many fans get into the UFO literature, enthusiastically he embraced the possibility that there was an unknown phenomenon and of great importance after UFOs. Probably the thesis alien visitors could be a sensible explanation must whisper Hynek. Thus, the skeptic, once began to denounce openly the negationist position of the USAF: "During the following years I had no trouble explaining or discarding most of the cases that were assigned to me, but some of them were sufficiently disconcerting to amaze (cases that the Air Force later would reference as "unidentified"). Let me emphasize the following point: the Air Force imposed its own thinking in each case; I just I contributed my opinion. I soon found that the Air Force had a tendency to increase its preliminary explanations while compiling their annual summaries; a "possible" aircraft often became "probable" aircraft. I did remember the Greek legend of Procrustes, who tried to put all men in the same bed. If they were too long trimmed excess, and if they were too short stretching them. "
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| Dr. Joseph Allen Hynek - Ufologyst |
In his book "The Hynek Report" (1977), it uses a premise that almost all "believers" in UFOs ever used in his life to a skeptical or joking comment questioned the reality of UFOs:
"My transformation was gradual, but in the late 60's was full. Today would not use an instant on UFOs if not seriously believe that the phenomenon is real, and that efforts to study and understanding, and eventually for settlement could have a profound effect could perhaps even be the point starting a revolution in the human concept of the universe. "
That same year in Newsweek stated: "I am not certain that the earth is visited by extraterrestrials but I firmly believe that reality is one of the possible events. Earthlings would be provinces who consider ourselves the only intelligent beings in the universe. How did our grandparents would have reacted if they had heard of nuclear energy in 1866? ". However its position soon suffered cracks that led him to rethink his new belief ...
3. THE JOURNEY OF NO RETURN
If the convinced amateur, delves into reading or UFO research, it came across with a new and unquestionable "reality" before their eyes. Flying saucers are not what they seem. An exhaustive study and analysis, without prejudice or obsessions, of the multitude of UFO reports in the world, we demonstrate that after almost dogmatic and unquestionable apparent "extraterrestrial hypothesis", lies a much more complex and mysterious paradigm. And how could it be otherwise, our hero, Dr. Hynek soon, very soon discovered that not all were "aliens" after UFOs. To the United Nations, Dr. Hynek made the following speech on November 27, 1978: "There is a global phenomenon whose scope and approach is not generally recognized. It is a strange and foreign to our way of thinking terrestrial newspaper that frequently encounter ridicule and disdain for people and organizations who are not familiar with the facts phenomenon. (...) I mean, of course, the phenomenon of UFOs ... Unidentified Flying Objects ... I would like to define here simply as "any aerial or from the surface sighting, or instrumental recording (eg., Radar, photography, etc.) that remains unexplained by conventional methods even after competent analysis by qualified persons (...) We have on record many tens of thousands of UFO reports ... they include extremely intriguing and provocative stories of strange events experienced by people of great reputation ... events that may well point to the need for change on some of these concepts. (...) Mr. Secretary, I have not always been of the opinion that UFOs were worthy of serious scientific study. I started my Scientific work as a consultant for the US Air Force as an open skeptic, in the firm belief that we are dealing with a mental aberration and a public nuisance. Only to face facts similar to those studied by the French commission stubborn data .. . I have been forced to change my opinion. (...) The UFO phenomenon, as has been studied by my colleagues and myself, indicates the action of a form of intelligence ... but whence this intelligence comes from, whether it is really alien, or if it indicates a higher reality It not yet has been recognized by science, or even if it somehow or other, a psychic manifestation of our own intelligence, is the question. "
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| Dr. J. Allen Hynek and Dr. Jacques Vallée - Theory of Parallel Worlds |
In an interview published in the magazine "UFO Report" (August 1976), Hynek stated: "Lately I've been discarding, increasingly, the idea that UFOs are spaceships 'and verse' of other worlds simply. There are too many things that contradict this theory seems ridiculous ... a superintelligence viajase immense distances to relatively stupid things like stop cars, collect soil samples and scare people (...) I must say that extraterrestrial theory is naive ... we consider the various factors that indicate a link or at least a parallel with episodes of paranormal nature "very clearly.
In a radio address on Radio Monte Carlo program in Uruguay (1982), Hynek admitted that: "There is no doubt that the UFO phenomenon exhibits intelligence. Although I simply do not know where that intelligence comes. It can come from very great distances, and can also be coming from a place nearby, in a parallel reality. "
Therefore, thought UFO through a remarkable and interesting evolution, as we go deeper into the cases and raise more and deeper questions about his true origin and intentions. So, the path starts from skepticism to acceptance of the paradigm, through the "communion" with the extraterrestrial hypothesis to admit, as a last step in our ascent on this journey to unfathomable heights of an unknown fact that this thesis, widely accepted and disseminated by those who have not gone beyond the "conversion" can not even remotely convincingly explain all UFO casuistry registered until today ...
In short "The Paradox Hynek" ... a greater knowledge and understanding of the UFO issue ... the greater the number of questions we ask about the intrinsic nature of unidentified and its occupants ... and more we move away from the aliens ...
Copyright Jose Antonio Caravaca (2014)