Bernhard M. Pröschold, Extraterrestrials, the great taboo of our time, a special case in cultural theory

First published in Germany in 2012. Translated by Kathleen Cross.

All rights reserved. © 2014 Bernd Pröschold, Gymnicher Str. 4, 50937 Köln

https://www.hessdalen.de/files/k5_en.pdf

Are we afraid of all that is alien to us? Philosophers and sociologists have discussed this question extensively in relation to the clash of cultures. However, no one has applied it so far to the possibility of extraterrestrial visitors. And yet such an inquiry appears perfectly reasonable: there are to the best of our knowledge millions of habitable planets in our galaxy; each year millions of dollars are spent on looking for signs of intelligent life in outer space. And if we consider the time scales of the universe, it makes sense to assume that these civilisations are millions of years older than humankind and have developed to a level far beyond our imagination.

Some scientists say that interstellar space travel is impossible due to the vast distances to be covered. According to Bernhard Pröschold, this argument is rooted in cultural presuppositions. Every human culture on Earth is called into question by anything foreign – “alien” – to it. And western culture in particular has often been unable to deal with anything that is “radically different” other than by seeking to control it. European colonial conquerors sought to resolve this challenge to their own worldview by subjugating and enslaving non-European cultures. This general strategy has remained in place in the era of space travel: either We discover Them – or they do not exist.

The term “UFO” has proven useful to keep the extraterrestrial hypothesis out of public and scientific discourse. In order to identify something we have to compare it to something that is already known. However, it is impossible to learn anything new that way. Even worse: popular culture has turned the UFO issue into a modern myth that fits seamlessly into the realm of conspiracy theories and pseudo science. According to Bernhard Pröschold this kind of marginalisation has just one purpose: to banish any confrontation with the “radical other” from public and scientific discourse.