4 ms·
I think, the further back in history we go, the kookier things get - and that this is a positive, not a negative aspect of the experience. We in the modern age
by mmjaa 9y ago
I think, the further back in history we go, the kookier things get - and that this is a positive, not a negative aspect of the experience. We in the modern age have conditioned ourselves to be subjugated to science - well, for the humans alive 20,000 years ago, cave-paintings were science. The fact that we don't understand them now, and have very strong opinions about the nature of civilisation in that period of human history, is more of the effect that time and history have on human consciousness - namely, occlusion and obfuscation. Kooky explanations for the weird and unusual artefacts we discover in the modern age are to be expected - we are as oblivious to the meaning of ancient art/science as they would be, had we a time machine, of our modern rocketry and iPhones and so on.
I think the Imperial View which tends to lead one to discount observations made beyond the lunatic fringe is less valuable than the conjecture and supposition that occurs when someone, perhaps weird and unintelligent, says to themselves "What if ...?" and then subsequently go off to investigate.
Never forget, even Newton was considered a crackpot for a period. We kill and eat our messiahs, after all, it is an ancient and provocative segment of human psyche, that we have been unable to shake the bonds of cannibalistic behaviour in our societies - sure, we're not cooking and roasting on an open fire, unless that fire is a metaphor for the modern thinker, convinced of their own righteousness.
I'm personally unconvinced that there weren't ancient civilisations with advanced technologies, yet undiscovered, which moved mountains for their own purposes.
We need only look at the deleterious effect of technology in our own generation to understand just how banal things can get, vis a vis forgotten science, and specifically technology. Perhaps the ancients did have anti-gravity capable flying machines that allowed them to build these structures - and perhaps the tech was lost in a few generations because of the deleterious effects of "planned obsolescence" at such scale. Unless someone is willing to stick their neck out and ask "What if .. there are UFO's buried under these mountains/&etc.?", we'll never really know.
Of course I understand the requirement that sense trump fiction - however I don't agree that the line is so drawn in the sands and stones of the ancients. There are many, many signs that we do not understand, and yet many clues that there is more to ancient history, and particularly civilizations beyond our comprehension, than there is 'total certainty of fact'.
Heck, even the Pentagon admits it doesn't know it all about UFO's, c'mon ..
- antonvs 9y ago> Perhaps the ancients did have anti-gravity capable flying machines Anti-gravity like that is essentially impossible according to physics. Even if you decide that you think general relativity is wrong, if a society had antigravity, we would expect to see many more signs of their technological advancement. Unless of course you want to believe that they used some sort of magic, using say incantations instead of technology.
- fit2rule 9y agoThe point is, we don't know everything there is to know about propulsion. "Anti-gravity" is just a useless phrase, sure, but .. maybe its more of a "gravity-bending" technology, who knows. That's really the point I think, is being made. We don't know everything there is to know about how the universe works. Just because ancient cultures might have left us clues to check ourselves before we wreck ourselves, doesn't mean we should not indeed check ourselves. I mean, I'm all for the idea that we discover this kind of technology buried under an old village somewhere. Sounds kind of fun to me - you know, like .. electricity might've sounded fun and exotic at some point ..
- antonvs 9y ago> maybe its more of a "gravity-bending" technology, who knows. We already have gravity bending technology: it's called mass. Gravity is caused by concentrations of energy, which have to be extremely large to generate significant gravity. How much do you know about general relativity? Are you sure that dreaming about this kind of stuff isn't just a way to avoid learning about what we already know? If we suddenly found something buried under an old village, would you want to learn about that, or do you just want to be able to use it without understanding it?
- fit2rule 9y agoI would want the people who understand these things to have an open mind about learning more, from such a discovery, were it to happen - and then I'd like everyone to have access to the technology so we can, like, vacation on Phobos and whatnot. Seriously though, your point is correct. But, obviously, if there were space-faring UFO's capable of impossible speeds, then there'd have to be something behind it all that we are missing. Maybe we'll get some clues one day.