What are people looking at when they see UFOs? Can UFOs, unidentified flying objects, give us the answers to this question? Likely not as these objects are unidentified. However, this leaves room for wild speculation, such as the assumption that UFOs may just be observed alien activity. Now you would be correct in assuming that this wild speculation only occurs with a conspiracy theorist. However, some might be surprised that the modern scientific community could also commit the same appeal to wild speculation. So one must ask what are these scientists and armchair theorists speculate? 

I first want to focus on the UFO sightings in Georgia. I’ll bring back focus to the scientist later. First, I want to examine the implications of aliens being confirmed in the first place, first by bringing up the fermi paradox and a few of the proposed solutions to this paradox. This paradox states that the universe is so vast that there should be lots of life statistically, but we see none. I will go over the history of this paradox and why it is inaccurate. Then I will go over the possible answers to this paradox, as it is still applicable even though it’s flawed. Such as the Zoo answer where humans are in a zoo, and we are secretly observed. Or the self-destructive intelligence answer where it’s assumed if intelligent aliens can make nukes, they’d likely wipe out their species. Each answer intended to give less legitimacy to UFO sightings. Then I will present the most likely explanation, which is relatively benign but lonely. That answer is that life is scarce in the universe, and intelligent life is extraordinarily rare. So we should value life on earth and make sure that we use more evidence-based thinking before we assume aliens. Luckily, of course, we can trust the scientists. 

Although one should try to remember that scientists are just falsifiable conspiracy theorists, as shown with Oumuamua, an object found in space that’s in the shape of a cigar. Its peculiar structure led the scientific community to start claiming that aliens genuinely do exist. Later, the object was not in the form of a cigar but more in a disk’s shape. Although many other possible explanations also existed to explain the formation of this object. I want to present this case to show that none of us are infallible, and we all seem to have a bias to want aliens to exist.

I find the bias for extraterrestrial life to be interesting. Even if most UFOs are just searchlights in the sky, mass hallucinations, or a made-up story for publicity. We see an actor or a force beyond human understanding. In both a benign and disturbing way, aliens fascinate us. Likely this alien craze is due to space travel in the modern era. I believe that aliens exist. Though I think we are a long, long way from finding and befriending them. The discovery of alien life, especially intelligent alien life, would revolutionize the world. Unfortunately, I don’t believe aliens will be found in my lifetime, and any speculation to determine so should be very critically examined. Because the UFO you might be chasing down could be a bird.

Boeree, Liv. “Why Haven’t We Found Aliens Yet?” Vox, Vox, 3 July 2018, www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/7/3/17522810/aliens-fermi-paradox-drake-equation. 

This article goes over the Fermi paradox. The Fermi Paradox is an idea that aims to answer the lack of alien signals in a universe that should be full of life. The most likely explanation is that life is rare. As well we still don’t fully understand how life came to be in the first place.

Cawdron, Peter. “Chariot of the Gods?” Thinking Sci-Fi, 21 Mar. 2021, https://thinkingscifi.wordpress.com/2021/03/20/chariot-of-the-gods/.   

This article goes over the mysterious object called Oumuamua. It’s an extraterrestrial object In the shape of a cigar that appeared in our solar system in the year 2017. Which led the scientific community to lose their collective minds and yell “Aliens!” Even though there was little evidence then and even less evidence today as it is not in the shape of a cigar, it is more in the form of a disk. It is a bizarre space object, of course, but modern-day scientists must learn to temper their bias for extraterrestrial life.

Kovac, Joe. “UFOs Lit up Georgia Skies in 1970s as Macon Firemen Chased Flashing Orbs. Do You Believe?” The Telegraph, 7 May 2019, 5:00 AM, www.macon.com/news/local/article229804369.html.  

This article goes over various cases of UFO sightings in Georgia. With the clippings of old newspapers from the 1970’s. With multiple people seeing glowing objects in the sky, moving in erratic, odd, or incredible ways.

Smith, Howard A. “Alone in the Universe.” American Scientist, 2 Feb. 2018, www.americanscientist.org/article/alone-in-the-universe. 

This article talks about the many conditions that need to be met to bring about life on other planets. The article concludes that, most likely, there is no intelligent life. Possibly microbial life exists in the universe. Though ultimately, we should understand that life on earth is unique and lucky. So we should cherish our world and the life in it.

Yanes, Javier. “Five Solutions to the Fermi Paradox.” OpenMind, 20 Feb. 2020, www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/physics/five-solutions-to-the-fermi-paradox/.  

The Fermi paradox states that if the universe is so big, why is there no life statistically speaking? This article presents several solutions to that question. Most of these answers are pretty depressing and pragmatic—some more than others.