Science Ancient Aliens (the Series)?

[jedidia]

Why it took (say) 9000 years to build the civilization that we have now? Did we need a major social change for example?

I wouldn't say that social changes where a big factor in the developement of technology. Some ancient cultures had more efficient social structures and more resources at their disposal than most nations nowadays.

I think the most simple explanation is that knowledge builds on itself. You can't develop the theory of general relativity if Newton wouldn't have provided the basic mechanics. And Newton couldn't have found them if he didn't have a whole lot of other data at his disposal, which again was developed by other data. I think the major tool for technological breakthroughs in the last century were electronics, which wouldn't have been possible without quantum physics, which wouldn't have been possible with a whole lot of other things.

The process could have been more optimised in retrospective, of course. For example, why didn't noone think of the rather simple mechanics of a printing press already a milenium before (which would have sped up further developement a lot).

But there are some connections that just can't be skiped. You can't split the atom without enough energy, so you need a coal powerplant. You can't have that without some significant advances in metalurgy, etc. etc.

Mad Max "what if" scenario: if we suddenly loose the ability of keeping the civilization in its current state by for example exploiting all oil without replacing it with alternatives, will we need additional 9000 years to rebuild everything? After all our brains didn't change much, so if we forget something / loose documentation, we need to redesign the wheel.

Suppose the atom wasn't split, we'd be running out of coal. FAST! once the coal is gone, where do you take the energy from to split the atom? I'd say if we'd have a major setback that would let us loose atomic power, earth wouldn't have the resources to allow for another go.

 

[Hmuda]

I was starting to write a comparison about conspiracy theories, how varied the human mentality can be since CTs and this seemed like two extremes.

Then I realized that it was the same thing. No matter how many human beings are involved, some people just can't accept that yes, our species is capable of such feats without outside interference, be it a shadow-government-organization or aliens from outer space.

The sad thing is that besides those who just invent these theories so that they can write a book so they can make a buck, there are others who honestly believe them.

Now couriosity is a good thing a human can have, that's one of the things what keep science fo forward. But things that sound ridicilous at first, most likely are ridicilous.

Can't remember who said it, but in this case, it hold true to the extremes:

"Extraordinary theories require extraordinary evidence."

As deGrasse Tyson said in one of his presentations: once you can show me evidence, we can talk.

 

[DaveS]

Can't remember who said it, but in this case, it hold true to the extremes:

"Extraordinary theories require extraordinary evidence."

That's a quote from Carl Sagan. And the correct quote is:
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

 

[Hmuda]

That's a quote from Carl Sagan. And the correct quote is:
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

Ah, thanks.

 

[Mojave]

If aliens were real, Probe would have told us:lol:

Seriously:dry:

 

[Quick_Nick]

As long as you have guys like Da Vinci, Newton, Euler, Galileo, Euclid, Einstein, etc. through history, you have no need for aliens. (unless they were aliens )

EDIT: At first I was only going to say Da Vinci for all of his 'ahead of his time' thoughts and inventions, but then I thought I might as well mention some more guys like him.

 

[Blacklight]

I love how these shows (and this includes 90% of the shows on "The History Channel" now, always spend the entire show, giving almost all their time to the "googlie mooglie" "scientists" and they usually give any "REAL" scientist like two secconds. The poor guy is usually lucky if they let him complete a sentance before the voiceover guy chimes in stating the googlie mooglie theory as if it were fact.

 

[Izack]

Its been said here a few times, but I'll say it again.
The human race is a whole lot smarter than some people give it credit for.

It's easy to refute these crackpot claims: go to high school. Learn what real math and science are like, and you realise what stupid fools hoax-propagators and believers are.

P.S. Something just occurred to me: What if hoax-propagators/believers only think people are morons who can't do anything without alien help because the only people whose intelligence they have any experience with are their own...? :lol:

 

[T.Neo]

It's easy to refute these crackpot claims: go to high school.

Go to high school? That's like dropping a brick on your toe to prove that gravity attracts... :shifty:

Though I agree- the basic information to refute these crackpot claims can be found in a highschool, or even elementary school curriculum.

 

[Izack]

Go to high school? That's like dropping a brick on your toe to prove that gravity attracts... :shifty:

Though I agree- the basic information to refute these crackpot claims can be found in a highschool, or even elementary school curriculum.

I'm not trying to say you can be a physicist with a high-school education.
I happened to have had an excellent physics teacher, so maybe I'm a bit partial, but the only point I was trying to prove was the one you stated: the basics information is there. Literally, if you can put two and two together you can figure out what's wrong with these guys.

[rant]
But what kind of elementary school did you go to? All I ever did there was sit around being bored while everyone else learned to add in the wrong language, over and over again every year. We never even hit multiplication until grade 5! We were like 9 years old and no one could do 5x4 (except me apparently)! Even once we could do it, no one knew what the numbers sounded like in English (except me again, and the American student)!
[/rant]

Sorry...I really resent the incompetence of the local education system...:shifty:
Shutting up now.

 

[Andy44]

The problem with conspiracy theories is that some of them turn out to be true. Nixon's Plummers really were trying to bug the Democratic Party. Had they not been caught red-handed at the Watergate Hotel, Democrat accusations would have been dismissed as "just a conspiracy theory".

 

[AirSimming]

Sorry...I really resent the incompetence of the local education system...:shifty:

You'll love this one:

What makes me frightening is when she asked that France is a country and Hungary is a country, the audience doesn't laugh too much actually. I guess you could easliy pick somebody of the audience and you'll get another similar funny appearance...

 

[RisingFury]

Ancient aliens. Because imagining having an anal probe stuck up your ass today, just isn't good enough...

 

[Ghostrider]

I love how these shows (and this includes 90% of the shows on "The History Channel" now, always spend the entire show, giving almost all their time to the "googlie mooglie" "scientists" and they usually give any "REAL" scientist like two secconds. The poor guy is usually lucky if they let him complete a sentance before the voiceover guy chimes in stating the googlie mooglie theory as if it were fact.

Couldn't quote enough because that's the sad state of TV (not that other media, including teh interwebs, is any better). Keep in mind however that TV is about ratings and while ancient aliens, conspiracies and other bovine-originated organic fertilizer makes people tune in, real science is boring as hell to the public. Besides, TV big heads dislike scientists because in their mind they make the audience "feel dumb" (actual quote, wish I had my trusty recorder with me at the time).

So we have shows that rehash the same old freakin' stories about aliens, templars, templars dressed up as aliens, hidden pyramids in Bosnia, angels walking among us (yeah, that too), CERN being a secret installation where they make black holes with antimatter (or the other way round) and every piece of not-researched hearsay is presented as "evidence".

I say, kill them with fire.

 

[jedidia]

hidden pyramids in Bosnia,

:lol:

I actually live only some few miles from that place, and it seems they still haven't begun any serious digging. You can go and watch some stone surfaces on top of the hill (for a price, of course), but that's about it. On the other hand, noone really expects much else from bosnian authorities... They can make a buck now, so why invest in work that bears the risk of not paying off?

 

[T.Neo]

Sorry...I really resent the incompetence of the local education system...:shifty:

Nope... elementary school in SA is pretty much the same.

I think I remember starting multiplication before 5th grade though. :blink:

 

[Izack]

I think I remember starting multiplication before 5th grade though. :blink:

Well, my province is currently the dumbest and fattest in Canada according to StatsCan, so... :rofl:

I've never heard the one about pyramids in Bosnia...I think I'll go not look it up now.

 

[Hmuda]

You'll love this one:

YouTube- Budapest is the capital of what European country?

What makes me frightening is when she asked that France is a country and Hungary is a country, the audience doesn't laugh too much actually. I guess you could easliy pick somebody of the audience and you'll get another similar funny appearance...

Heh, that's very popular video here in Hungary, but for some reason the ones that show how stupid the general population here really is aren't really that popular.

For example, there was a guy who went to the biggest unversity campus in the capital (yes, Budapest ), and asked the students what would happen if they let a feather (or something similar) go while standing on the Moon. The answers they showed in the video were:

- It would fly off.
- It would float.
- etc.

Of course they didn't show the correct answers, but it was enough to conclude: no matter where you are from, you are still human and still don't know everything.

I for example can't even tell every capital city from countries surrounding Hungary (let alone every European country), even though it was a requirement in school. It was so long ago that I forgot it, since I never had to use that knowledge ever since.

There are videos on the net that show americans answering correctly to these kinds of questions, yet they aren't popular, since they don't enforce the stereotype of the stupid amercans.

So the next time anyone sees a video like that, remember: it's not because of where they are from. It's becasue they are human.

 

[Izack]

So the next time anyone sees a video like that, remember: it's not because of where they are from. It's becasue they are human.

Or because they are stupid. There are smart people too...:shifty:

Okay, okay. I do understand what you are trying to say. No one really needs to know the capitals of every European country. I'm sure there are rocket scientists and M.D.s aplenty who don't know where Budapest is (although I hope they know that Europe is a continent! :lol

And the part about reinforcing stereotypes is perfectly true as well. People want to see what conforms to their preconceptions. Humans really are remarkably similar everywhere in the world.

As a side note, I apologise for totally derailing this thread...my bad...:uhh:

 

[ar81]

ALL the PROOF?

First of all... it's evidence. Proof is only possible in mathematics.

And second, what evidence? A pyramid itself is not evidence...

If we think a pyramid is a geometric shape and you can prove the existence of pyramids and all its mathematical properties, you can prove that aliens brought math to Earth...:lol::lol::rofl: