1 00:00:08,780 --> 00:00:04,329 okay um this is an incredible honor and 2 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:08,790 I want these people get choked up real 3 00:00:13,910 --> 00:00:11,490 easy so I'll just leave it at that but I 4 00:00:19,010 --> 00:00:13,920 it's one of the great honors of my life 5 00:00:21,260 --> 00:00:19,020 and thank you very much now the subject 6 00:00:25,330 --> 00:00:21,270 of my lecture comes out of questions 7 00:00:28,580 --> 00:00:25,340 that I've puzzled over for a long time 8 00:00:32,450 --> 00:00:28,590 for example why is you follow Jesus 9 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:32,460 festival hypothesis so difficult to get 10 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:35,610 a focus on one of it at one time just 11 00:00:41,810 --> 00:00:39,090 looked logical in inevitable and what is 12 00:00:44,630 --> 00:00:41,820 the relationship of UFO reports to other 13 00:00:46,729 --> 00:00:44,640 extraordinary claims that figure in 14 00:00:49,279 --> 00:00:46,739 massive human testimony over many 15 00:00:52,189 --> 00:00:49,289 centuries are UFOs related to these 16 00:00:53,889 --> 00:00:52,199 phenomena or aren't they and what can 17 00:00:57,250 --> 00:00:53,899 testimony about other fantastic 18 00:01:01,520 --> 00:00:57,260 encounters tell us about UFO testimony 19 00:01:05,270 --> 00:01:01,530 now the answers I find not surprisingly 20 00:01:07,039 --> 00:01:05,280 our bottomless ly complex and hardly 21 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:07,049 suited to a talk is supposed to last 22 00:01:11,929 --> 00:01:09,930 about half an hour but perhaps I can 23 00:01:14,300 --> 00:01:11,939 give you some idea of what I've 24 00:01:16,670 --> 00:01:14,310 concluded from a lifetime of research 25 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:16,680 and reflection and perhaps I can 26 00:01:21,830 --> 00:01:19,770 communicate some sense of why I now find 27 00:01:25,580 --> 00:01:21,840 it more useful to define myself as an 28 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:25,590 anomalous as opposed to a ufologist what 29 00:01:30,380 --> 00:01:27,570 I'm going to take a look at is two sets 30 00:01:32,719 --> 00:01:30,390 of extraordinary claims which predate 31 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:32,729 the UFO phenomenon of the past decades 32 00:01:37,010 --> 00:01:34,890 these aren't the only sets I could have 33 00:01:39,710 --> 00:01:37,020 chosen but these happen to be two I've 34 00:01:42,260 --> 00:01:39,720 examined especially closely over the 35 00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:42,270 years it's my conclusion that they shed 36 00:01:47,830 --> 00:01:44,970 some light on the vexing questions that 37 00:01:50,690 --> 00:01:47,840 you follow just an anomalous deal with 38 00:01:53,359 --> 00:01:50,700 writing about Scottish fairy traditions 39 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:53,369 in an academic work published seven 40 00:01:59,109 --> 00:01:55,770 years ago two British folklorists 41 00:02:02,510 --> 00:01:59,119 pleaded with no small hint of exerts 42 00:02:04,700 --> 00:02:02,520 exasperation it should be possible to 43 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:04,710 believe ones informants without 44 00:02:11,060 --> 00:02:07,650 believing their explanations 45 00:02:13,610 --> 00:02:11,070 now another student of Scottish fairy 46 00:02:18,230 --> 00:02:13,620 traditions was the Reverend Robert Kirk 47 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:18,240 who lived between 1644 and 1692 in his 48 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:22,250 classic work the secret Commonwealth 49 00:02:27,530 --> 00:02:25,410 Kirk recorded the living lore of his 50 00:02:30,020 --> 00:02:27,540 parishioners and and other local people 51 00:02:34,010 --> 00:02:30,030 who were certain that they lived 52 00:02:36,830 --> 00:02:34,020 alongside a complex otherworldly order 53 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:36,840 which in many ways parodied the Society 54 00:02:42,310 --> 00:02:37,770 of human beings 55 00:02:45,740 --> 00:02:42,320 fairies marry play music dance wage war 56 00:02:49,190 --> 00:02:45,750 farm own livestock ride horses and have 57 00:02:51,170 --> 00:02:49,200 a political order ruled by a queen the 58 00:02:52,580 --> 00:02:51,180 supernatural landscape overlies the 59 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:52,590 natural one 60 00:02:59,180 --> 00:02:55,890 thus visible Hills caves bodies of water 61 00:03:01,880 --> 00:02:59,190 and other natural features concealed the 62 00:03:04,370 --> 00:03:01,890 usually invisible race which dwells 63 00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:04,380 inside in what our time we would call 64 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:06,650 another dimension or a parallel world 65 00:03:13,220 --> 00:03:09,690 one who passes voluntarily or 66 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:13,230 involuntarily into the fairy realm has 67 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:14,970 crossed the boundary that divides this 68 00:03:20,150 --> 00:03:17,610 world from the other world we're not 69 00:03:23,540 --> 00:03:20,160 talking about Tinkerbell here for one 70 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:23,550 thing fairies in traditional lore such 71 00:03:27,110 --> 00:03:25,410 as the ones that though the the 72 00:03:28,790 --> 00:03:27,120 traditions that Kirk was familiar with 73 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:28,800 don't have wings they don't have 74 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:30,330 gossamer wings they have no wings at all 75 00:03:34,490 --> 00:03:32,850 they're generally said to be short in 76 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:34,500 stature although some varieties were 77 00:03:40,340 --> 00:03:37,890 thought to be of human height you didn't 78 00:03:43,910 --> 00:03:40,350 want to encounter them they tended to be 79 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:43,920 bad-tempered capricious easily offended 80 00:03:49,970 --> 00:03:46,290 and they often cause trouble for people 81 00:03:52,039 --> 00:03:49,980 who cross their paths and they didn't 82 00:03:53,930 --> 00:03:52,049 like to hear themselves talked about so 83 00:03:55,580 --> 00:03:53,940 you had to be very careful about what 84 00:03:57,050 --> 00:03:55,590 you were saying because they were 85 00:03:59,030 --> 00:03:57,060 invisible they could be listening to 86 00:04:01,310 --> 00:03:59,040 your conversation they didn't like to be 87 00:04:05,150 --> 00:04:01,320 called fairies so that people invented 88 00:04:09,050 --> 00:04:05,160 euphemisms like good neighbors fair folk 89 00:04:11,750 --> 00:04:09,060 the gentry the good people though 90 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:11,760 well-educated in a time when display 91 00:04:17,539 --> 00:04:13,890 fanfare accretions was was widespread 92 00:04:21,039 --> 00:04:17,549 among elites Kirk himself held that 93 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:21,049 there really was a literal real 94 00:04:30,129 --> 00:04:28,250 fairy land and in his analysis it was a 95 00:04:32,619 --> 00:04:30,139 place that existed somewhere between the 96 00:04:36,100 --> 00:04:32,629 earthly realm and the angelic realm it 97 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:36,110 had elements of both and he he came to 98 00:04:40,180 --> 00:04:38,090 this conclusion not out of you know 99 00:04:43,149 --> 00:04:40,190 nebulous rumors and folklore and so on 100 00:04:45,909 --> 00:04:43,159 but out of the direct testimony of 101 00:04:47,980 --> 00:04:45,919 people that he judged credible who 102 00:04:49,899 --> 00:04:47,990 claimed to have had personal experience 103 00:04:51,820 --> 00:04:49,909 of it it's not clear whether Kirk 104 00:04:54,309 --> 00:04:51,830 himself had an experience of the 105 00:04:57,279 --> 00:04:54,319 supernatural but he was convinced that 106 00:05:00,939 --> 00:04:57,289 it was a real genuine supernatural order 107 00:05:03,460 --> 00:05:00,949 now Kirk remarked that fairies are 108 00:05:05,860 --> 00:05:03,470 usually encountered at Twilight now he 109 00:05:09,089 --> 00:05:05,870 meant that literally but it's also a 110 00:05:12,610 --> 00:05:09,099 perfect metaphor of the threshold or 111 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:12,620 liminal space in which the Otherworld 112 00:05:18,820 --> 00:05:15,770 passes from imagination into experience 113 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:18,830 into in other words a kind of twilight 114 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:22,490 zone of ambiguous epistemology one in 115 00:05:27,909 --> 00:05:24,370 which our rational scientific outlook 116 00:05:29,649 --> 00:05:27,919 tries always to impose itself on the 117 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:29,659 landscape of the irrational and the 118 00:05:34,749 --> 00:05:32,810 otherworldly testimony to fairy 119 00:05:37,269 --> 00:05:34,759 encounters is not hard to find all you 120 00:05:40,629 --> 00:05:37,279 have to do is read one of the many books 121 00:05:42,670 --> 00:05:40,639 of written by academics collecting fairy 122 00:05:44,350 --> 00:05:42,680 and other supernatural traditions and 123 00:05:47,129 --> 00:05:44,360 you get the impression that the 124 00:05:50,110 --> 00:05:47,139 informants are are sincere enough and 125 00:05:52,959 --> 00:05:50,120 even the the academic folklorists aren't 126 00:05:55,209 --> 00:05:52,969 inclined to accuse them of lying mostly 127 00:05:56,920 --> 00:05:55,219 they just write it down when they get 128 00:05:59,860 --> 00:05:56,930 around to writing about it for their 129 00:06:02,860 --> 00:05:59,870 academic colleagues the contents of 130 00:06:06,809 --> 00:06:02,870 popular belief in the content of popular 131 00:06:10,209 --> 00:06:06,819 personal experience are undifferentiated 132 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:10,219 the implication is that nothing remains 133 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:12,289 to be explained except the foundations 134 00:06:18,430 --> 00:06:15,770 in some superstition haunted past of a 135 00:06:23,589 --> 00:06:18,440 fantastic scientifically baseless oral 136 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:23,599 tradition if fairies don't exist 137 00:06:28,930 --> 00:06:26,330 they can't be experienced thus claims to 138 00:06:30,399 --> 00:06:28,940 the contrary need not be addressed but 139 00:06:33,340 --> 00:06:30,409 once upon a time they actually were 140 00:06:35,470 --> 00:06:33,350 addressed academics accepted the 141 00:06:38,050 --> 00:06:35,480 need to actually explain the sightings 142 00:06:40,060 --> 00:06:38,060 what the people in the British Isles saw 143 00:06:43,420 --> 00:06:40,070 according to a theory popular in the 144 00:06:45,700 --> 00:06:43,430 19th century were real people 145 00:06:47,980 --> 00:06:45,710 I mean they really existed but they were 146 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:47,990 a race of small people that picks the 147 00:06:52,270 --> 00:06:50,570 original inhabitants of the islands who 148 00:06:55,390 --> 00:06:52,280 it was speculated had been driven into 149 00:06:57,610 --> 00:06:55,400 hiding and hills caves and mountains now 150 00:07:00,750 --> 00:06:57,620 this was an extraordinary claim in 151 00:07:03,990 --> 00:07:00,760 itself which died for want of evidence 152 00:07:06,940 --> 00:07:04,000 and also from its just radical 153 00:07:09,790 --> 00:07:06,950 disjuncture from what witnesses were 154 00:07:12,610 --> 00:07:09,800 actually reporting a recent book by an 155 00:07:15,130 --> 00:07:12,620 academic writer proposes that fairy 156 00:07:17,470 --> 00:07:15,140 sightings may have been generated by 157 00:07:21,100 --> 00:07:17,480 encounters with individuals suffering 158 00:07:22,930 --> 00:07:21,110 congenital deformities at the opposite 159 00:07:25,780 --> 00:07:22,940 extreme among scholarly investigators 160 00:07:27,820 --> 00:07:25,790 was Walter Evans whence author of the 161 00:07:31,570 --> 00:07:27,830 famous the fairy faith in celtic 162 00:07:33,310 --> 00:07:31,580 countries published in 1911 evan evans 163 00:07:35,770 --> 00:07:33,320 whence thought that fairies and other 164 00:07:37,870 --> 00:07:35,780 supernatural entities were quite real 165 00:07:40,150 --> 00:07:37,880 living in a parallel universe which 166 00:07:42,490 --> 00:07:40,160 occasionally overlaps with our own he 167 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:42,500 wrote quoting we can postulate 168 00:07:47,950 --> 00:07:44,570 scientifically on the showing of the 169 00:07:50,500 --> 00:07:47,960 data of psychical research the existence 170 00:07:53,830 --> 00:07:50,510 of such invisible intelligences as gods 171 00:07:57,880 --> 00:07:53,840 genies demons all kinds of true fairies 172 00:07:59,590 --> 00:07:57,890 and disembodied men unquote the problem 173 00:08:01,680 --> 00:07:59,600 with such a literal interpretation is 174 00:08:05,350 --> 00:08:01,690 that aside from you know apparently 175 00:08:07,570 --> 00:08:05,360 sincere testimonial claims there's no 176 00:08:09,820 --> 00:08:07,580 evidence of any any compelling kind has 177 00:08:12,310 --> 00:08:09,830 ever been demonstrated for the presence 178 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:12,320 of a fairy realm beyond that there's 179 00:08:16,930 --> 00:08:14,930 another major objection which which Kirk 180 00:08:19,750 --> 00:08:16,940 noted but without probably really 181 00:08:21,850 --> 00:08:19,760 appreciating its significance he Kirk 182 00:08:24,910 --> 00:08:21,860 observed that fairies dress and speak 183 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:24,920 quoting like the people in country under 184 00:08:29,860 --> 00:08:27,410 which they live unquote now a fairy 185 00:08:32,830 --> 00:08:29,870 traditions are ubiquitous in traditional 186 00:08:37,029 --> 00:08:32,840 societies and this in itself is a deep 187 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:37,039 mystery but each fairy society is suited 188 00:08:43,079 --> 00:08:40,250 to its human neighbourhood considered in 189 00:08:46,450 --> 00:08:43,089 their entirety fairy traditions are two 190 00:08:48,940 --> 00:08:46,460 wildly complex various and fantastic 191 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:48,950 to add up to a coherent paranormal 192 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:51,710 geography there's no objective fairy 193 00:08:58,380 --> 00:08:54,170 world just a range of subjective ones 194 00:08:59,530 --> 00:08:58,390 but resan sustained vexing ly and deeply 195 00:09:03,400 --> 00:08:59,540 counter-intuitively 196 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:03,410 by individuals who claim direct vivid 197 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:07,850 experiences of it now as many of you 198 00:09:13,660 --> 00:09:10,490 know the modern UFO phenomenon begins in 199 00:09:15,730 --> 00:09:13,670 the summer of 1947 now contrary to an 200 00:09:18,190 --> 00:09:15,740 academic mythology that you see in a lot 201 00:09:20,830 --> 00:09:18,200 of sociological writing about the 202 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:20,840 history of UFO controversy in the summer 203 00:09:26,950 --> 00:09:23,810 of 1947 nobody was looking for salvation 204 00:09:29,740 --> 00:09:26,960 from outer space when people started 205 00:09:32,830 --> 00:09:29,750 seeing what appeared to be the new and 206 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:32,840 novel flying saucers people thought they 207 00:09:40,810 --> 00:09:37,130 were secret weapons some side product of 208 00:09:42,790 --> 00:09:40,820 atomic testing or are just delusions and 209 00:09:45,970 --> 00:09:42,800 in the first Gallup poll ever taken on 210 00:09:49,710 --> 00:09:45,980 the subject in August 1947 et visitors 211 00:09:53,380 --> 00:09:49,720 don't even register the consensus of 212 00:09:55,150 --> 00:09:53,390 opinion that UFO sightings might be 213 00:09:58,210 --> 00:09:55,160 related to visitors from outer space 214 00:10:03,040 --> 00:09:58,220 really didn't take hold in in society 215 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:03,050 until about maybe about 1953 1955 216 00:10:09,300 --> 00:10:04,730 somewhere in that area the early to mid 217 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:09,310 1950s but an objective phenomenon 218 00:10:15,130 --> 00:10:12,290 unrelated to cultural expectations can 219 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:15,140 be traced well into the 19th century now 220 00:10:19,570 --> 00:10:16,970 here's one example I found I spend a lot 221 00:10:22,540 --> 00:10:19,580 of time doing our Chi ville research in 222 00:10:25,660 --> 00:10:22,550 in anomalistic sand I found this 223 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:25,670 incredibly interesting item in the 224 00:10:31,180 --> 00:10:28,370 December 6 1887 issue of an upstate New 225 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:31,190 York newspaper and it was from a letter 226 00:10:36,250 --> 00:10:34,130 written by a correspondent in a nearby 227 00:10:38,950 --> 00:10:36,260 village I'm going to read you exactly 228 00:10:41,500 --> 00:10:38,960 what he wrote because I think my 229 00:10:42,940 --> 00:10:41,510 paraphrase might dilute its in its 230 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:42,950 impact but it's quite striking now 231 00:10:49,090 --> 00:10:45,650 remember this is 1887 nobody's heard of 232 00:10:51,190 --> 00:10:49,100 UFOs perhaps I might interest some of 233 00:10:53,860 --> 00:10:51,200 your readers if I should tell him of a 234 00:10:56,710 --> 00:10:53,870 strange phenomenon I saw at sunset 235 00:10:59,140 --> 00:10:56,720 October 24th I was sitting at a window 236 00:11:00,260 --> 00:10:59,150 looking towards the east watching the 237 00:11:02,690 --> 00:11:00,270 clouds as they 238 00:11:06,860 --> 00:11:02,700 hold up from the West giving us a clear 239 00:11:09,470 --> 00:11:06,870 sunset at the South the forest sparkled 240 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:09,480 and glistened is if clad in what looked 241 00:11:14,750 --> 00:11:13,170 to me like sparkling silver I began to 242 00:11:17,390 --> 00:11:14,760 look around for the cause and coming 243 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:17,400 from the north was what I can only 244 00:11:22,550 --> 00:11:20,250 describe it like this about mid distance 245 00:11:24,890 --> 00:11:22,560 between the heavens and earth and coming 246 00:11:27,860 --> 00:11:24,900 at a rapid rate were what looked like 247 00:11:29,990 --> 00:11:27,870 silver balls reminding me of silver coin 248 00:11:32,210 --> 00:11:30,000 of all denominations bright and 249 00:11:34,450 --> 00:11:32,220 sparkling tumbling and rushing through 250 00:11:37,250 --> 00:11:34,460 the air going towards the east and 251 00:11:39,770 --> 00:11:37,260 finally disappearing beyond the lower 252 00:11:42,470 --> 00:11:39,780 strata sub clouds - winds were 253 00:11:44,690 --> 00:11:42,480 prevailing at the time the upper strata 254 00:11:46,940 --> 00:11:44,700 sub clouds going towards the east the 255 00:11:49,310 --> 00:11:46,950 lower towards the west and this bushel 256 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:49,320 of sparkling balls below the lower 257 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:52,770 clouds toward the east also this grand 258 00:11:57,050 --> 00:11:54,810 phenomenon was visible for about four 259 00:12:00,140 --> 00:11:57,060 minutes and was seen by several persons 260 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:00,150 here in town can any one tell me from my 261 00:12:05,780 --> 00:12:02,490 description what it was and the cause of 262 00:12:08,900 --> 00:12:05,790 it now here we have what I call the core 263 00:12:10,940 --> 00:12:08,910 UFO phenomenon structured metallic and 264 00:12:13,070 --> 00:12:10,950 appearance capable of rapid even 265 00:12:16,490 --> 00:12:13,080 extraordinary movement so what Kenneth 266 00:12:18,380 --> 00:12:16,500 Arnold saw on June 24th 1947 over the 267 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:18,390 Cascade Mountains and what an 268 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:20,130 uncountable number of witnesses have 269 00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:23,010 reported since objects like these can 270 00:12:27,410 --> 00:12:24,690 have been tracked on radar and other 271 00:12:30,260 --> 00:12:27,420 instruments left puzzling ground traces 272 00:12:32,570 --> 00:12:30,270 stopped Motor Vehicles interfered with 273 00:12:34,940 --> 00:12:32,580 electrical systems and provided other 274 00:12:37,940 --> 00:12:34,950 kinds of evidence of their physical and 275 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:37,950 technological presence reports such as 276 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:40,050 these a number of them well investigated 277 00:12:45,260 --> 00:12:42,930 oppressively documented lend themselves 278 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:45,270 almost inescapably to the 279 00:12:51,410 --> 00:12:47,970 extra-terrestrial hypothesis and indeed 280 00:12:54,890 --> 00:12:51,420 if as XO biologically inclined 281 00:12:56,990 --> 00:12:54,900 astronomers argue our galaxy alone 282 00:13:01,190 --> 00:12:57,000 contains hundreds of millions of 283 00:13:03,260 --> 00:13:01,200 advanced civilizations a visible et 284 00:13:07,130 --> 00:13:03,270 presence is more likely than its 285 00:13:10,390 --> 00:13:07,140 opposite but if the ETH is is a 286 00:13:13,940 --> 00:13:10,400 reasonable fit for hardcore UFO events 287 00:13:17,030 --> 00:13:13,950 the effort to devise a unified field 288 00:13:19,460 --> 00:13:17,040 apology is faltered and it's faulted 289 00:13:21,879 --> 00:13:19,470 because as the UFO controversy has 290 00:13:24,980 --> 00:13:21,889 dragged on for more than six decades no 291 00:13:29,509 --> 00:13:24,990 UFO phenomena have grown ever more 292 00:13:32,389 --> 00:13:29,519 bizarre I wrote a book about UFOs in 293 00:13:34,759 --> 00:13:32,399 ufology in the 1960s and 1970s the title 294 00:13:36,439 --> 00:13:34,769 of it was high strangeness and I called 295 00:13:39,470 --> 00:13:36,449 it that because during that period 296 00:13:41,509 --> 00:13:39,480 people began to report a range of 297 00:13:44,900 --> 00:13:41,519 literally incredible encounters with 298 00:13:46,730 --> 00:13:44,910 UFOs with bizarre UFO associated 299 00:13:50,150 --> 00:13:46,740 entities and creatures men in black 300 00:13:53,090 --> 00:13:50,160 abductions otherworldly journeys while 301 00:13:56,509 --> 00:13:53,100 unprovable though they failed to provide 302 00:14:01,220 --> 00:13:56,519 a consistent portrait of an otherworldly 303 00:14:03,829 --> 00:14:01,230 order what connect the stories strongly 304 00:14:06,170 --> 00:14:03,839 was the witness's evidence sincerity and 305 00:14:09,129 --> 00:14:06,180 their sincere conviction that they had 306 00:14:12,199 --> 00:14:09,139 undergone vivid profoundly weird 307 00:14:15,410 --> 00:14:12,209 experiences with all the resonance of 308 00:14:17,329 --> 00:14:15,420 real encounters in the mid 1960s the 309 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:17,339 focus of some leading apologists turned 310 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:19,250 to the high strangeness cases as 311 00:14:24,590 --> 00:14:21,570 indicators of what they saw as the true 312 00:14:27,740 --> 00:14:24,600 underlying paranormal foundation of all 313 00:14:29,980 --> 00:14:27,750 ufo-related occurrences it was 314 00:14:33,230 --> 00:14:29,990 undeniably true that the most exotic 315 00:14:35,030 --> 00:14:33,240 manifestations made the ETH pale in 316 00:14:38,810 --> 00:14:35,040 comparison made it look like the product 317 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:38,820 of a failed imagination and paranormal a 318 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:41,970 third theorists insisted that UFOs were 319 00:14:46,790 --> 00:14:44,010 just a mask covering the face of an 320 00:14:49,670 --> 00:14:46,800 unknowable shape-shifting supernatural 321 00:14:51,500 --> 00:14:49,680 intelligence one critic quipped that 322 00:14:55,819 --> 00:14:51,510 such as supernatural intelligence is 323 00:14:58,069 --> 00:14:55,829 usually called God the more highly 324 00:15:00,079 --> 00:14:58,079 strange the report the harder it is to 325 00:15:03,410 --> 00:15:00,089 prove that some such event has happened 326 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:03,420 in any ordinarily understood sense of 327 00:15:08,150 --> 00:15:05,970 event and happened encounters with 328 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:08,160 bizarre entities in otherworldly 329 00:15:12,829 --> 00:15:10,290 journeys tended to focus on one 330 00:15:15,439 --> 00:15:12,839 individual or a very small group of 331 00:15:19,129 --> 00:15:15,449 individuals and such experiences exist 332 00:15:21,410 --> 00:15:19,139 only in memory and testimony so what 333 00:15:23,030 --> 00:15:21,420 were you to make of all this I think we 334 00:15:24,889 --> 00:15:23,040 can get some clues if we go back to the 335 00:15:26,750 --> 00:15:24,899 late 19th century and some curious 336 00:15:30,050 --> 00:15:26,760 stories that were in circular 337 00:15:32,389 --> 00:15:30,060 and then beginning in November 1896 338 00:15:35,990 --> 00:15:32,399 people in California began report seeing 339 00:15:37,759 --> 00:15:36,000 strange airships flying overhead in over 340 00:15:40,310 --> 00:15:37,769 the next months the reports drifted 341 00:15:43,009 --> 00:15:40,320 eastward into the Midwest and Texas and 342 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:43,019 even out to the East Coast many hundreds 343 00:15:46,490 --> 00:15:44,730 of reports fill the papers if you go 344 00:15:48,290 --> 00:15:46,500 back to April 1897 look to old 345 00:15:49,430 --> 00:15:48,300 newspapers you're going to find reports 346 00:15:51,769 --> 00:15:49,440 mystery airships 347 00:15:53,540 --> 00:15:51,779 now no such airships were flying in 348 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:53,550 America at the time according to 349 00:15:58,730 --> 00:15:56,010 aviation history and these reports are 350 00:16:01,220 --> 00:15:58,740 preserved in UFO books not aviation 351 00:16:03,980 --> 00:16:01,230 histories the reports were treated 352 00:16:05,689 --> 00:16:03,990 mostly with division and the coverage 353 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:05,699 and other social dynamics sort of 354 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:08,610 prefigured the reception of UFO reports 355 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:13,170 decades later but to those to those who 356 00:16:17,030 --> 00:16:14,610 thought the sightings were not just 357 00:16:19,100 --> 00:16:17,040 hoaxes and misidentifications the belief 358 00:16:22,579 --> 00:16:19,110 was that somebody had really invented an 359 00:16:25,579 --> 00:16:22,589 airship and there was hardly a small 360 00:16:27,199 --> 00:16:25,589 town in the land that didn't boast some 361 00:16:29,900 --> 00:16:27,209 small-town tinkerer who said he was 362 00:16:31,519 --> 00:16:29,910 about to master the mystery in the 363 00:16:34,370 --> 00:16:31,529 question of controlled aerial navigation 364 00:16:36,740 --> 00:16:34,380 and in fact just a few years later at 365 00:16:38,650 --> 00:16:36,750 Kitty Hawk North Carolina two small-town 366 00:16:42,139 --> 00:16:38,660 tinker's did just that 367 00:16:43,730 --> 00:16:42,149 but the provincial papers of 1897 are 368 00:16:46,910 --> 00:16:43,740 not the most reliable source of 369 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:46,920 information many tall tales were printed 370 00:16:52,490 --> 00:16:49,130 and one variety of story almost 371 00:16:54,769 --> 00:16:52,500 universally rejected as suspect was the 372 00:16:58,519 --> 00:16:54,779 1897 equivalent to the close encounter 373 00:17:00,889 --> 00:16:58,529 of the Third Kind where people claim 374 00:17:03,199 --> 00:17:00,899 that they had actually seen the airships 375 00:17:04,909 --> 00:17:03,209 land they had met the crews the crews 376 00:17:06,470 --> 00:17:04,919 were American inventors who gave him a 377 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:06,480 name and said what they were doing and 378 00:17:09,890 --> 00:17:08,250 what they were up to and when they were 379 00:17:13,699 --> 00:17:09,900 going to declare their invention to the 380 00:17:16,490 --> 00:17:13,709 world and it was generally long assumed 381 00:17:20,449 --> 00:17:16,500 that these stories were just pure 382 00:17:21,590 --> 00:17:20,459 fiction but has it happened you know you 383 00:17:23,030 --> 00:17:21,600 know after all you know such things 384 00:17:25,429 --> 00:17:23,040 could have happened as aviation 385 00:17:27,710 --> 00:17:25,439 historians a test how could anybody have 386 00:17:30,049 --> 00:17:27,720 experienced them well it turns out that 387 00:17:32,210 --> 00:17:30,059 apparently people did experience them as 388 00:17:35,659 --> 00:17:32,220 I found out in some research that I've 389 00:17:37,820 --> 00:17:35,669 done over the last year or two I was 390 00:17:39,930 --> 00:17:37,830 particularly interested in a incident 391 00:17:43,770 --> 00:17:39,940 that was reported in the Houston paper 392 00:17:46,260 --> 00:17:43,780 on April 21st 1897 describing something 393 00:17:48,300 --> 00:17:46,270 that is said to have happened late on 394 00:17:52,350 --> 00:17:48,310 the evening of April 19th 395 00:17:55,620 --> 00:17:52,360 just outside Beaumont Texas Jr Lagoon 396 00:17:59,520 --> 00:17:55,630 and his son Charlie were returning home 397 00:18:02,130 --> 00:17:59,530 late at night and they were putting the 398 00:18:03,900 --> 00:18:02,140 horses they were on hitching the horses 399 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:03,910 when they noticed lights and a nearby 400 00:18:09,750 --> 00:18:06,610 pasture and they walked the several 401 00:18:11,250 --> 00:18:09,760 hundred years 700 yards to where the 402 00:18:13,770 --> 00:18:11,260 lights were and they discovered there 403 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:13,780 was an immense airship landed in their 404 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:16,690 pasture and they saw four men moving 405 00:18:21,090 --> 00:18:19,570 around it they they described the 406 00:18:24,060 --> 00:18:21,100 airship is about a hundred eighty feet 407 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:24,070 long 20 feet wide with four large wings 408 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:28,330 and the aeronauts indicated that they 409 00:18:35,250 --> 00:18:31,930 needed water and so Lagoon according to 410 00:18:36,990 --> 00:18:35,260 Logan's account in the Houston post they 411 00:18:40,290 --> 00:18:37,000 came into the house each of them 412 00:18:42,930 --> 00:18:40,300 carrying two buckets the only crew 413 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:42,940 member to provide information and then 414 00:18:47,580 --> 00:18:45,370 only when asked introduced himself as 415 00:18:49,980 --> 00:18:47,590 Wilson he said that he and his 416 00:18:51,180 --> 00:18:49,990 companions had been flying the machine 417 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:51,190 around they were going back to the 418 00:18:58,040 --> 00:18:54,010 Midwest where they had built this and 419 00:19:01,980 --> 00:18:58,050 several other comparable airships now 420 00:19:04,740 --> 00:19:01,990 the Nick on four days after the Houston 421 00:19:08,250 --> 00:19:04,750 post published this story the New 422 00:19:11,100 --> 00:19:08,260 Orleans times-picayune published an 423 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:11,110 interview with a man identified as rabbi 424 00:19:18,890 --> 00:19:15,850 a levy levy was a Beaumont resident who 425 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:18,900 was visiting New Orleans at the time and 426 00:19:24,450 --> 00:19:21,610 Levy told the reporter that on a recent 427 00:19:27,210 --> 00:19:24,460 night he had heard that an airship had 428 00:19:30,750 --> 00:19:27,220 landed on a farm just outside Beaumont 429 00:19:33,270 --> 00:19:30,760 and he was enormous Lee Anderson curious 430 00:19:36,230 --> 00:19:33,280 and he went to the site and in the 431 00:19:39,810 --> 00:19:36,240 darkness he glimpsed this huge airship 432 00:19:41,100 --> 00:19:39,820 landed in the field and he said I'm 433 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:41,110 quoting what he told the picked the 434 00:19:46,410 --> 00:19:43,690 paper he said I spoke to one of the men 435 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:46,420 one of the airship crew when he went 436 00:19:51,300 --> 00:19:48,730 into the farmers house and shook hands 437 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:51,310 with him yes he did say where it was 438 00:19:55,770 --> 00:19:53,410 built but I can't remember the name of 439 00:19:57,060 --> 00:19:55,780 place or the name of the inventor he 440 00:19:57,780 --> 00:19:57,070 said that they had been traveling a 441 00:19:59,970 --> 00:19:57,790 great deal 442 00:20:01,950 --> 00:19:59,980 I was so dumbfounded that I could not 443 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:01,960 form an intelligent question to ask 444 00:20:06,540 --> 00:20:04,810 unquote now as people who have studied 445 00:20:08,940 --> 00:20:06,550 the mystery airship question are aware 446 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:08,950 some of these stories are deeply suspect 447 00:20:12,510 --> 00:20:10,810 and sometimes they involve people who 448 00:20:14,130 --> 00:20:12,520 don't even exist they were just made up 449 00:20:16,530 --> 00:20:14,140 by somebody probably somebody in this 450 00:20:18,540 --> 00:20:16,540 paper office but I decided to 451 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:18,550 investigate to find out if I could even 452 00:20:24,900 --> 00:20:21,850 establish that a JR Lagaan a Charlie 453 00:20:27,510 --> 00:20:24,910 Lagoon and a rabbi a levy even existed 454 00:20:30,150 --> 00:20:27,520 and I ended up engaging in 455 00:20:33,540 --> 00:20:30,160 correspondence with the archivist in the 456 00:20:35,970 --> 00:20:33,550 Beaumont Public Library system and he 457 00:20:38,850 --> 00:20:35,980 provided me with with the proof that the 458 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:38,860 levy that the lagoons existed they're 459 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:40,450 mentioned in official records from the 460 00:20:45,660 --> 00:20:42,970 period including an indication that jr. 461 00:20:49,290 --> 00:20:45,670 Lagaan died sometime between 1897 and 462 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:49,300 the turn of the century and his wife is 463 00:20:53,940 --> 00:20:50,890 listed in the night his widow as I 464 00:20:56,340 --> 00:20:53,950 identified in the 1900 Beaumont City 465 00:20:59,070 --> 00:20:56,350 directory now there's also no question 466 00:21:02,910 --> 00:20:59,080 that a rabbi a levy existed and he 467 00:21:07,650 --> 00:21:02,920 served in Beaumont in 1897 Beaumont 468 00:21:09,420 --> 00:21:07,660 historian WT block has written about the 469 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:09,430 city's small but thriving Jewish 470 00:21:17,340 --> 00:21:12,490 community dating back to 1875 in 471 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:17,350 September 1895 temple Emanuel was 472 00:21:22,170 --> 00:21:19,330 established and according to block its 473 00:21:25,110 --> 00:21:22,180 members immediately engaged dr. Aaron 474 00:21:27,630 --> 00:21:25,120 levy as the city's first resident rabbi 475 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:27,640 unquote Bloch notes that during a 476 00:21:32,730 --> 00:21:30,730 six-year stand in Beaumont quoting rabbi 477 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:32,740 levy is the voice of the congregation 478 00:21:37,830 --> 00:21:35,170 plunged headlong into community affairs 479 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:37,840 he won much acclaim now I found 480 00:21:41,130 --> 00:21:39,490 references to rabbi levy in the 481 00:21:44,580 --> 00:21:41,140 Galveston papers of the period for 482 00:21:46,890 --> 00:21:44,590 example this sentence rabbi levy has won 483 00:21:52,230 --> 00:21:46,900 many friends during a stay in Beaumont 484 00:21:55,380 --> 00:21:52,240 unquote in short levy does not look much 485 00:22:00,360 --> 00:21:55,390 like a hoaxer or a prankster or a teller 486 00:22:03,540 --> 00:22:00,370 of tall tales and this suggests that not 487 00:22:06,810 --> 00:22:03,550 every account of an alleged encounter 488 00:22:09,210 --> 00:22:06,820 with human-like airship 489 00:22:11,100 --> 00:22:09,220 was necessarily fiction now there's 490 00:22:14,100 --> 00:22:11,110 another related story that I also 491 00:22:16,169 --> 00:22:14,110 investigated involving it appears in the 492 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:16,179 press the period involves a man named HC 493 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:19,330 LaGrone of Deadwood Texas now there's no 494 00:22:24,870 --> 00:22:21,970 question that HC LaGrone existed his 495 00:22:29,070 --> 00:22:24,880 father Adam lagron founded a tiny town 496 00:22:31,350 --> 00:22:29,080 that in 1882 was named Deadwood and the 497 00:22:33,690 --> 00:22:31,360 younger LaGrone established a mill 498 00:22:36,870 --> 00:22:33,700 around which the settlement grew in 1885 499 00:22:41,129 --> 00:22:36,880 he was the town's first postmaster on 500 00:22:42,810 --> 00:22:41,139 the evening of April 28 1897 he 501 00:22:44,490 --> 00:22:42,820 allegedly had this experience and 502 00:22:48,570 --> 00:22:44,500 reported in the Houston post two days 503 00:22:49,950 --> 00:22:48,580 later he heard a disturbance among his 504 00:22:53,669 --> 00:22:49,960 horses and he went out to check on the 505 00:22:55,950 --> 00:22:53,679 cause and he saw this flying the strange 506 00:23:01,649 --> 00:22:55,960 flying object approaching from the 507 00:23:05,009 --> 00:23:01,659 southwest and it landed and this is what 508 00:23:07,019 --> 00:23:05,019 this is what he wrote I went directly to 509 00:23:09,389 --> 00:23:07,029 the place of landing and on arrival 510 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:09,399 found the ship its crew was composed of 511 00:23:14,639 --> 00:23:12,850 five men three of whom entertained me 512 00:23:16,860 --> 00:23:14,649 while the other two took rubber bags and 513 00:23:19,110 --> 00:23:16,870 went for a supply of water at the well 514 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:19,120 they informed me that this was one of 515 00:23:23,580 --> 00:23:21,250 five ships that have been traveling the 516 00:23:26,940 --> 00:23:23,590 country and that this individual ship 517 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:26,950 was the same one as recently landed near 518 00:23:32,369 --> 00:23:30,490 Beaumont after having traveled pretty 519 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:32,379 well around the Northwest they stated 520 00:23:37,169 --> 00:23:34,330 that the ships were put up in an 521 00:23:38,789 --> 00:23:37,179 interior town in Illinois they were 522 00:23:40,259 --> 00:23:38,799 rather reticent about giving out 523 00:23:42,690 --> 00:23:40,269 information since they had not yet 524 00:23:46,350 --> 00:23:42,700 secured everything by patent but stated 525 00:23:48,539 --> 00:23:46,360 they would soon be secure in this now 526 00:23:50,369 --> 00:23:48,549 there were no airship ologists in 1897 527 00:23:53,220 --> 00:23:50,379 to interview these witnesses firsthand 528 00:23:54,690 --> 00:23:53,230 investigate the cases but to the extent 529 00:23:57,810 --> 00:23:54,700 that we can read the evidence from 530 00:23:59,879 --> 00:23:57,820 limited.if suggestive evidence it's 531 00:24:02,369 --> 00:23:59,889 surely reasonable to infer that these 532 00:24:05,039 --> 00:24:02,379 were credible informants telling 533 00:24:08,009 --> 00:24:05,049 incredible stories in other words pretty 534 00:24:10,860 --> 00:24:08,019 much like many many millions of people 535 00:24:14,279 --> 00:24:10,870 over the centuries it appears to be 536 00:24:16,259 --> 00:24:14,289 possible to encounter things that don't 537 00:24:18,750 --> 00:24:16,269 exist in any conventional understanding 538 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:18,760 of the verb I call these things 539 00:24:22,950 --> 00:24:20,890 experienced anomalies 540 00:24:25,470 --> 00:24:22,960 or the secondary phenomenon is opposed 541 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:25,480 to the core phenomenon they typically 542 00:24:31,620 --> 00:24:28,170 have a parasitic or even parody like 543 00:24:34,380 --> 00:24:31,630 relationship to a core anomalous event 544 00:24:36,330 --> 00:24:34,390 the anomalous event takes place in the 545 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:36,340 world and can be empirically 546 00:24:43,260 --> 00:24:39,090 demonstrated or potentially demonstrated 547 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:43,270 it's experiential correlate borrows its 548 00:24:49,380 --> 00:24:46,090 imagery from the anomalous event but is 549 00:24:52,020 --> 00:24:49,390 otherwise unrelated to it experience 550 00:24:54,870 --> 00:24:52,030 anomalies are open-ended almost anything 551 00:24:57,840 --> 00:24:54,880 can be seen though cultural traditions 552 00:25:02,070 --> 00:24:57,850 and expectations play a large in some 553 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:02,080 ways determining role in in shaping 554 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:04,690 their particular content inexperienced 555 00:25:09,390 --> 00:25:06,850 individuals perceive supernatural or at 556 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:09,400 least unlikely entities like fairies 557 00:25:15,150 --> 00:25:12,730 muhr beings angels the Virgin Mary gods 558 00:25:17,090 --> 00:25:15,160 monsters space people and phantom 559 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:17,100 airship crews now these are not 560 00:25:22,710 --> 00:25:19,450 hallucinations as hallucinations are 561 00:25:25,230 --> 00:25:22,720 ordinarily understood these encounters 562 00:25:28,110 --> 00:25:25,240 which sometimes occur collectively are 563 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:28,120 truly profoundly mysterious and their 564 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:30,850 cause is unknown yet to all available 565 00:25:37,020 --> 00:25:34,450 evidence sincere witnesses and good 566 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:37,030 viewing conditions that assure us of the 567 00:25:43,500 --> 00:25:40,570 anomalous 'no sub the observation don't 568 00:25:46,230 --> 00:25:43,510 translate into anything that transcends 569 00:25:48,150 --> 00:25:46,240 memory in testimony we barely have a 570 00:25:50,820 --> 00:25:48,160 vocabulary to talk about these things 571 00:25:53,070 --> 00:25:50,830 the closest we get to it is visionary 572 00:25:55,380 --> 00:25:53,080 experience and visionary experiences 573 00:25:58,590 --> 00:25:55,390 used as if it's an explanation when in 574 00:26:01,560 --> 00:25:58,600 fact it's only a description the british 575 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:01,570 ufologist Jenny Randall's calls this the 576 00:26:07,049 --> 00:26:04,330 Oz factor defining it as the sensation 577 00:26:10,230 --> 00:26:07,059 sometimes reported by UFO witnesses of 578 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:10,240 quote being transported temporarily from 579 00:26:14,490 --> 00:26:12,970 our world into another word where 580 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:14,500 reality is but slightly different 581 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:18,490 unquote a protein in nature experience 582 00:26:24,060 --> 00:26:20,530 anomalies are variable changing over 583 00:26:27,030 --> 00:26:24,070 time and geography in transitional 584 00:26:30,390 --> 00:26:27,040 historical and cultural periods they may 585 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:30,400 fuse motifs in curious ways there's no 586 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:32,890 one dramatic in instance of that I found 587 00:26:36,940 --> 00:26:33,770 in the night 588 00:26:39,190 --> 00:26:36,950 seven Tennessee newspaper and in fall as 589 00:26:41,020 --> 00:26:39,200 supposedly took place in June 1970 590 00:26:43,930 --> 00:26:41,030 volved a hunter named Walter Stevenson 591 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:43,940 Stevenson was resting from a haunt out 592 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:46,250 in a rural area sitting on a log and he 593 00:26:50,410 --> 00:26:48,770 noticed something in the in the eastern 594 00:26:52,660 --> 00:26:50,420 sky and first he thought it was a was a 595 00:26:56,350 --> 00:26:52,670 kite it was approaching him as it got 596 00:26:58,510 --> 00:26:56,360 closer it big it revealed itself to be 597 00:27:01,180 --> 00:26:58,520 as the press account calls it a huge 598 00:27:05,530 --> 00:27:01,190 balloon of a pattern he had never in his 599 00:27:10,750 --> 00:27:05,540 life before seen unquote and beautiful 600 00:27:14,740 --> 00:27:10,760 eerie music was emanating from this 601 00:27:17,290 --> 00:27:14,750 object it landed and strange people with 602 00:27:21,070 --> 00:27:17,300 their faces covered stepped out of the 603 00:27:22,870 --> 00:27:21,080 car and as the paper put at the car was 604 00:27:25,390 --> 00:27:22,880 closely curtain with a substance that 605 00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:25,400 fairly glistened unquote they walked to 606 00:27:31,150 --> 00:27:28,130 a nearby spring and knelt down as if in 607 00:27:33,790 --> 00:27:31,160 worship Stevenson approached them after 608 00:27:35,890 --> 00:27:33,800 their worship ritual was over and he 609 00:27:38,070 --> 00:27:35,900 asked them who they were and one of the 610 00:27:41,470 --> 00:27:38,080 crewmembers pulled the veil off the face 611 00:27:43,930 --> 00:27:41,480 revealing the face of a lady of benign 612 00:27:47,610 --> 00:27:43,940 face of a lady he called it and she 613 00:27:50,250 --> 00:27:47,620 asked him in German if he had prayed and 614 00:27:53,260 --> 00:27:50,260 the press account goes on quoting 615 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:53,270 instantly all were aboard the airship 616 00:27:58,390 --> 00:27:54,890 rose and was gone in a westerly 617 00:28:00,400 --> 00:27:58,400 direction mr. Stevenson states that the 618 00:28:03,430 --> 00:28:00,410 incident left an impression upon him 619 00:28:05,850 --> 00:28:03,440 that he can never forget and while he 620 00:28:08,530 --> 00:28:05,860 knows that it was some human invention 621 00:28:10,420 --> 00:28:08,540 it looked and the music sounded more 622 00:28:14,260 --> 00:28:10,430 like that of angels than of mortals 623 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:14,270 unquote now if experience anomalies 624 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:17,410 adapt themselves to a cultures idea of 625 00:28:22,570 --> 00:28:19,330 supernatural or otherwise fantastic 626 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:22,580 sightings this one conjures up divine 627 00:28:28,660 --> 00:28:25,490 entities angels and even by one reading 628 00:28:31,360 --> 00:28:28,670 the Blessed Virgin Mary secret airship 629 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:31,370 pilots and looking forward to UFOs in 630 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:34,690 the modern sense notions of 631 00:28:40,270 --> 00:28:36,530 extraordinary encounters on the other 632 00:28:42,370 --> 00:28:40,280 hand in some instances may also have as 633 00:28:45,610 --> 00:28:42,380 their inspiration the source of real 634 00:28:47,529 --> 00:28:45,620 this world encounters whose contents are 635 00:28:49,359 --> 00:28:47,539 sufficiently exotic and 636 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:49,369 any Madiga STUV border on the 637 00:28:55,719 --> 00:28:53,210 fantastical no ball lightning is poorly 638 00:28:58,779 --> 00:28:55,729 understood but very few people dispute 639 00:29:01,629 --> 00:28:58,789 its existence anymore but it has its 640 00:29:05,499 --> 00:29:01,639 correlates in the liminal zone of 641 00:29:07,799 --> 00:29:05,509 experience anomaly sociologist James 642 00:29:10,389 --> 00:29:07,809 McLennan has noted that quoting an 643 00:29:12,099 --> 00:29:10,399 effort and excuse me an effect that 644 00:29:14,289 --> 00:29:12,109 occurred during an electrical storm 645 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:14,299 would be termed ball lightning other 646 00:29:19,359 --> 00:29:17,090 cases with the exact same appearance but 647 00:29:22,210 --> 00:29:19,369 occurring in other circumstances would 648 00:29:25,599 --> 00:29:22,220 be called UFOs psychic lights are will 649 00:29:28,239 --> 00:29:25,609 of the wisps unquote now in such context 650 00:29:30,759 --> 00:29:28,249 balls of light may act purposefully as 651 00:29:33,430 --> 00:29:30,769 if endowed with intelligence and able to 652 00:29:35,499 --> 00:29:33,440 perform fantastic feats such as the 653 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:35,509 opening of and passing through a locked 654 00:29:40,869 --> 00:29:37,970 window according to one of McClellan's 655 00:29:44,019 --> 00:29:40,879 informants now where do we go from here 656 00:29:45,909 --> 00:29:44,029 I think what's required is a radically 657 00:29:48,219 --> 00:29:45,919 objective approach that respects the 658 00:29:49,810 --> 00:29:48,229 testimony that deserves respect in other 659 00:29:52,570 --> 00:29:49,820 words some people who are saying 660 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:52,580 insincere even when it speaks of 661 00:29:56,909 --> 00:29:53,570 incredible things 662 00:29:59,950 --> 00:29:56,919 this testimony may or may not tell us 663 00:30:01,599 --> 00:29:59,960 fantastic truths about the world but it 664 00:30:03,489 --> 00:30:01,609 does tell us something about the 665 00:30:05,589 --> 00:30:03,499 peculiar things that people can 666 00:30:08,109 --> 00:30:05,599 experience in this world where 667 00:30:10,779 --> 00:30:08,119 experience anomalies are concerned the 668 00:30:13,330 --> 00:30:10,789 focus of investigations and debates 669 00:30:17,379 --> 00:30:13,340 ought to be on the causes not on the 670 00:30:19,539 --> 00:30:17,389 occurrences it's surely futile by now to 671 00:30:22,119 --> 00:30:19,549 argue that all anomalous experiences 672 00:30:25,779 --> 00:30:22,129 must bow to conventional explanations 673 00:30:29,289 --> 00:30:25,789 yet it's also unwise to extrapolate too 674 00:30:32,289 --> 00:30:29,299 freely from such experiences which may 675 00:30:33,549 --> 00:30:32,299 not mean all that they appear to mean in 676 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:33,559 order to invent with no other 677 00:30:38,229 --> 00:30:35,570 justification than a witness's account 678 00:30:41,859 --> 00:30:38,239 in extraordinary phenomenological 679 00:30:45,219 --> 00:30:41,869 context in which the reported phenomenon 680 00:30:48,669 --> 00:30:45,229 is said to make sense anomalies of the 681 00:30:50,769 --> 00:30:48,679 highest strangest dwell in a twilight 682 00:30:53,529 --> 00:30:50,779 zone between the daylight of science and 683 00:30:56,470 --> 00:30:53,539 reason and the dark night of dreams and 684 00:30:58,899 --> 00:30:56,480 superstition to say that you have seen 685 00:30:59,880 --> 00:30:58,909 one is not necessarily to say that the 686 00:31:02,880 --> 00:30:59,890 anomaly 687 00:31:05,340 --> 00:31:02,890 on in the world when it is not briefly 688 00:31:08,460 --> 00:31:05,350 occupying your vision and scaring the 689 00:31:11,370 --> 00:31:08,470 daylights out of you we may experience 690 00:31:13,470 --> 00:31:11,380 unbelievable things but our experiences 691 00:31:16,740 --> 00:31:13,480 of them may tell us nothing except that 692 00:31:18,810 --> 00:31:16,750 they can be experienced you can see a 693 00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:18,820 fairy or a mermaid or something 694 00:31:23,220 --> 00:31:20,890 comparably outlandish but however 695 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:23,230 resonant the experience may be to you 696 00:31:28,350 --> 00:31:25,810 the rest of us cannot infer from your 697 00:31:29,850 --> 00:31:28,360 testimony that the such creatures are 698 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:29,860 real in fact we can be pretty certain 699 00:31:35,730 --> 00:31:32,530 they aren't and that's all we can be 700 00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:35,740 sure of because what we've done here is 701 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:37,330 to remove one explanation from 702 00:31:42,570 --> 00:31:39,970 consideration that such things exist at 703 00:31:46,770 --> 00:31:42,580 event level reality while failing to put 704 00:31:49,250 --> 00:31:46,780 another ends place still in conclusion 705 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:49,260 this concept of experience anomalies 706 00:31:55,110 --> 00:31:52,330 relieves us of the false demands of 707 00:31:57,780 --> 00:31:55,120 literalism we no longer have to argue 708 00:32:01,410 --> 00:31:57,790 for the authenticity or in authenticity 709 00:32:03,930 --> 00:32:01,420 of the described phenomenon not that a 710 00:32:06,830 --> 00:32:03,940 profound enigma does not remain a 711 00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:06,840 mystery of imagination culture 712 00:32:13,530 --> 00:32:09,610 perception consciousness being and more 713 00:32:16,590 --> 00:32:13,540 a mystery so impenetrable that it eludes 714 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:16,600 vocabulary itself our very sense of the 715 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:19,570 assumed relationship of event to 716 00:32:26,940 --> 00:32:24,010 experience happily though it removes us 717 00:32:29,250 --> 00:32:26,950 from the most onerous burden of all we 718 00:32:30,950 --> 00:32:29,260 can now believe our informants without 719 00:32:38,489 --> 00:32:30,960 having to believe their explanations 720 00:32:42,969 --> 00:32:41,319 Thank You Jerry its traditional in our 721 00:32:59,560 --> 00:32:42,979 organization that we always have time 722 00:33:01,539 --> 00:32:59,570 for questions now I'm in trouble not 723 00:33:06,669 --> 00:33:01,549 really I know what you're talking about 724 00:33:09,669 --> 00:33:06,679 oh the dmt literature right yeah am i 725 00:33:10,930 --> 00:33:09,679 familiar with it it's very slightly to 726 00:33:21,690 --> 00:33:10,940 the extent that basically I know what 727 00:33:26,859 --> 00:33:24,430 anomalous and unusual experiences but 728 00:33:28,690 --> 00:33:26,869 that don't seem to make and they even 729 00:33:30,969 --> 00:33:28,700 are partially objective in the sense 730 00:33:33,430 --> 00:33:30,979 that people will retain what happened 731 00:33:35,259 --> 00:33:33,440 you know three years ago and they'll be 732 00:33:36,729 --> 00:33:35,269 back in the same place it's all evolved 733 00:33:38,199 --> 00:33:36,739 over the course of three years and so on 734 00:33:41,409 --> 00:33:38,209 but there doesn't seem to be any sort of 735 00:33:42,759 --> 00:33:41,419 normal objective evidence for them well 736 00:33:44,229 --> 00:33:42,769 that's very interesting that's something 737 00:33:45,989 --> 00:33:44,239 that I'm gonna have to look into I think 738 00:33:49,749 --> 00:33:45,999 that experience anomalies 739 00:33:53,229 --> 00:33:49,759 occurred all kinds of strange context I 740 00:33:56,349 --> 00:33:53,239 was reading Vincent Bugliosi book on the 741 00:33:59,440 --> 00:33:56,359 Kennedy assassination and he just one of 742 00:34:01,419 --> 00:33:59,450 his chapters is devoted to a really kind 743 00:34:05,139 --> 00:34:01,429 of discordant event that doesn't really 744 00:34:07,569 --> 00:34:05,149 fit into kind of any kind of ordinary 745 00:34:09,519 --> 00:34:07,579 rational understanding of the history 746 00:34:11,499 --> 00:34:09,529 around the Kennedy assassination and it 747 00:34:14,169 --> 00:34:11,509 occurred to me that this might be an 748 00:34:16,240 --> 00:34:14,179 anomalous event I mean an experienced 749 00:34:18,339 --> 00:34:16,250 anomaly these things do occur in in 750 00:34:20,649 --> 00:34:18,349 different contexts not just ones that 751 00:34:30,990 --> 00:34:20,659 are you know on their face anomalous and 752 00:34:38,049 --> 00:34:35,740 this is a real microphone so in your 753 00:34:41,649 --> 00:34:38,059 experience anomalies that you described 754 00:34:45,129 --> 00:34:41,659 it's of an individual who experiences 755 00:34:47,010 --> 00:34:45,139 something but there are also cases that 756 00:34:49,839 --> 00:34:47,020 you've described in which multiple 757 00:34:52,180 --> 00:34:49,849 individuals experience something so in 758 00:34:54,250 --> 00:34:52,190 that case that experience anomaly 759 00:34:57,819 --> 00:34:54,260 appears to be objective to multiple 760 00:35:00,880 --> 00:34:57,829 people and then finally there are other 761 00:35:03,069 --> 00:35:00,890 events such as this conference where 762 00:35:07,140 --> 00:35:03,079 everybody in this room is experiencing 763 00:35:11,799 --> 00:35:07,150 the same thing so this is an anomaly 764 00:35:13,990 --> 00:35:11,809 that's universally experienced so at 765 00:35:16,569 --> 00:35:14,000 what point do you call something an 766 00:35:18,370 --> 00:35:16,579 objective reality if if one people one 767 00:35:23,230 --> 00:35:18,380 person experiences several or 768 00:35:24,339 --> 00:35:23,240 everybody.i I think that otherwise I 769 00:35:26,799 --> 00:35:24,349 think it's Tomas to be true that 770 00:35:29,430 --> 00:35:26,809 experience anomalies can be collectively 771 00:35:33,039 --> 00:35:29,440 perceived but they're generally confined 772 00:35:34,809 --> 00:35:33,049 to a small like generally usually it's 773 00:35:37,630 --> 00:35:34,819 one individual but it can be a small 774 00:35:40,210 --> 00:35:37,640 group of individuals at the same time in 775 00:35:41,859 --> 00:35:40,220 place and and that that's what makes 776 00:35:45,849 --> 00:35:41,869 experience an ominous you know so 777 00:35:47,319 --> 00:35:45,859 extraordinarily strange is that on you 778 00:35:50,829 --> 00:35:47,329 know they're they're at their core I 779 00:35:53,319 --> 00:35:50,839 think objective is subjective but to 780 00:35:56,680 --> 00:35:53,329 tapping into something larger that has a 781 00:35:58,660 --> 00:35:56,690 kind of temporary quasi objectivity I 782 00:36:00,339 --> 00:35:58,670 think that as I said we're dealing with 783 00:36:02,769 --> 00:36:00,349 something that is probably beyond our 784 00:36:05,730 --> 00:36:02,779 vocabulary it's hard to talk about but 785 00:36:09,519 --> 00:36:05,740 is occurring all the time all around us 786 00:36:11,559 --> 00:36:09,529 on DMT I'll be touching on on that 787 00:36:23,380 --> 00:36:11,569 briefly in my talk this afternoon thanks 788 00:36:29,799 --> 00:36:27,430 uh since ultimately with some levels of 789 00:36:31,750 --> 00:36:29,809 indirection everything that we think we 790 00:36:34,539 --> 00:36:31,760 know about the world boils down to 791 00:36:36,549 --> 00:36:34,549 either our own experiences or the 792 00:36:40,630 --> 00:36:36,559 testimony of other people about their 793 00:36:43,870 --> 00:36:40,640 experiences and observations doesn't the 794 00:36:46,089 --> 00:36:43,880 idea that multiple people can share an 795 00:36:49,599 --> 00:36:46,099 experience that nevertheless is not real 796 00:36:54,670 --> 00:36:49,609 somewhat undermine the whole concept of 797 00:36:56,710 --> 00:36:54,680 evidence well yeah I think that's one of 798 00:36:59,170 --> 00:36:56,720 the points I was making that there are 799 00:37:01,750 --> 00:36:59,180 certain kind that the anomalous event is 800 00:37:04,599 --> 00:37:01,760 one for which evidence can be 801 00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:04,609 demonstrated and documented for example 802 00:37:09,609 --> 00:37:06,650 a close encounter the second kind of a 803 00:37:12,370 --> 00:37:09,619 UFO leaves ground traces which can be 804 00:37:14,710 --> 00:37:12,380 taken into a laboratory and shown to be 805 00:37:18,099 --> 00:37:14,720 very strange maybe suggestive of some 806 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:18,109 unknown technology but somebody's vivid 807 00:37:26,650 --> 00:37:23,170 story of entering an otherworldly realm 808 00:37:28,749 --> 00:37:26,660 is only somebody's really vivid 809 00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:28,759 sensation and you can collect all kinds 810 00:37:34,059 --> 00:37:31,490 of reports of this otherworldly realm 811 00:37:36,099 --> 00:37:34,069 but you won't find that any two of them 812 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:36,109 are the same they may they may have 813 00:37:40,690 --> 00:37:38,210 certain features in common but as I said 814 00:37:43,779 --> 00:37:40,700 in in in the lecture these claims are 815 00:37:50,500 --> 00:37:43,789 just too wildly variant to give us a 816 00:37:56,620 --> 00:37:53,560 in the movie what the bleep there's a 817 00:37:59,920 --> 00:37:56,630 story told about natives that witness 818 00:38:01,839 --> 00:37:59,930 the arrival of Columbus's ships and that 819 00:38:03,550 --> 00:38:01,849 most of the natives that see this 820 00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:03,560 because it's something so far outside 821 00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:06,410 their experience they they actually 822 00:38:10,540 --> 00:38:08,210 don't see it at all it's almost 823 00:38:12,190 --> 00:38:10,550 invisible whereas the shaman of the 824 00:38:14,230 --> 00:38:12,200 group those that are used to seeing the 825 00:38:17,010 --> 00:38:14,240 sort of weirdness that goes on they're 826 00:38:19,690 --> 00:38:17,020 the only ones capable of seeing it 827 00:38:23,410 --> 00:38:19,700 anything at all like that resonate with 828 00:38:27,430 --> 00:38:23,420 your talk well I think that you know 829 00:38:29,530 --> 00:38:27,440 something profoundly strange and far 830 00:38:33,069 --> 00:38:29,540 beyond current knowledge is going on 831 00:38:34,359 --> 00:38:33,079 with these experience anomalies but so 832 00:38:36,310 --> 00:38:34,369 experience anomalies is not an 833 00:38:38,770 --> 00:38:36,320 explanation that's just a description a 834 00:38:40,180 --> 00:38:38,780 way of thinking about them and I think 835 00:38:42,460 --> 00:38:40,190 that it's clear that whatever is 836 00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:42,470 whatever the stimulus is is filtered 837 00:38:47,560 --> 00:38:45,170 through cultural expectation and 838 00:38:50,170 --> 00:38:47,570 consciousness it's like in some sense an 839 00:38:53,050 --> 00:38:50,180 extraordinary anomaly of consciousness