Are Flying Saucers Supernatural?

[Roger Ramjets]

Are Flying Saucers Supernatural?

No. They are paranormal. Which is to say, of (purportedly) physical origin, but contrary to verifiable evidence and current scientific knowledge.

The fact that we have developed space flight is a good indication that aliens on other planets probably have also. But the chances of them developing spacecraft with FTL drive and anti-gravity, then using them to visit our planet and abduct people, mutilate cows, make crop circles etc., is much less likely than that people are just misidentifying aerial objects and/or making up stories.

 

[Dinwar]

Hey Dinwar, my birthday's soon. I really don't want anyone to get me anything, though.

If I had that kind of cash lying around, I'd put a serious down payment on a house, rather than a car for anyone!

 

[Akhenaten]

Please do. We had one member in particular who wrote countless posts attempting to convince us that UFO = alien craft.

One of his many arguments by redefinition (he even tried to redefine "alien").

I vaguely remember something about that.

 

[Cuddles]

Right, belief in angels being on flying saucers (a la the Heaven's Gate cult) is hands down a supernatural belief. But just aliens doesn't seem like it. We're aliens to the rocks on Mars, after all.

A lot of people don't seem to like the term "woo", but this is exactly why it exists. There are an awful lot of beliefs around that aren't supernatural or paranormal at all, but which are still completely lacking in evidence. Aliens, bigfoot, many medical claims, cold fusion, most conspiracy theories, and so on. "Woo" is therefore a useful general term to refer to any unsupported beliefs.

So to answer the actual question, no, flying saucers are not necessarily a supernatural belief (although depending on the details they often can be), but they are certainly woo since there is no evidence that they are anything other than a wide range of different mundane phenomena being misinterpreted.

 

[Correa Neto]

Countdown for Limbo and a "UFOs are psi archetypes + read Campbell + I know because I had amazing mystic experiences" post?

 

[aggle-rithm]

If flying saucers are supernatural, then so are conspiracy theories. It's all based on the same errors in logic.

 

[Stray Cat]

Certainly some of the claims made about flying saucers would be supernatural if proven to be true.
Faster than sound with no sonic boom seems to me like it would be supernatural.

 

[Akhenaten]

Being able to disappear like a puff of smoke is right up there as well.

 

[rcfieldz]

flight

Certainly some of the claims made about flying saucers would be supernatural if proven to be true.
Faster than sound with no sonic boom seems to me like it would be supernatural.

A sonic boom is a result of atmospheric conditions that are of our planet. Also flying saucers or any other kind of future flight derived for space travel will be a space changing machine. It will actually be changing space and time by atomic molecular transmission.

 

[Akhenaten]

A sonic boom is a result of atmospheric conditions that are of our planet.

Our planet is where all of the flying saucer claims that I've ever heard have come from.

You?

Also flying saucers or any other kind of future flight derived for space travel will be a space changing machine. It will actually be changing space and time by atomic molecular transmission.

How do you know this?

 

[AdMan]

Also flying saucers or any other kind of future flight derived for space travel will be a space changing machine. It will actually be changing space and time by atomic molecular transmission.

Pseudoscientific nonsense.

 

[Beerina]

Pseudoscientific nonsense.

No it isn't. Current space ships work via molecular transition out the back end.

 

[Akhenaten]

No it isn't. Current space ships work via molecular transition out the back end.

You left out the bit about ". . . a space changing machine. It will actually be changing space and time by atomic [molecular transtitions]

 

[Dinwar]

Our planet is where all of the flying saucer claims that I've ever heard have come from.

You?

I've heard of one in low-earth orbit. That could travel faster than sound without causing a sonic boom pretty easily.

Also, what's the height at which a plane can fly without the sonic boom being heard? Sound follows the inverse-square law, so there'd be some distance after which it wouldn't be heard anymore. Given the way the eye sees things in the sky, it's not unreasonable to speculate that in at least some cases (ie, the UFO is actually a really, really high jet or something) that's the reason you don't hear the boom.

 

[AdMan]

You left out the bit about ". . . a space changing machine. It will actually be changing space and time by atomic [molecular transtitions]

Yup. Precisely what makes it pseudoscientific nonsense.

 

[rcfieldz]

wow

Pseudoscientific nonsense.

You are not in my league. Better start reading up on your science laddy...

 

[AdMan]

better start reading up on your science fiction ...

ftfy.

 

[Pixel42]

I've heard of one in low-earth orbit. That could travel faster than sound without causing a sonic boom pretty easily.

In the story which I strongly suspect prompted the original remark the UFO was supposedly travelling at supersonic speed just above tree level without creating a sonic boom.

I'd say read the "UFOs: the evidence" thread to learn more but I don't hate you even a little bit, let alone enough to suggest you do that.

 

[Stray Cat]

I've heard of one in low-earth orbit. That could travel faster than sound without causing a sonic boom pretty easily.

Also, what's the height at which a plane can fly without the sonic boom being heard? Sound follows the inverse-square law, so there'd be some distance after which it wouldn't be heard anymore. Given the way the eye sees things in the sky, it's not unreasonable to speculate that in at least some cases (ie, the UFO is actually a really, really high jet or something) that's the reason you don't hear the boom.

Which is exactly why I said "if the claims made about them were true"
It is claimed that this one was flying low, nearby and supersonic, without making a sonic boom.

 

[Stray Cat]

A sonic boom is a result of atmospheric conditions that are of our planet.

Which by coincidence is exactly where this one was claimed to have been seen.

Also flying saucers or any other kind of future flight derived for space travel will be a space changing machine. It will actually be changing space and time by atomic molecular transmission.

Does your time machine go backwards as well as forwards?