01991 Society for Scientific Exploration The Extraterrestrial Hypothesis Is Not That Bad

Abstract-The Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH) explanation of Unidenti-fied Flying Objects (UFOs) has not been attractive to many scientists be-cause of the apparent requirement to exceed the speed of light in making such trips. It is postulated that if the basis of gravity control systems were discovered, and that if the speed of light can either be raised or exceeded using such devices, then the pattern of UFO reports is consistent with the ETH. Recently, five arguments against the ETH have been advanced by Vallee in this Journal (1990). Each argument can be countered as follows: (1) thousands of visiting civilizations account for the wide variety and large number of reports; (2) the frequently reported similarity to homo sapiens shape may be due to historical interactions, or due to biological optimiza-tion; (3) the primitive treatment during reported abductions may be the exception from some less ethical civilizations; (4) the historical extension of the UFO phenomenon is to be expected; and ( 5) the near-magical reports of time, space, and light manipulation is due to high technology. Travel dis