Call for an Educational Paradigm Shift

Abstract

Despite the accumulation of overwhelming information to the contrary, both academic and government institutions have stubbornly resisted the acknowledgment of Earth's visitation by extraterrestrial craft. In a 1968 Congressional Hearing hosted by the Committee on Science and Astronautics of the U.S.House of Representatives, astronomer, Dr. J. Allen Hynek, lamented the reluctance of scientists to embrace new information, when he stated, “there seems to be a taboo on even the passive tabulation of UFO reports.” After years of examining first-hand information on UFO sightings while serving as scientific consultant to U.S. Air Force Project Blue Book, Dr. Hynek reversed his initial position of skepticism, to state publicly in 1977 (see Wikipedia), with reference to the hypotheses of extraterrestrial intelligence and extradimensional intelligence, “there is sufficient evidence to defend both.” In the intervening 40 odd years, much more hard evidence has confirmed the earthly presence of extraterrestrial craft, but the “taboo” in academia and government remains. It appears that an over-reluctance in academia to hazard error and a fear by government of admitting potential vulnerability has prevailed for the last half century. At this time, the best available information about extraterrestrial visitation must be looked for in the public records of organizations such as the Washington, D.C, National Press Club (video interviews on the Web), or in a variety of books and reports from civilian organizations, but, for the most part, not in traditional academic publications open to scientific review. It appears that a paradigm shift must be made in education if scientists and the public are ever to engage in potentially rewarding communication with intelligent beings who are technologically more advanced than we.