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We all know interspecies romance is weird. ~ Tim Burton
I believe in true love. But my opinion is tainted, because I also believe in Bigfoot, aliens, and in the existence of honest politicians. ~ Jarod Kintz
Erich von Däniken, dean and doyen of psychological alienism (so as not to be confused with political or legal alienism, which refers to certain disagreements over immigration), was recently sighted in Sindelfingen, Germany. Sindelfingen, which is otherwise known as the birthplace of excellently engineered luxury automobiles, was host to the Grand Erich von Däniken Kongress, convened on the occasion of the master’s 80th birthday. Sources report there were 2,800 sympathetic ticket holders (EUR 120 a pop) in a sold out venue. EvD signed scores of books, gave lectures, and hugged well-wishers.
Some of us remember how EvD rose to notoriety in the early 70s. He published several books – most notably Chariots of the Gods – in which he insinuated, suggested, and claimed that aliens have visited Mother Earth continually for millennia. His strategy was – and still is – simple: Look for intriguing examples of human activity, preferably far removed from the readers’ everyday territory, describe these examples (pyramids, petroglyphs, underwater rocks, lines in the desert, Machu Picchu, or what have you) vividly and show some photos you yourself (EvD) have taken while spiting death when clambering rocks and crags, and then assert that these things cannot be explained by conventional science and engineering. Amass as many examples as you can across as wide a geographical horizon as you can and across as many millennia as you can. Do not consider available theories of science and engineering or their reliance on assumption, hypothesis, and evidence. Boldy proclaim that the absence of a well-known and broadly accepted conventional explanation is the same as the categorical impossibility of conventional explanation.
Then, produce the theory of alien intervention as the Alienus ex Maquina solution. This solution is terrific because it rides on the assumption that aliens are omnipotent (Remember: It’s Chariots of the Gods, not Diesel Rockets of the Quite Able But Not Really Endowed With Limitless Power Extra-Terrestrials). The Alienus gambit provides boundless degrees of theoretical freedom.
It is almost impossible for EvD to lose this game. Suppose just one of his many claims (there are hundreds) were supported in a conventional, evidence-based way. If so, EvD would be recognized as a prophet on a par with Samuel Son of Elkanah, and Copernicus. A Nobel Prize in a field of his choice would be his. Now this hasn’t happened in nearly half a century of opportunity, so I suspect it won’t happen during his lifetime (or ever). But no matter. EvD still wins because there are enough souls who desperately want to believe that at least one of his claims is true. Indeed, many want to believe and do believe that all of them are true.
Why? One ingredient to the psychology of the EvD phenomenon is that many folks will believe just about anything. Those of us who search for the bounds of gullibility are on a knight errant’s errand. Many will even believe what I assert in this post. Another ingredient of the EvD phenom is the psychology of religiosity, which has lately received a lot of research attention.
To summarize in modus tonus mordiensis, there are 4 forces that draw man (and woman) to religion. [1] Humans are eager detectors of agency. From infancy on, we look for someone who is doing stuff. It is important to our survival to understand the doer’s intentions and to work that into our own action plan. This eagerness leads to many false positives. We often see intentional action where none is. We attribute intentional agency to machines, some animals, the weather; we even invent agents and call them gods. EvD and his friends see alien agents, and very agentic they are. They built the pyramids, fertilized Neolithic women, crashed near Roswell out of sheer incompetence (so much for their omnipotence), introduced electricity, nuclear power, the Mayan calendar, and they love us so much that they want us to save the planet that they themselves put in danger by letting us loose on it. It is kind of dizzying.
[2] Humans are social animals – to use Aristotle’s cliché. They want to be in groups because alone they can’t face nature. They prefer to be among the like-minded because it feels good not to be challenged, to be validated, and to be – er – loved. Like a decent, run-of-the-mill religion, EvD’s parallel universe offers all that. Look, he put a “Grand Congress” together for his fans and his humble self. My in-attendance sources confirm what I expect as a psychologist: The attendees felt great listening together and swapping their new bits of suggestive “evidence” that while the truth is out there, dark forces tirelessly work to keep it from us. It must be a bolstering experience.
[3] Humans not only want to be in groups, they also want to be better than the rest of society. The EvD machine allows its paying fans to feel this lift. Those of us who care about evidence and rational argument are benighted at best, and part of a repressive conspiracy at worst. It feels good to be part of a chosen minority, a special class of individuals that has peered behind the curtain and that knows what is to come: the New Age, the Return of the Gods, and the power that comes with having been proven right. Old-time religionists delight in their knowledge that the rapture will rapt them away. EvD-ists come close to this imagery. They may want to consider a scenario in which the returning aliens reward them for their open-mindedness [hm, that might too cultish].
[4] Psychopaths aside, most humans occasionally worry about morals. Many religions satisfy the moral need with a suite of prohibitions, permission, and demands. Here, the Prophet of Sindelfingen lets his flock off the hook. You can follow Däniken without being burdened with oughts and must-nots. Being a Dänikenite is easier than being an ordinary Abrahamite.
