Within the framework of the exopolitical advocacy underway "Disclosure" is defined simply as the "formal acknowledgement by world governments of an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race." Most would agree that day will be a pretty big deal.
As the Disclosure event nears it is not surprising that people who have considerable emotional investment in the UFO/ET issue are becoming excitable. This will likely continue and intensify. Before too many hyperventilate and pass out all together it might be useful to visit again what exopolitics is and is not.
Exopolitics is simply a new field of study - one that might more appropriately be called "exopolitical science" – and any chemistry or physics major will tell you, like political science, exopolitical science is not really a science. No surprise there. .jpg)
“Political science” is an academic field of study and “politics” has a more personal, grass roots usage. The same will be the case with the new genre. However, without the mainstream academic study of “exopolitical science,” the term "exopolitics" is presently used in both capacities.
For now the terms “exopolitics” and “exopolitical science” are not yet recognized by standard dictionaries or encyclopedias, but they will be soon enough. Inculcation into
"A new world if you can take it."
mainstream curricula will take longer and will not happen until after Disclosure. American colleges and universities are increasingly reactionary, electing to follow and not challenge either authority or the status quo. Certainly the unwillingness of nearly 5000 institutions of higher learning to engage the UFO/ET issue over six decades is the greatest intellectual failure in history. Tenure überall.
Is exopolitics a “movement?” Only in the sense that an effort is underway to place it into the aforementioned dictionaries, encyclopedias and colleges. But there will be many exopolitical movements, initiatives, etc. with the Disclosure movement being the most important at this time.
Is exopolitics trying to replace ufology? No. Ufology is the scientific study of unidentified flying objects. Exopolitics (exopolitical science) is the study of the social and political history, implications, projected future and engagement of the UFO/ET phenomenon. Ufology, by proving the extraterrestrial hypothesis, helped trigger the emergence of exopolitics. There are many instances in history when scientific developments generated great political implications. This is another such instance.
Why is exopolitics important right now? Further understanding of the UFO/ET phenomenon is blocked by a formal government policy of containment – the truth embargo. Going forward requires changing this policy, and that is a political matter.
Will ufology and exopolitics ever be comfortable with each other? Not likely. The same tensions that exist between politics and science will be manifest in the new genre. Pure science is a magnificent pathway to more precise understanding of the natural world. Political science is a messy, murky, imprecise attempt to understand the actions of human beings in societies. The raison d'etre of science is to develop theories and prove them. In political science nothing is “proved.” Human and institutional actions are observed, recorded and analyzed. Some of this data might be used to “predict” future events, but with a precision closer to that of calling point spreads for college basketball games.
Nevertheless, government policy, however derived, has great impact on the lives of billions of people every day. Government does not serve science, science serves government and is often abused by policies which are barely coherent let alone “scientific” in their application.
So, how is this new field of endeavor doing? Not too bad all things considered. If you were to study in any depth the earliest days of the emerging fields of physics, chemistry, astronomy, and yes, political science, you would find chaos, bizarre concepts, endless battles over every new idea, and even bloodshed.
In this instance there is the non-trivial fact the U. S. government deliberately worked to undermine the citizen science/activism, distort the process of understanding and withhold the truth. An enormous pressure built up due to this “truth vacuum.” Consequently, as the issue has moved toward resolution there has been a counterbalancing explosion of speculation and engagement of every aspect of the UFO/ET phenomenon and its history from every possible angle. The pendulum has undoubtedly swung too far in the other direction as pendulums are wont to do. Things will settle down with time.
What has been the most important contribution of exopolitics? Its most important contribution has been the reaching out to the greater mass of people who do not care about the science of this phenomenon, but very much care about the governmental dysfunction behind the truth embargo and want to know what impact the UFO/ET issue will have on their lives and their country.
Recently, an exopolitics conference was held in Sitges, Spain near Barcelona. Nearly 1400 people paid to attend and the average age of the attendees was between 30 and 35, which is much, much younger than audiences in the Unites States at this time for UFO/exopolitics conferences. Exopolitics is spreading across Europe quickly because the truth embargo was not fully installed there. Europe simply followed the U.S. lead with a minimum of internal propaganda targeting the issue.
So it is that we are in transition toward a political resolution of the truth embargo and the formal introduction to the world of the reality of an extraterrestrial, non-human (as we know human) presence engaging the planet Earth. Think of it as a birthing process in which the labor has been going on for sixty-two years and the screams of the mother can be heard all the way to the moons of Jupiter.
Ufology vs. Exopolitics? No. Ufology and exopolitics. Both are needed and both will be recognized for the contributions made. So many researchers who worked decades to understand the phenomenon have passed without seeing the core acceptance of the truth of the matter. When Disclosure takes places, there is no one in the UFO/ET realm that will not benefit.
In times past activists were generally despised for being an unwanted nuisance and truly despised when they were right. Whether or not they ever appreciate the exopolitical advocacy for Disclosure, the old guard researchers of ufology will be vindicated and be a presence in the post-Disclosure world. The power of the World Wide Web will ensure this.
The beauty of the coming paradigm shift in world view is that everyone crosses the paradigm line together. No one is first. No one is last. Perhaps in this new world everyone will get along. Riiiiight.
[Stephen Bassett is a political activist and the executive director of the Paradigm Research Group and the political action committee X-PPAC. He is the creator of the Paradigm Clock and a political columnist and commentator. He can be reached at : PRG@paradigmresearchgroup.org]
Comments
A very balanced and thoughtful attempt to examine the UFOlogy and exopolitics approaches to UFO data. I agree that those with a natural science training find it very difficult to cooperate with those with social science approaches. Precise answers to questions about physical events versus multiple murky answers to social issues.
Also, there is the difference between educators, investigators and activists. Educators present all data for discussion and further analysis. Investigators tend to hone in on the single truth and filter out weak data. Activists focus on those things that mobilize people into grass roots movements to introduce social change.
Bottom line is that an open mind is needed in considering the political consequence of UFO/exopolitical data. Congratulations Steve on moving the debate forward in a constructive and non-vindictive way.
This article is an insult against all scientists and engineers. The author tries to move 'exopolitics' somehow within the realms of accepted science. I clearly object against this attempt: i) Exopolitcs is based on beliefs, (false) hopes, misperceptions, misinterpretation, misinformation, business, igonorance - and lies. It's somewhere positioned between a people-fooling cult, a religion (not far from Scientology's ideology), like astrology, numerology or furtune-telling. ii) Since there is no formal scientific training in math or natural sciences required, it's a conveniant pseudoscientific circus: Everything goes, people can imagine. iii) Exos are trapped into a fundamental logical fallacy, when they always claim, a truth-embargo from US-govt would prevent holy aliens to provide salvations to humans. If (alleged) ET's wanted to enter into an open and peiceful relationship with humans, they did it already. Thus, obviously we are too primitive for them. [Fermi's Paradoxon].
Between many other things, Exopolitics is UFO marketing. The exopoliticians are just professionals selling books, UFOtourism, Miraculous Healers, and even Courses in Galactic Diplomacy..!,
Of course, all this implies misinformation and disinformation.
Exopolitics is fiction, since the exo rhetoric doesn't give us any evidence at all of what they say. More, even Dr. Salla recognizes that everything he says and writes is hypothetical.
As Shol'va writes above, "Exopolitcs is based on beliefs, (false) hopes, misperceptions, misinterpretation, misinformation, business, igonorance - and lies."
Exopolitics is the worst enemy of Ufology, since the Exopolitical fantasies discredit and ridicule the UFO Phenomenon.
QED
Excuse me? I didn't read into the article anything which equated ExoP with science - except political science which is not a science as such anyway. As for the connection with UFOlogy, if UFOs are indeed extraterrestrial craft then it perfectly obvious that Governments know something about it. If they choose to keep what they do know to themselves that is a political issue. I am not sure what is the matter with some of the people who respond to these articles. If they are so convinced that there is no cover up and nothing to disclose, and therefore that the whole thing is fantasy, why trouble to make (often very rude) responses to articles such as this. If they are right then those pressing for disclosure are simply xxxxing in the wind. So what's the beef. Given that, it is said, 85% believe that UFOs are ETs and that there is a cover up why do most of the responses seem negative. Funny that.
Well written, well done. Some of those making comments only show who and what they really are, and how stuck in 3D empirical, Newtonian physics/science they really are, ignorant of so much more. They seem incapable of taking a full, multi-disciplinary look at quantum physics and begin to really grok the immensity of looking at things from an extra-dimensionsal viewpoint. When those of us open to looking at life and all that encompasses it in new ways and from new perspectives, such rigid and limited-thinking individuals will be left in the dust. As more and more people photograph UFOs or ET craft and more and more open up publicly about their personal experiences with ETs, they will drown out such nay-sayers on a tide of real truth.
== Exopolitics: A Tool for Removing Academia's Blinders? ==
By their very nature, institutions -- scientific, governmental, academic, corporate, journalistic, religious -- tend to thrive not on independence of thought but on conformity of thought. When their leaders detect something like exopolitics on the horizon of human experience, they feel threatened. Then they react negatively as if to say, You exopolitical upstarts have no right to challenge our dogmatic stance on the value of so-called UFOlogy; so, go back into your primitive hole of cosmic awareness and leave our hallowed halls of Scientism alone. Thus, in America especially, institutions have become their own worst enemy.
Whether they realize it or not, pathfinder Steve Bassett has been offering them a steady hand as the UFO-E.T. Disclosure Train leaves the station. If they choose to continue ignoring that gesture, they'll have lots of explaining to do to the body politic. (LWB - Columnist for UFO Magazine) (8/12/0
These objections are actually quite funny. If one is of a scientific mind, assumptions are not the path they choose. And this James black is a funny character as well.. he states disapproval & disinterest in Exopolitics yet holds on to every word so closely, making tons of posts against the idea.. I couldn't waste my time visiting various website making posts against everything I don't like. So I have come to a conclusion. These type of characters either have their own agenda or product they are trying to protect, perhaps feel threatened religiously or they are a paid to spread misinformation and disinformation. If Expolitics is so wrong why are Astronauts & other Ex military & gov official whistle blowers more present in these channels than UFOlogy? UFOlogy doesn't invest itself towards disclosure it remains in history -a phenomenon.
@Amanda:
Although you wanted to sound oviously like Amanda Tapping in the role of Lt Col Carter; but you are trapped in the same error, most self-proclaimed internet-wannabe scientist are and fail to provide a conclusive statement: Newer theories can not invalidate existing knowledge in the already known realms, but they can extend it - and their applicable realms. So Newton's Lex II (F=m·a) and the derrived equation for kinetic energy W=m·v²/2 is still valid, when v<<c, s<1AU and m<0.2 solar masses.
When v->c you need the relativistic mass correction equation m*=m/sqrt(1-(v/c)²). As m or s increases, you need either MOND (MOdified Newton Dyanmics) or the equation set from Heim's multidimensional quantum theory to describe correctly e.g. galactic motions. Hence not some sorts of an 'open mind', but the realms decide, wich model is applicable. UFO is a technical acronym for an unidentified flying object - and nothing else. Unless suffcient data is available a UFO remains unknown.
A good debate, which eventually will play itself out. I'm looking forward to hearing Stephen Bassett on his UK Speaking tour in September.
Good article.
Some of these commenters are hilarious. They're reinforcing the idea of a coverup by disagreeing so vehemently.
I would like to see more pictures and videos of activism though. You know, more tangible. People on the national mall; or longer question/answer sessions with civilians.
And I'm just annoyed with the pace of disclosure in general. what happened to the Disclosure Project?
Stephen Bassett; you dont have to travel to Europe. All you have to do is ask a question to Obamas staff and record it.
Salla; same applies to you. Why can't you get on the phone with somebody and make some more tangible evidence of political disclosure.
Negative commenters are *issing all over these articles without any shame; if you move this issue out of the "I'm gonna write an article" realm and move it into the "I'm gonna actually do something" realm that would be huge.
Prepare pamphlets for astrophyics departments of universities and stuff. You guys have to work hard
i would like to see obama releast all ufo files
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