"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

We have a lot of strange things in this world, bizarre experiences people experience everyday, reports of supposed aliens abducting people, weird incorporeal entities haunting our lives, just plain bizarre stuff out there. Much of which seems "magical" or supernatural in nature. People miraculously waking up cured from diseases, ect, just so much off the wall stuff.

So we come up with answers for much of this stuff, God, Miracles, Ghosts, we make claims like aliens need our souls, ect, we are inextricably linked to adding a supernatural bent to everything.

Supernatural, magic, phenomenon completely outside the range of science.

My question though is, are we looking at it wrong?

After all as author Arthur C. Clarke said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

So what if, everything we're experience is not in the least supernatural. What if it's just, you know, stuff, like our toaster, or military tech, only more advanced?

Now onto the silly for fun part of this post:

What if, what we're dealing with is, intergalactic trolls with super-science. I mean, let's assume they've learned to do things with tech we can barely speculate on using what is currently at best described as vague hypothesis or pseudosciences. Is there really anything that can't be explained by some kind of vague connection to a scientific idea or principle? Is supernatural necessary?

Now why trolling?

Ok, not to over humanize the aliens, but this is hypothetical fun based on my observations. It seems the more intelligent beings become, the more concerned they come with play, and the more sociopathic and psychotic many become. Not just humans, gang raping, puffer toking dolphins, war raging murdering chimps, drunk marauding elephants, cruel killer whales playing live seal volleyball, ect. It seems the natural way things just evolve.

The closest thing to peace we have, is leisure, masses culled by lazy play, where we sit around do, pretty much nothing really, while those who care about power misuse and abuse us because frankly they're the warped violent psychopaths of our society, which seems to come with intelligent beings. So the masses play, and we come up with more ways to play, some of which are pretty depraved, playing, it's what we do.

Now we have the internet, where people play too with the power of anonymity, and what do we do? We troll others, we play, we're so often jerks. It's what we do, we're sentient after all, and sentience seems to mean, "get's bored easily."

So aliens, do they need our resources? Nope, why would they, space is filled with anything they'd need, their machines can get it easily, they don't need us as slaves either. They don't need us as allies either, anymore than we're making trade agreements with chimps or dolphins. They don't need our planet, if they've gotten this far, they likely have developed the ability to live in space in motherships. So they need nothing from earth, except that, well, they're sentient, and well with sentience comes, boredom.

So supposition, you're bored aliens with supers-science, aliens that have fallen to the same levels of depravity and lazyness and potential cruelty all sentients seem capable of. You and others like you find a planet with people on the crux of sentience, still monkeys by your book, but sentient enough to be entertaining. So you decide, hey, we found a new toy, but dammit we need to share... unless we want another war... well some of us do, but still, we need ground rules.

One: no straight up disclosure, it would ruin the game, a few here and there to stir the pot, but disclosure stays at a minimum.

Two: if you're going to disclose to someone, make it bizarre, have some fun with it, throw in a little weird to make it unbelievable, have fun with it so if they tell their full story no one will believe it.

Three: don't take too many of them permanently, too much and well they'll be forced to notice, they're dumb, but not that dumb.

What if they've been trolling us for years, what if God's ect were them? I mean why not, other than entertainment, and research what possible use could we have for them? Allies? Get real, I've yet to see the human/chimp peace agreement. Food? Bah they've got better super-science created junk food that's healthy, convenient and tastes great by now. Resources? Space is littered with it, and they can grow their own organics in a lab.

Entertainment, and research? Now we have it. Is the only thing we could possible provide them.

We're sentient enough for sociological experimentation, we're clever enough to really toy with, as we might "get it" so is more fun.

I'm sorry but the peaceful alien thing doesn't jive with me, sentience seems to progress in the opposite direction. I don't think they're invaders either, they need nothing we have. Just lazy, bored sentients that found an anthill to play with and were forced to share it so made rules to keep the new toy fun for all.

So when some star-brother comes down and tells you to seek your inner light, know that they're screwing with you and trying their best not to crack a smile.

There is nothing with your theory that doesn't jive with my personal experiences with "high weirdness."
It does seem like there is an advanced intelligence with an odd sense of humor pulling strings behind the veil at times.

a reply to: skunkape23

Is the only theory I've come up with that makes sense to me. It explains one heck of a lot.

a reply to: Puppylove
Yes indeed.

This idea has been extensively discussed on various threads here... you are really just hitting the tip of the iceberg.

Let me save you reading many threads: Science can measure matter, it cannot measure the rest (hence the name anti-matter). 97% of the universe as we know it is anti-matter.
We ( and everything that is i.e. matter) could just be the tip of the iceberg... and to us it would look like magic.

I have read some things by some knowledgeable members here regarding extra-terrestrials over the years, and the most plausible reason I`ve seen is that these entities are interested in our souls or spirits and the after life. They must be able to detect the life energy inside these human bodies and see it dissipate upon death, then wonder where that energy goes.

Also this sort of activity really picked up with the invention of the Atomic bomb and radar, so it could be they are intensely curious about this little developing species we are. In one amazing story they are actually a super ancient biological drone like race left over from a previous civilization and are trying to fulfill a task that has become impossible or extremely difficult for them to do.

Everything is possible no matter how unlikely regarding the unknown.

a reply to: Puppylove

Reminds me of the fantastic album "Pocket Universe" by Yello who use this quote from arthur C. Clarke (3 min mark in clip)...great lyrics.

a reply to: StratosFear

I'm so picturing an alien after dropping you off back home,

Alien one "LOL can you believe it, we got them thinking we're after the human soul, like souls exist, and even if they did, like their primitive monkey ass souls are important at all"

Alien two: "I know, is funny how these backwater nobodies think so high of themselves, let's do the alien in wigs at a abductees anonymous meeting thing next, can we please?"

Alien Three: "We already did that one Roger, you know the rules."

Alien two: "Awww but I loved that one."

Addendum: It seems to me almost like that bizarre wishful thinking created by a desire to be significant. Where even if things are bad, we just want and need to be important even if in a bad way.

The truth is quite possible we are insignificant and irrelevant toys that could disappear tomorrow and someone might gripe a bit cause they lost their favorite toy. Some pouting, maybe a temper tantrum, that's it.

a reply to: Puppylove

Or imagine that the sort of prejudice you talk about is just a human trait? Speculate that humans may be the first civilization with intelligence enough to develop and exploit technology these entities have come across? Imagine if we are every bit as fascinating to them as they would be to us, they just have the capability of clandestine surveillance over long periods of time. Maybe they thought they were alone before we, rang the bell so to say.

a reply to: StratosFear

I would if I hadn't included other species in my comparison. It seems the way things evolve.

Yes some species work together, ect, we do with others, but frankly, life evolves too chaotically for an all peaceful species to exist. The chaotic jumbled masses of sociopaths, lazy opportunists, and occasional philanthropist seems far more likely than the all knowing all peaceful space brothers scenario.

Let me put it this way, the second a theory has a "We're special and significant" ring to it, it sounds more like wishful thinking than anything.

Of all possibilities, the most likely in our expansive universe, is that we are one of billions, and thus not significant in the least.

If a theory rests on us being important, instant skeptic here.

In the case of the so called mass ufo sightings, those ones where there are multiple ufos doing strange manoeuvers, it might be like some interstellar synchronised air show.

Points won for the biggest cool factor. Newspaper reports might be taken into account for merit and if they can abduct someone and get them back without knowing it...bonus points!

Let's put it this way, politics, a politician can claim to stand things for all he wants, but look at his voting record and backers and you get the truth of the matter.

Looking back at the aliens supposed "voting record", I hear their space brothers spiel and I just don't buy it.

Someone's full of #, and the fools are the ones buying it while the aliens laugh their way to the bank.

a reply to: Jonjonj

If I wasn't lazy, I'd so make a web comic about alien shenanigans and I'd steal your idea for a scene or two.

Advanced Technology could, or would be viewed as being magical due to how complicated it could be in its design, and that magic is ether a lazy or the lay men way of explaining things considering magic seems to be a good enough explanation from my experience on these threads.

Paranormal phenomenon could be just as natural and common as ordinary phenomenon like how scientist know electricity exists but it still has a lot of things to be understood. Or like how UFO are saidto defy our ideas of physics and would look completely out of this world in it movements without having wings or a rudder and able to move up an down, side ways, to coming to a complete stop.

That printer the UFO while the Cat bashes it with it wood and stone...Claws!?
How the Gods must be crazy.

a reply to: Puppylove

You are welcome to it. When you find the energy to do it just make sure to let me know where to find it, it would be epic.

a reply to: Puppylove

Ah, the word "trolling" applied to ETs. Clever, and very correct in a modernish use of the word.
It is important as the OP stated that we realize that the ETs are far beyond us in the understanding of physics. We need to also grant them the mental abilities far beyond our own. Their grasp on the understanding the vagaries of the Universe should never be under-estimated. That should certainly include their knowledge about us in both in our technological madness (A-bombs) and self-centered idiosyncrasies.

Governments aside with their own secrecy and closely held info and special programs designed to do its part in leading toward the dawning, the "trolling" is leading to the general consensus of the mass public that there is other intelligent life other than our own in this place. The plans and actions are working beautifully. I'm old enough to remember when a decent UFO sighting commanded front-page newspaper coverage. The "impossible" was becoming comprehensible. Basically, the shock and awe of a mysterious machine in the sky is largely gone. Everybody knows what the term "UFO" indicates without having to ponder it. Everybody that catches the news these days knows that we are actively searching radio waves, distant planets, Mars, and associated minor bodies for signs of life. Does anybody these days seriously doubt that we won't eventually learn of other life forms, even superior life forms, sharing the cosmos with us?

So I'll say again, as usual, to this type of thread, the apparent "trolling" is a systematic operation by the ETs to acquaint us in a non-threatening way with their presence here and now since we seriously got involved with the nastiness of nuclear energy. On the human side of the equation the "trolling" is the continued official denial of the reality that we see every day of the ETs. (A funny proof of that phase of the program is that the gift shop at Cape Canaveral contains not one item of key chain, T-shirt, cap or coffee mug that depicts the image of any sort of ET or a UFO. Proof of anything? No. But indicative of the official government program since day two of the UFO sage after Roswell.)

In a word, the "trolling," with respective aspects controlled from both sides, is a myth-building exercise to get the public up to speed of accepting a basic truth of the Universe without anybody actually coming out and making the announcement. It is a carefully controlled program often evidenced here on ATS because this place is a leading edge for the discussion.

originally posted by: Puppylove
a reply to: StratosFear

I would if I hadn't included other species in my comparison. It seems the way things evolve.

Yes some species work together, ect, we do with others, but frankly, life evolves too chaotically for an all peaceful species to exist. The chaotic jumbled masses of sociopaths, lazy opportunists, and occasional philanthropist seems far more likely than the all knowing all peaceful space brothers scenario.

maybe that's what they are trying to genetically "breed" out of us, while still maintaining a robust lineage?...by the way, off topic but, why do female alien avatars always have big breasts?

a reply to: Aliensun

Naw, don't buy it, takes very little intellect to realize just ripping the band-aid off is quicker, more efficient, and overall the best way to handle disclosure on ET side of things. Randomly doing odd inconsistent random crap to people, much of which is clearly just screwing with people, is not kindly easing us towards disclosure.

It's a game plain and simple, one that will eventually end of course, but a game none the less.

Like the politician, the story you weave is full of crap, disclosure does not require a bleed of random sillyness.

a reply to: jimmyx

Mine is actually a human-alien hybrid and a character of mine in a game I rp in named Xiri. She's not actually a full grey. Really more a psitech hybrid human/grey, tony stark wannabee (corporation and power suit and quirkyness) with a very girly side and alter ego.

Addendum: I'd have to buy they reached the point themselves where they moved passed that, plus nothing they've supposedly done fits that image.

The only thing we have in support of them being benevolent is a bunch of starry eyed awestruck contactees giving the aliens say so. Men amongst gods, speaking the glory of their name and word with nothing to show for it. Pawns, toys, and misinformation brokers, nothing more.

Interesting premise, but wouldn't it make sense to first prove that there are seemingly "supernatural" events taking place, before speculatively trying to attribute cause to them?