The man who, a quarter of a century ago in The Chariots of the Gods, introduced the concept of "ancient astronauts" to an eager public now attempts to codify his more recent findings into a coherent theory. Von Dniken calls this theory PALAEO-SETI-PHILOSOPHY, where SETI stands for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. The theory's twin foundations are von Dniken's literalistic readings of ancient religious texts and, ironically, his hidebound materialism. He assumes that texts such as the Bible, the Mahabarata and others are true accounts in nearly every detail, and also that science has proven that gods or supernatural beings don't exist. The inference, then, is that all the miraculous goings on in these writings and oral poems were the work of aliens so advanced that they looked magical or divine to ancient peoples. Von Dniken's evidence comes from his single-minded and self-serving readings of the texts, in which it seems as if every flaming chariot must be an alien shuttlecraft, every creature with monstrous attributes must be an alien-human hybrid and every messiah or angel is an extraterrestrial overlord dictating human affairs from a space station in Earth orbit. The argument culminates with the claim that the aliens' message to humanity is not encoded in the pyramids or other physical structures but in human genetic structureDhence the current phenomenon of alien abduction, in which intrusive tests are performed on abductees. As in his earlier books, here von Dniken manages to be nearly as entertaining as he is preposterous to those who don't already believe. His prose is lucid, his argument is more or less coherent and the whole idea, whether one buys it or not, is still engagingly daffy. (Feb.)
The Return of the Gods: Evidence of Extraterrestrial Visitations
Never afraid to put forward controversial theories if justified by the data, Erich von Däniken here examines the huge amount of accumulated evidence that points to Earth having been subject to countless visits from extraterrestrials for many years. The dawn of a new century, the building of a new space station, and triumphs in the exploration of space have brought greater interest than ever in the possibility of extraterrestrial life. UFO sightings and alleged abductions continue to make headlines across the world, and in America the National Space Administration has an official program to search for and monitor signs of life beyond our solar system. The possibility of visitors from other galaxies has never been stronger.
The culmination of long-term research, The Return of the Gods argues that we are very much in the minds and eyes of other cosmic life forms and that, as a result, many of the dramatic historical events and remarkable teachings of religious texts should be reinterpreted-even the idea of Judgment Day itself!
1100559073
The culmination of long-term research, The Return of the Gods argues that we are very much in the minds and eyes of other cosmic life forms and that, as a result, many of the dramatic historical events and remarkable teachings of religious texts should be reinterpreted-even the idea of Judgment Day itself!
The Return of the Gods: Evidence of Extraterrestrial Visitations
Never afraid to put forward controversial theories if justified by the data, Erich von Däniken here examines the huge amount of accumulated evidence that points to Earth having been subject to countless visits from extraterrestrials for many years. The dawn of a new century, the building of a new space station, and triumphs in the exploration of space have brought greater interest than ever in the possibility of extraterrestrial life. UFO sightings and alleged abductions continue to make headlines across the world, and in America the National Space Administration has an official program to search for and monitor signs of life beyond our solar system. The possibility of visitors from other galaxies has never been stronger.
The culmination of long-term research, The Return of the Gods argues that we are very much in the minds and eyes of other cosmic life forms and that, as a result, many of the dramatic historical events and remarkable teachings of religious texts should be reinterpreted-even the idea of Judgment Day itself!
The culmination of long-term research, The Return of the Gods argues that we are very much in the minds and eyes of other cosmic life forms and that, as a result, many of the dramatic historical events and remarkable teachings of religious texts should be reinterpreted-even the idea of Judgment Day itself!
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940170744091 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tantor Audio |
| Publication date: | 05/18/2011 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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