Posthuman Blues

On the other hand (see previous post), the idea of relatively low-tech aliens is certainly appealing for the bizarre light it shines on entrenched notions of "progress." I'm reminded of elaborate plans for Victorian lunar missions and the surreal landscapes concocted by "steampunk" fiction writers.

Take "The Difference Engine" by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, in which computing pioneer Charles Babbage ushers in the digital revolution a century ahead of time . . . Might such an alternate timeline produce viable spacecraft using unexpectedly "primitive" materials? (I once toured the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama and was delighted to discover, upon close inspection, that a large chunk of the erstwhile Skylab space station was made of wood.)

Of course, we don't know if the "aliens," if they exist, are extraterrestrial. They could be an uncatalogued offshoot of the human species. Or time-travelers. Or robots under the orders of a more recognizable intelligence, as suggested by encounters with alleged "Nordics," who appear suspiciously like the "space brothers" encountered by the likes of George Adamski.

Who's "real"? Who's in charge? Perhaps the ufological pageant (see Patrick Huyghe's "The Field Guide to Extraterrestrials") is an intricate game of "good cop/bad cop" designed to confuse and befuddle.