A recent Pentagon report reveals that there were hundreds of UFO sightings in 2022. The report used a new term, UAPs, meaning Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon, but we will stick to the classic UFO. Until recently, UFO sightings were purely based on sight and thus were not taken seriously. However, with the aid of modern technology like cameras and video recorders, concrete evidence can be found to suggest that they might indeed be real. Nevertheless, speculation still arises as to whether or not these aeronautical vessels are really from the cosmos.
Lev: Yes, they are.
When the acronym UFO is brought up, people inherently think of a flying saucer with a green alien sitting in the cockpit. But, at its true meaning, it is simply an object that someone monitoring the airspace does not recognize. So, with this new definition, yes, UFOs are most certainly real and documented; however,the new question of their origin arises. Most people simply dismiss the idea of extraterrestrial visits as impossible; the idea of an alien species advanced as a civilization far past humans seems preposterous, but, it may not be as far-fetched as one may think.
Starting from the first UFO sighting in 1947, where a reported “flying disk” was spotted near a United States base, the idea of the extraterrestrial UFO began. As this phenomenon has become more popular over the past hundred years or so, an increasing number of sightings have been reported. Recently, a former United States fighter pilot went on a podcast and talked about his sighting of a very similar UFO, which he spotted far out in the sea. In nearly all of these stories, there are some common themes: a small metal round object flies in a pattern not normally seen and sometimes at speeds not achieved by humans. To further this, former U.S President Obama said this per the BBC, “What is true, and I’m actually being serious here, is that there are, there’s footage and records of objects in the skies, that we don’t know exactly what they are,” Even the President of the United States has on record said that even the government does not know what they are dealing with. The idea that aliens have evolved far past humans is not likely, but it is also not entirely impossible. While we like to think of the human race as one of a kind and the exception, It is, in fact, unlikely that humans are an anomaly. The notion that we are the only sentient species in the scope of trillions of light years is arrogant and most likely incorrect. While it may be unlikely that that species can create small metal discs that fly at thousands of miles per hour, it is not unlikely that there is something out there.
Finally, whether you believe in aliens or not, the increase in sightings of UFOs is undeniable, and the question of whether these are extraterrestrial objects or just some Chinese spy balloons has arisen in even the brightest of minds.
Luke: No, they are not.
Right off the bat, there lies an inherent fallacy in the name, Unidentified Flying Object. Yes, a UFO flies, defined as “moving or being hurled quickly through the air,” and it would indeed be an object, “a person or thing to which a specified action or feeling is directed.” However, the word “Unidentified” makes no sense in the context of such objects. If they were truly unidentified, eyewitnesses would not know what or who flew by them. In reality, these objects are identified by the very nature of having been seen and pointed out by an eyewitness. If even the topic’s name is under debate, I lament the person who has to argue that these objects come from outer space.
The idea of any aerial craft being an “extraterrestrial spacecraft” is so utterly preposterous and lacking in any trace of evidence that I will simply not elaborate. Regardless, we must still question the origin of such a phenomenon. One might suggest that it could be a meteor or satellite falling from space. This idea might make sense, except that any object entering the Earth’s atmosphere would create a noticeable trail and only travel downwards. The report unsurprisingly listed half of the UFO identifications as “classified.” So, it could be very likely that the objects seen in the sky are actually elements of secret technology withheld from the public knowledge, and thus we, the public, are told that they are “unidentified”.
Another possible explanation is that these flying objects are not real. Throughout the years of sightings, eyewitnesses have been questioned and analyzed to determine their mental state. They may have been hallucinating or under the influence of a mind-altering drug. Even if their eyes were working correctly, their surroundings may have caused confusion. Especially at night, airplanes, stars, lights or even leaves blowing in the wind may be mistaken for alien spacecraft. Furthermore, along with the development of evidence-capturing technologies, software to edit photos and videos has risen. Human editing and the rise of AI deep fakes can easily fabricate “hard evidence”–not to mention that every single piece of proof is even blurrier than the one before it.
I am sure that most of you have never seen a UFO from space, which makes sense because they don’t exist. But if you think you have, I ask you to reconsider your memory and its true likelihood.
