Adam Kirsch, an editor at The Atlantic, rejects the core premises of ufology and warns that modern belief in extraterrestrial visitations reflects a deeper erosion of trust in public institutions. In a wide-ranging discussion published by Lexpress.fr, Kirsch analyzes his book We Want to Believe, pointing out that despite decades of cultural fascination, government disclosures, and millions of reported sightings, scientists still possess zero concrete evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life.
The Post-World War II Origins of Modern Ufology
Modern belief in unidentified flying objects traces directly to the end of the Second World War and the dawn of the Cold War. As Lexpress.fr reported, the rapid development of jet aircraft, rockets, and high-altitude flight forced humanity to look at the sky with new intensity. The term “flying saucer” emerged in 1947, followed closely by the infamous Roswell incident in New Mexico. While early ufologists insisted a spacecraft had crashed, decades later U.S. government reports confirmed the debris stemmed from secret balloon-sondes designed to detect Soviet nuclear testing. During the Cold War, the U.S. military often allowed or utilized UFO theories as a convenient counter-fire to mask sensitive aerospace experiments and secret weapons programs.
Shifting Statistics and Cultural Curiosities
Public conviction in alien visitations has steadily grown over recent decades. A Newsweek poll from 1996 recorded that 20 percent of Americans believed UFOs were likely extraterrestrial spacecraft, a figure that climbed to 34 percent by 2022, according to data highlighted by Lexpress.fr. Furthermore, a 2023 Ipsos survey revealed that while only 10 percent of Americans claimed to have personally witnessed a UFO, 42 percent believed they genuinely exist, marking an 8-point jump from 2007. This cultural shift coincides with rapid technological leaps, including the discovery of more than 6,000 exoplanets outside our solar system through advanced space telescopes.
Why Scientists Separate Exoplanets from Earth Visits
Kirsch distinguishes sharply between the scientific plausibility of life existing elsewhere in a vast universe and the unproven claim that aliens are regularly visiting Earth. Even high-profile figures like Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, who argued that the interstellar asteroid Oumuamua might be artificial, remain heavily isolated from mainstream scientific consensus due to a lack of verifiable physical proof.
The Parallel Between the Messiah and the Quest for Disclosure
The ufology movement treats official government “disclosure” with the same cyclical expectation that religious traditions apply to the arrival of the Messiah. Following the 2017 New York Times and Washington Post revelations regarding secret Pentagon reporting programs, and subsequent UAP hearings before the U.S. Congress in 2023 featuring former military pilots, believers anticipated undeniable proof. Yet, when called to testify, witnesses presented no concrete physical evidence. When promised revelations fail to materialize, fervent adherents routinely adjust their timelines or pivot toward mystical explanations, such as claiming UFOs originate from alternative dimensions, as proposed by French ufologist Jacques Vallée.
The Democratic Threat of Deep-Rooted Conspiracy Theories
While ufology often masquerades as harmless entertainment—echoed in popular culture through Steven Spielberg films—Kirsch argues that its foundational premise is deeply conspiratorial. The belief system fundamentally requires adherents to accept that governments, scientific bodies, and global authorities are engaged in an active, coordinated cover-up.
