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A Bulgarian Scientist's thoughts

This article was written for Quest BG, by a famous Bulgarian Scientist called Prof. Lachezar Filipov, and gives his thoughts on life outside our planet.


Extra-Terrestrials exist, but why do they not seek contact with us? Some personal thoughts.

Working Hypothesis

At the beginning of my presentation I would like to make the following stipulation: I have neither had a contact with Extraterrestrial Intelligence (as it had been reported in the media outlets) nor I have seen UFO. However throughout my scientific career I have firmly believed in the existence of Extraterrestrial Intelligence and other civilizations in the Universe. As a theoretical physicist and astrophysicist I am accustomed to develop my scientific analysis on the basis of a "Working hypothesis". This approach gives me the chance to build logical assumptions, concepts for analysis or the examination of various probable scenarios. Therefore I will start first with the formulation of two postulates (based on vast observational material obtained by others), which are going to be the basis of the considerations that follow.

1. Aliens (this is how I will refer to those Extraterrestrial s, which have visited the Earth in the past or are currently visiting out planet) exist.

Aliens from other planets or epochs.
The term ‘aliens' should be applied in a very broad sense:
They exists in their own environment, worlds and in the Cosmos
They are on the Earth even at the present moment
They have visited the Earth in the prehistoric past and in ancient times.
At present we cannot talk about a particular kind of Extra-Terrestrials (Aliens, E.T.) - they may be of a certain race or they might be of several races.

2. The Aliens are highly intelligent beings.

The ETs not only possess very high technological and cultural level, but they also can appreciate the far reaching consequences of their actions and are well experienced in the daily situations, or in other words - they are not naïve, simple minded beings; for them various ethical and moral issues like fraud, aggression and murder might have been happening of a very ancient history.
The high intellectual state of the Aliens does not imply that their logic and ethics are the same as ours.

As was already mentioned, based on these two postulates and employing the observation material accumulated by "witnesses", I will develop my "Working Hypothesis".


According to their size in comparison to us, the Extra-Terrestrials could be grouped into "midgets", "normal" and "giants". However, the facts for their appearance and behavior could be summarized as:

1. Anthropomorphous (humanoids) - that is, they more or less look like us. This is a very important fact.
2. There appears to be a ‘gender' division among them that is male and female (at least among the "normal" ones as with us.
3. They are able to talk, can understand speech and can communicate through speech. Some of them possess enhanced mental ability like telepathy or employ technical means to produce and enhance such effect.
4. They are always dressed (sometimes in space suits and helmets or other clothes, but never without such).
5. They appear to require nourishment in the form of food and drink.
6. The Alien reactions range from sometimes cautious, through indifferent and disregard to curious (on rare occasions)
7. The Aliens appear to adjust without great difficulties to the Earth elements - air, water, gravitation, temperature and solar radiation, that is - these are not deadly for them.

All these lead to the conclusion that:
1. The Earth is been visited by various star races or Polygenesis
2. The Earth is being visited by a single race, Monogenesis, but its representatives are made of different groups.


Before examining the various hypotheses in response to this question, I would like to consider the scientific programs in which more than 50 scientists with different scientific fields of expertise (astrophysics, mathematics, engineering, psychology, philosophy, etc) are trying to resolve the problem of "Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence". I need to emphasis that they all accept in general terms the formulated two postulates.

These programs in most general terms could be called CETI (Communication with Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence).

Some of the goals set by CETI are as follows:
Examination and search of planets in the Galaxy, whose environment might provide conditions for the existence of Life as we know it.

An estimate of the number of civilizations in the Galaxy with high technological level, who could conduct a contact.
Possible mean of communications between highly developed star cultures.

Sending messages to the Universe and search for signals from intelligent being s employing radio telescopes

Search for astro-engineering installations in our galaxy, e.g. Tsiolkovsky's or Dyson's spheres.


The CETI program has two subprograms:

SETI - Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence - that is the "passive" part of the CETI program
METI - Messaging to Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence - that is the "active" part of the CETI program.

Under the METI program we could consider the so-called "Crop Circles", which is possibly an unfamiliar to us way of communication and a contact with us. Here we could apply the same considerations which were used in the METI program, namely that these "Crop Circles" include internal self-decoding information. By increasing the complexity of these "Pictograms" the E.T.s teach us how to decode the information contained in these structures/images. It is another matter, that for the time being we could not use these "Crop Circles" to establish a dialog. Thus, one of the serious tasks in front of us is as to how we could do that. In the future the creation of International body, which would unite scientists and esoteric s (without them the present day science cannot manage in addressing this issue) we could to a great degree achieve uniformity in the methods for decoding of the information these crop circles contain.

Before examining the various hypotheses about "What might they be looking for?" I would like to mention the classification of the space civilizations, made by Acad. N.C. Kardashov (with whom I have been a friend for many years). This classification concerns space civilizations, which could communicate and possibly establish a contact with us. It is based on the "Possession and control of energy", as this practically covers all means for a given civilization to overcome and resolve its global problems. Such civilizations are three types:

1. Posses and control the energy resources within their own planet (for example we would become a civilization of such type in the next 50-100 years)
2. Posses and control the energy resources within their star system (or possibly within a several star systems)
3. Posses and control the energy resources within the boundaries of their Galaxy.

It is likely that we could be dealing with Extra-Terrestrial civilization of the second type. The reasons for this are as follows:

1) "Militaristic - concurring"
2) "Progressive" - they are waiting for us to reach a level when a contact would be possible.
3) "A predator in a cage" - We are dangerous for the COSMOC at this stage
4) "Research" - We are a subject of observation and monitoring as a less developed entity.
5) "Space Nomads" - They are not interested in us, they need a planet
6) "Refinement" - They are the origin of life as we know it on the Earth and now are monitoring and controlling the process.


Our "Space" experience suggests that the Aliens do not enter in contact with us because:

1) They do not want to influence the natural evolution of our civilization;
2) At this stage of development of our civilization this contact might have dangerous consequences for us;
3) Such contact could have dangerous consequences for them - e.g. we carry too much negative energy (wars, murders, etc);
4) We cannot offer anything interesting to them;
5) There is intellectual inequality. Here we are talking not about individual intellect, but rather a "racial" intellect defined as :
a) The amount of knowledge acquired and accumulated by the Humanity in the sciences;
b) The mid in its highest manifestation - the ability for abstract thinking, deduction and association of facts and the understanding and creation of new ideas;

c) Highly developed language, which would allow the description of very complex, abstract terms;

d) Achievements in the arts and culture;
e) The moral and ethical norms of behavior, including interpersonal relationships, intimate relationships, relationships between parents and children, the understanding of the moral categories "GOOD" and "EVIL".

All these and some other categories characterize the "racial intellect". I think we would all agree that we are far from the ideal scenario.

Perhaps it would not be that difficult to understand why the Aliens do not want to have a contact with us if we assume that They were us after an evolution of 100,000 (one hundred thousand) years or even 200,000 years from the present moment, e.g. we had become a civilization of type II, possessing and controlling the energy of the Galaxy. Wouldn't we be behaving in the same way if we were to meet with somebody from the Cro-Magnon Era?

Thank you for your attention!

Source: Professor Lachezar Filipov PhD, Head of Astrophysics and Synergetic Department, Space Research Institute, Sofia.