Erich von Däniken, the Swiss author whose 1968 book Chariots of the Gods? launched the ancient astronaut movement and sold over 70 million copies, died January 10 in a hospital in central Switzerland, reports Yahoo News. He was 90.
Strange how a semi-titled european couldn't imagine how people living in lower latitudes could possibly have the intelligence and resources to build enormous monuments. This kind of projection was imo the intellectual (ahem) foundation of the blasphemy that was "Intelligent Design".
Absolutely - and we still have people like Graham Hancock being given Netflix money to continue denigrating ancient cultures as being incapable of building artefacts.
My dad read this with the, "They couldn't print it if it wasn't true," mindset. I thought he gave up that idea years ago but more recently, Musk. "Did you know there will be a million people living on Mars by 2030?!" I'm not sure it's right to blame Däniken for this mindset, but I will anyway.
RIP, von Däniken. Your theory remains provoking and fun to think about, though I'm still partial to the idea that our ancients were a *tad* more advanced than some are comfortable giving them credit for.
Von Daniken has been in my mind lately because I see the similarities between him and this "alternative ancient history" being pushed by Graham Hancock. It's all about selling books-- come up with some enticing story, a mind-blowing "everything you know is wrong" idea, and pad it out to a lengthy tome, watch the money roll in.
Strange how a semi-titled european couldn't imagine how people living in lower latitudes could possibly have the intelligence and resources to build enormous monuments. This kind of projection was imo the intellectual (ahem) foundation of the blasphemy that was "Intelligent Design".
...not really?
We *still* to this day cannot explain how they did it 🤷
My favorite recent theory:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/c9780pj60yeo
Absolutely - and we still have people like Graham Hancock being given Netflix money to continue denigrating ancient cultures as being incapable of building artefacts.
My dad read this with the, "They couldn't print it if it wasn't true," mindset. I thought he gave up that idea years ago but more recently, Musk. "Did you know there will be a million people living on Mars by 2030?!" I'm not sure it's right to blame Däniken for this mindset, but I will anyway.
RIP, von Däniken. Your theory remains provoking and fun to think about, though I'm still partial to the idea that our ancients were a *tad* more advanced than some are comfortable giving them credit for.
zecharia sitchin is still around, i think?
Back when conspiracy theories were fun and relatively harmless.
The whole thing is a racist smear campaign.
Von Daniken has been in my mind lately because I see the similarities between him and this "alternative ancient history" being pushed by Graham Hancock. It's all about selling books-- come up with some enticing story, a mind-blowing "everything you know is wrong" idea, and pad it out to a lengthy tome, watch the money roll in.