Originally posted by Nicorette

It's a good article, fair to the subject matter and definitely worth reading, despite the dense, boring and unfriendly writing style typical of such academic prose.

The idea that even serious, scientifically minded people can't take UFOs seriously because it is upsetting to their anthropocentric world view is very persuasive.

“Important PolySci Paper On Government ‘UFO Taboo’

They conclude that the "UFO taboo", as they call it, is due to fears by governments that the UFO, as a 'possible' not necessarily proven manifestation of ET visitation, is a threat to their sovereignty, to their power and control. Even though the authors say one would think that governments would be interested in at least investigating UFOs, as a possible national security threat, they do not. They say the modern state does not want to even investigate UFOs since even the admission of the possibility of UFO reality can diminish their power and control over their people.

They say that science follows along in the footsteps of the modern state in perpetuating the UFO taboo because the UFO threatens our anthropocentrism, our uniqueness in the universe. Thus scientific anthropocentrism undergirds the political controls that initiated and continue to enforce the UFO taboo.

A down to earth way to put their thesis is that governments are run by small-minded, rigid bureaucrats who cannot tolerate new ideas, and are too limited in their imagination to allow for "other realities.."

This is a serious intellectual effort and a very worthy contribution to political science and UFO studies both. It is a welcome relief from the usual vitriolic debunker treatments. It is written in a collegial academic style without rancor. They make very well nuanced arguments.