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1 hour ago, Easy Truth said:

Why has the government consistently tried to keep it quiet for at least 80 years?

A great deal was during the Cold War, where virtually anything was classified if it was strange or unknown.

In the past 25 years, it's hard to say, but again, the US government likes to classify things just for the sake of controlling information. I don't think it's some extra fancy justification or hidden motivation. That's especially consistent with the US government since the establishment of the patriot act. 

1 hour ago, Easy Truth said:

Ultimately, the question of "where" they originate is the the most important, but rather the question to get out of the way is: Is it a volitional phenomenon or not because if it is, we are not the animal on top of the food chain.

That question isn't important, because you would need to establish anyway if it's a natural object in the way that asteroids are natural. Or something that isn't even what we think of as animate or inanimate, in the way viruses aren't really either. I'm saying that the only way to get at a rational answer is first get a basic idea of how to categorize whatever the object is. That's how any inquiry should begin. 

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2 hours ago, Eiuol said:

That question isn't important, because you would need to establish anyway if it's a natural object in the way that asteroids are natural. Or something that isn't even what we think of as animate or inanimate, in the way viruses aren't really either. I'm saying that the only way to get at a rational answer is first get a basic idea of how to categorize whatever the object is. That's how any inquiry should begin. 

Then let's start with the first question (a repetition in some ways):

Are these objects an illusion? (starting with a yes or a no will be helpful)

2 hours ago, Eiuol said:

In the past 25 years, it's hard to say, but again, the US government likes to classify things just for the sake of controlling information. I don't think it's some extra fancy justification or hidden motivation. That's especially consistent with the US government since the establishment of the patriot act. 

Are you saying that classifying things as secret has no purpose, it's just a knee jerk reaction?

Everything that is weird is classified? So ladies and gentlemen, go back to what you were doing, there is nothing to worry about.

What is the purpose of the classification? Is it "don't ask, it's for your own good"?

If you want to say "there is no purpose, they just do it", it would be an authoritarian government's typical excuse, just another "public good" justification.

A more plausible perspective is that classification would have a purpose.
It may have been to prevent Russians or the Chinese to know that we saw these things, but the secret is already out.

Ultimately what you are saying is "let's not ask why they classified it, they just do these things". Is that the basic idea?
 

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8 hours ago, Easy Truth said:

Are you saying that classifying things as secret has no purpose, it's just a knee jerk reaction?

But I said controlling information. There are a huge variety of purposes for doing that as you pointed out.

8 hours ago, Easy Truth said:

Ultimately what you are saying is "let's not ask why they classified it, they just do these things". Is that the basic idea?

I mean to say that although it is good to know why these things are classified, for better or worse, this is pretty standard operating procedure for US military organizations. It's so standard that they don't even need to have special reasons. Just another day at the office.

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Our new episode is about autism. We explore various aspects of this developmental disorder, including its history, causes, and real life examples and fictional depictions in movies and TV. Check it out!

 

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In this new episode we look at urban farming. Kimbal Musk has a company called Square Roots which uses converted shipping containers to grow crops year-round in Brooklyn and Grand Rapids. How important is this industry and what sort of impact might it have on our lives? Check it out!

 

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We discuss rhetoric and persuasion in this latest episode of our podcast. What exactly is rhetoric and what are some important principles of persuasion? We answer these and other related questions. Check it out!

 

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Our new episode is about space tourism, and the three companies that have sent private citizens into space, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic. We discuss what they're doing now and planning for the future. Check it out!

 

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