Unidentified Flying Hyperobject: UFOs, Philosophy, and the End of the World

This book is really intelligently written, pays homage and draws on similarly good authors in the field such as Pasulka. The concepts are thought-provoking. I don't often read books twice but I can see myself coming back to this one in a few years.

Words for the sake of words. Tedious sleep inducing meaningless monologue from someone who plays with words and says absolutely nothing

Unidentified Flying Hyperobjects is a must-read for anyone intrigued by the UFO phenomenon but who finds conventional approaches wanting. James Madden's interdisciplinary paradigm transcends traditional academic boundaries, as he deftly navigates the intersection of philosophy, mythology, cognitive science, and ufology. Drawing parallels between ancient religious myths and contemporary UFO encounters, he unveils the possibility that a deeper layer of meaning lies behind these seemingly disparate phenomena, inviting readers to reconsider some crucial default assumptions about the nature of reality (i.e., mankind’s default “Goldilocks Ontology”).Madden challenges conventional approaches to the UFO phenomenon with his Uber-Umwelt Terrestrial Hypothesis (UUTH). At the heart of his inquiry lies a claim that he has drawn Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO). According to OOO, reality is structured by nested hierarchies of substances that do not fit neatly into our conventional ontological categories but which are nevertheless eminently real (e.g., the economy, the environment, the local utility company, Pizza Hut, etc.). Even as these entities may arise from below, these “hyperobjects” that have arisen at least in part thanks to human activity can nevertheless achieve a point where they are beyond our control, exercising a top-down effect back upon us in ways that we can only begin to grasp. Madden places great stress on the reality that the horizon of our perceptual capacities is necessarily constrained by evolutionary and environmental factors whereby most of what we experience every day remains in the background in order that we may focus on what is of direct relevance for our flourishing. While humans typically only cognize objects that lie immediately within our environment (Umwelt), hyperobjects exist on a higher plane of reality (the Uber-Umwelt). According to Madden, we can only catch fleeting glimpses of these realities “along the edges” at those times when we manage to step outside of Plato’s proverbial “cave” and glimpse reality from a broader perspective.A major strength of this volume lies in the unique way it incorporates relevant insights from ancient authors like Aristotle and Plato, to modern thinkers including Heidegger and Wittgenstein, to contemporary writers including Timothy Morton, Jeffrey Kripal, Whitley Strieber, Diana Pasulka, and Vallée, and more. By his own responsible admission, Madden notes that a fair amount of what he unfolds concerning metaphysics, UFOs, and hyperobjects is in itself nothing new. Having now a fair amount across these disciplines, this by no means to I find this to be a defect in the book. Indeed, reading this book helped frame the disparate insights of the above thinkers into a single coherent picture. What makes this book stand out is how Madden manages to wed traditional metaphysics with the philosophical framework of OOO and from there insightfully brings this synthesis to bear on the UFO phenomenon.With this in mind, Madden challenges readers—including and especially those who are committed to UFO realism—to consider UFOs not as discrete entities visiting planet Earth from outer space but rather as manifestations of “a singular hyperobject that we can encounter only at its edges, just like we can only encounter the economy or the environment at its edges.” In saying this, Madden clearly distinguishes his view from what one typically encounters in UFO literature and in the popular imagination. In brief, Madden maintains that “UFOs are indeed beings from beyond our world, not our planet but our Umwelt.”As a non-expert in this area and a natural skeptic of UFO reports, it has been rewarding to let myself be challenged by Madden’s book and the work of other writers in this field. In an analogous way that I’ve come to approach the issue of purported miracles across religious traditions, Madden’s work has for me served as a salutary encouragement to take people’s experiences seriously. Even if the vast majority of purported instances aren’t veridical, and even if people’s idiosyncratic interpretations of them are inextricably bound up in the mythologies of their particular cultures, an attentive read of this book will lead one to think carefully before dismissing the possibility that something real lies behind them. As Aristotle wrote with respect to the Greek myths that were already ancient in his day, it just might be that a common Ur insight undergirds extraordinary experiences that human beings have experienced across time and cultures. This book makes no pretense of providing a definitive account of what it might be, but Madden succeeds in his main aim which is to inspire humility and awe before those realms of our universe whose nature we have yet to fully identify.

I give this book five stars because I believe Dr. Madden expertly fills a great need within the UFO community. No matter one’s previous beliefs or worldview, anyone who takes a serious, good faith look into the UFO phenomenon is quickly bombarded with an overwhelming amount of disorienting information that seriously challenges one’s relationship with reality. One is lucky to eventually find themselves on stable ground. I believe, as I think the author does as well, that much of the UFO community has found stable ground within a worldview that limits the potential of what we can learn from the UFO phenomenon.What I see Dr. Madden offering in this book is an opportunity to take a step back and reassess the field, equipping us with certain tools that might help us find stable ground more rooted in a holistic inquiry – not just "what are UFOs?" but "what can we learn about ourselves from the UFO phenomenon?"I find most value in the author’s preliminary chapters building a philosophical foundation for considering the UFO phenomenon. His subsequent specific theories are a very valuable contribution to the overall UFO discussion, though I don’t personally think they stand as high above other current theories as he seems to believe. Nevertheless, he offers novel ideas rooted in well-established philosophical and cognitive concepts, contributing to an even more well-rounded approach to forming hypotheses.His further reflections that contextualize the UFO phenomenon with the current state of human thought and progress are quite dense, but immensely valuable. It is here that I think he excels in providing an example of exactly how the UFO phenomenon’s greatest offering to humanity is, perhaps, the opportunity to reflect on our own nature in incredibly meaningful ways.If I have one (very small) quibble with the book, it is that the author treats certain streams of thought – particularly about *how we perceive* the UFO phenomenon being as relevant (or more relevant) than *what exactly it is* – as relatively novel to him and those he references. I don’t disagree with his criticisms about the field of ufology, but I believe that some deeper digging would reveal that these ideas are not as absent from the community as he seems to imply. But the way that he is able to present these ideas is sophisticated and informed by his training as an academic philosopher, which I do believe is unique and valuable.Beyond just the ideas Dr. Madden brings forward, he brings incredibly skill to writing about and presenting these ideas in a way that is accessible to those who are not versed in the study of philosophy. It’s not an easy read, necessarily, but I felt thoroughly guided through unfamiliar territory without feeling like he was holding my hand or talking down to me. He is concise and entertaining while exploring huge ideas.And a final commendable note about the author is his continued reference to the need for humility in approaching this topic. It’s as true with the UFO phenomenon as it is with any difficult subject we navigate in the modern world, but here in particular, a small dose of humility could go a long way in allowing us to form a more collective, cohesive relationship with the UFO phenomenon, whatever it is.I highly recommended this book for anyone who is interested in the topic and open to having their personal beliefs and opinions on the matter challenged in the best way.

This book shows how much a philosophical perspective can add to the conversation about the origins, nature, and purpose of UFOs and many other associated anomalous phenomena. Madden is a professor of philosophy at an excellent liberal arts college. He must be an outstanding teacher, because his book is very well organized and well written, perhaps modeled on the course he taught on this topic recently. A newcomer to the UFO research field, he was inspired by the 2017 NY Times stories to began having a look on his own. Reading Diana Pasulka's influential book, "American Cosmic," introduced him to the point of view of Jacques Vallee, arguably the leading UFO theorist. Beginning with with his 1969 classic, "Passport to Magonia," Vallée maintains that UFO deploy a "control structure" that--through myth, religion, and other important symbolic domains--has guided humankind for thousands of years. Drawing on the work of Timothy Morton, Madden hypothesizes that the UFO might be a manifestation of a massive "hyperobject" so vast that we detect it (in the form of strange, often absurd but psychologically and culturally potent UFO encounters) when our limited world intersects with edges of the hyperobject. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to think more deeply than usual about The Phenomenon!

This is a brilliant book, groundbreaking. But I had to laugh at Kelly Chase's otherwise wonderful foreward insofar as she says that it is short and can be read in one sitting. It is short, but it is very dense with provocative ideas, and Madden's prose is such that you have to read slowly and deliberately.In a nutshell, Madden looks at the Phenomenon through the lens of great philosophers through the ages -- Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, Heidegger -- and a couple of great contemporary philosophers by the names of Vallee and Pasulka. He argues that all of the "high strangeness" events that have bombarded us are aspects of a single "hyperobject" that is too vast and complex to be apprehended all at once. And where does it come from? Perhaps it was triggered by human activity itself, just as climate change was triggered by human activity without anyone "wishing it so." This last part does not resonate with me, because it seems to ignore the clear "intentionality" behind the various aspects of the Phenomenon. But a super thoughtful, erudite and serious exploration of this great mystery. I predict that this book will be read and cited for a very long time.

I always prefer physical books over kindle, but one should know this is a really cheap print on demand type book and the cover was bent up. Not at all a pleasure to handle or read. The content is fascinating but I would suggest the kindle in this case. I really wish the print on demand thing was spelled out somewhere…maybe I missed it…so I would know not to order the book. I will be sending it back and getting the kindle version.