[Juenger-list] Re: DIE SCHERE #69: corrected version

[gkern@alumni.princeton.edu (Gary Kern)]

Dr. Günter Rebing wrote:
> 
> Thank you, thingy ding, for pointing out a typing error in #69 to me. Here
> is the corrected version:
> 
> Ernst Jünger, DIE SCHERE #69: Text
> 
> Daß die »Marskanäle« auf einer Fehldeutung beruhen, erfuhren wir nicht erst
> seit den Raumsonden. Der Irrtum hielt sich nur kurze Zeit. Ein üblicher
> Fall: ein Apparat wird verbessert, und damit fällt eine Stufe der
> Wahrnehmung dahin. Hier wurde auch eine unserer Hoffnungen zerstört. Durch
> ausserirdisches Leben würde das Universum für uns heimatlich. Allerdings
> würde auch das uns nicht aus unserer Erfahrungswelt herausheben---sie
> vielleicht sogar unfreundlicher machen als bisher.
> Für die Frage, ob auf dem Mars Menschen leben, ist der Astronom zuständig.
> Darüber zu befinden, ob die Planeten göttlicher Natur sind, schlägt nicht in
> sein Fach. Ebenso wenig betrifft es ihn, ob dort Geister hausen, wie viele
> es auch für die Erde annehmen.
> 
> Das berührt den alten Zwist mit den Astrologen, die gern mit den
> Scharlatanen ins gleiche Fach gestellt werden. Ähnliches hört man auf
> anderen Gebieten; bekannt ist der Ausspruch des Anatomen, daß er in den
> vielen Leichen, die er zergliederte, noch keine Seele gefunden habe, oder
> auch der des Astronauten, daß ihm bei seinen Himmelsflügen der liebe Gott
> noch nicht begegnet sei. So pflegen sich Dummköpfe vorzustellen, was nicht
> ausschließt, daß sie vortreffliche Fachleute sind.
> 
> Ernst Jünger, DIE SCHERE #69: Rough translation
> That the canals of Mars are a misinterpretation is a fact that was
> established before the space probes went up. The error was shortlived. A
> common case: an instrument is improved, and a level of human perception is
> made invalid. In addition, one of our hopes was annihilated here. If we knew
> for sure of extraterrestrial life we would feel more at home in the
> universe. To be sure it would not lift us from our empirical world---rather
> it might make it more unfriendly than before.
> 
> The question whether there live men on Mars falls within the jurisdiction of
> the astronomer. It is none of his business to decide whether the planets are
> of a divine nature. Neither is its his concern whether spirits roam there,
> as many people believe they do also on earth.
> 
> That touches the old quarrel with the astrologers that people like to lump
> together with the quacks. You hear similar stories from other fields; there
> is the well-known saying of the anatomist that he had yet to find a soul in
> the many corpses he dissected, or that of the astronaut that on his space
> flights he had never come across Our Lord. In this way blockheads use to
> introduce themselves, which does not rule out that they are excellent
> specialists in their fields.
*******************************
Another stimulating reflection from EJ, a bit wordier than the previous,
which was so terse as to be almost incomprehensible.

The key line for me is that discovery of extraterrestrial life might
make the universe seem more friendly, but the earth less friendly.  This
is a brilliant speculation, but EJ does not explain why such should
occur. Perhaps he will later on.

The reason is, I believe, that people seeking ET (extraterrestrial life)
already are fed up with Earth and seeking salvation in the stars.  Once
they find ET they'll be able to justify their long search and to make
political pronouncements in the name of some perceived cosmic order. 
Note, for example, that ET is always conceived of as being more advanced
than Earthlings.  They will also be able to advance themselves, as seers
and interpreters of the ET scriptures.

For some time I have been preparing an article on Carl Sagan, the chief
ideologist of the search for ET.  He actually had quite a developed
Weltanschauung based on ET's superiority.  It's a fascinating case, but
might take us too far from EJ to go into now.

In any event, EJ was onto a major development in 20th century science. 
You may not have noticed it, but practically all astronomy today is
devoted to one of two goals:  finding out more clues to the origin of
the universe and finding ET in any shape or form.

The problem with the latter search is that it enters the psychological
and mythical.  The reality is that any ET that would be able to
communicate with us would be so far away that an exchange of messages
would take dozens, hundreds or thousands of years--most likely the
latter.  The first estimates of Sagan, Drake & Co. was that ET was 1000
light years away; more recent estimates are 200-300 light years.
Generations would live and die on Earth before "we" could answer any
message and get a reply.  Thus there cannot be any "contact" in any
present-tense sense.  You could never even know if the ET planet still
existed at the time you received the message; it might have burned up
while the light or radio waves were coming to Earth.  Those who search
the cosmos always skip over this fact.

EJ, just like Carl Gustav Jung, knew that ET was inside, not outside.

GK