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Yup

and even when we "imagine" the impossible, we are using our limited intelligence and that is not even close to the real story. We can't fathom what they are capable of...it is beyond our wildest imaginations. We are lower than dung beetles compared to other advanced beings.

Turns out, it was a giant space turd.

in spaceships has that belief because of that person's knowledge of physics?

but I do, because (although I hate to blow my own trumpet here) I am not the average person. Even if the alien is pure energy they are still constrained by the speed of light in a vacuum.

As to the pure energy form, what maintains the pattern of energy? Why would it not dissipate into the surrounds due to entropy? There are a myriad of factors affecting the physical universe that would make the existence of pure energy beings untenable.

We can see down to the Planck Length and out to the edges of the universe and yet there is no evidence of a physics that would make these beings at all likely or indeed possible.

Oh and as for God(s) there is no evidence of a 'super-nature' where they could hide. If such beings interact with the universe they MUST leave a trace of their involvement, yet, such has not been found. It is up to those who posit such a super-nature to provide evidence or at least a viable theory on how a realm which cannot be reached or found by the physical interacts with the physical.

But the point I was trying to make was that humans tend to create that of their own image. The gods of old were basically humans with super powers. The average layman of today who believes UFOs aliens are visiting Earth think of them as humanoids who travel in mechanical contraptions. It's a way to explain phenomena that, at the time, cannot be understood. UFOs are spacecraft operated by humanoid aliens as the Sun was Apollo riding a horse drawn chariot across the sky.

I readily concede that my description of aliens possibly being pure energy is scientifically not tenable, I do think that we ought to consider the possibility that aliens, if they exist, are not close to being humanoid in form nor do they travel by means that humans could possibly create or use.

However, I require some convincing.

invisible?

I get you.

Edit: I read the rest of your post and you did say this. Sorry.

The aliens in that science fiction novel are extraterrestrial humans. One premise of the novel is that we humans are a star-faring civilization, and we Earth humans are sort of the "poor relations" of the human race. We don't know about the extraterrestrial humans, but of course they know all about us. They get around not by means of space ships, but by tapping into natural forces called "third-order forces" that we Earth humans are as unaware of as cave people were of infrared light. The extraterrestrial humans tap into those third-order forces to transport themselves around the planets and stars by means of some kind of mathematically precise gesticulations that instantly transport them from one node to another. The nodes are confluence points of the third-order forces, and there are several of them here on Earth. Stonehenge is one of those nodes. Not surprising to me; I have visited Stonehenge and there really is something weird about that place, about the feel of the place. The extraterrestrial humans are long-lived; they live several thousand years and they are among us, keeping a close watch on us as they move among us. A very good, highly imaginative and original novel. I read it in the late 1990s and wish I knew where my copy is because I would love to read it again.

-- Ron

I'm sorry, but biology, DNA, Genes and the like demonstrate a relationship far too strong with the paleontological evidence for humans to have been 'Johnny-come-latelies'. What evidence do we have for the development of such technology and how did we forget it?

I'm sorry Niven fans no "Protectors"

I'm thinking they have a drone powered astral projector/telescope. So, all these "ships" that can fly the speed of light, are actually telescopic probers that can be there, without really being here.

Like a giant alien laser light, and we're cats chasing it when we can.

1. There are aliens out there.
2. They are visiting us.
3. They are vastly more advanced than we are.

My Son The Astronomer tells me that a lot of respectable people in his field think we may well be the very first intelligent, technologically advanced species in our Galaxy. Forget the rest of the Universe, any other galaxies. They are too far away for travel to occur between them. Or, if there actually are super-advanced species out there, they will still be constrained by the laws of physics. So probably no Faster Than Light (FTL) drive.