Flying Saucers : A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies

What do Carl Jung and Allen Hynek have in common? Both were very skeptical men of science, that turned their professional knowledge and attention to the (Then very hot) topic of UFO's, and in the end they both became believers and spent most of the rest of their lives studying this incredible phenomena.Jung was probably sick to death of hearing all the buzz in the early 50's about flying saucers and decided to discover the psychological underpinnings of what he saw as a form of mass hysteria.He began his research, as Hynek and any good scientist would, by examining the cases first hand. As Jung was skeptical that the average man on the street could not provide accurate eyewitness accounts, he reserved his interviews to "Professional observers", pilots, military personnel, police and radar operators.Over time he became unnerved, as he realized that these people were not only credible witness's, but were clearly quite sane. So just as Hynek eventually changed his view on the UFO phenomena, so to did Jung.The big difference was that Jung still feared ridicule from his peers, so he never came out and said he was a believer, but it is very poignant that at the end of this short book, he leaves the topic open, by stating that either humanity is suffering some kind of mass hallucination, or we ARE being visited by aliens. He postulates that either option should give us plenty to be concerned about.It is interesting to note that Jungs close friends claimed that he was fascinated by the UFO phenomenon for the remainder of his life.This book is best suited for those who are fascinated with psychology, Jungs work and archetypes. If you are more interested in ufology as a whole, this book is less interesting.

Fascinating that the intrigue, experiences and ponderings of UFOs has not changed at all over the decades (or centuries if you count ancient spiritual beliefs). I suspect this means something. The question has ALWAYS been, "what?"

Outstanding! Should be on every Ufologist's shelf. Interpretation of the problem as only Jung could do it.

I needed this book at the last minute to fulful a missed class ass assignment for a grad class for a professor who liked my prior work on Jung. I had one week to complete the entire research assignment lit review etc. The book shipped in time etc. to enable me to read it in its entirety and successfully complete the assignment

Great academic literature. Came quickly and was as described. Physically the book was in perfect condition.

Jung is always a heavy and healthy read

A must read for anyone who is "troubled" by such visitations, that is, for anyone who wishes to take UFOs seriously, but not literally. As a bonus, I find Jung here to be clear and forthright in his interpretations and amplifications. In unraveling the symbolism of the UFO as a carrier of "wholeness", Jung provides an accessible read peppered with wisdoms, not to mention a fascinating side trip into abstract art!

I fully confess to having purchased this many years ago almost entirely due to my conviction that a similar copy likely occupied a place of honor on Fox Mulder's bookshelf. The amount of time it took me to get around to reading it therefore owes more to my opinion of the series finale of The X-Files than it does to my opinion of Jung. Having just done a little Jungian brush-up, however, I decided it was finally time to tackle this one.Sadly, I must report it's a bit of an anticlimax. Although I found Jung's main theory that UFOs are a sort of mass manifestation of a newly agnostic society's Cold War anxiety fascinating, most of this slender volume is actually dedicated to the interpretation of dreams or paintings featuring UFOs. This gives Jung license to wax on about mythology and literature with a fairly astounding amount of erudition, but it's decidedly dull (unless, I suppose, the dreams or paintings happen to be yours). I kept perking up every time Jung alluded to J.B. Rhine, hoping things would take a turn for the para-psychological, but alas, allusions were all they were. In the end, I most enjoyed the original letter/article Jung wrote to a German newspaper disabusing them of the idea that he could speak definitively as to the existence of UFOs one way or the other.As interesting as it is to see one of the great minds of psychology take on the slightly goofy topic of extraterrestrials, the payoff here is significantly less than the promise. Though it may serve as a useful deterrent for anyone considering undergoing dream analysis.

Jung's thoughtful and illuminating views on UFOs etc. Read it decades ago, and again just recently. Even more meaningful now.

Es ist stets problematisch über ein Thema zu schreiben, mit dem man selbst (laut eigener Aussage) keine eigenen Erfahrungen gemacht hat. Herr Jung meinte offensichtlich dennoch, sich in die sog. "UFO-Diskussion" einklinken zu müssen.Mir fallen gleich zu Beginn der Abhandlung die deutlichen sprachlichen Manipulationen auf, wie z.B. das UFO-Thema als "Problem" zu bezeichnen (ist es denn eins? Fragt sich, für wen.) oder z.B. als "Legende" (ist es nur eine Legende? Hofft er das?).Fazit: Ich spare mir das Weiterlesen. Es ist - das ist meine persönliche Ansicht - schon ziemlich arm, dass jemand, der sich selbst für so sehr spirituell hielt, so oberflächlich mit ausgerechnet diesem Thema umgegangen ist.Für unsereins ist so eine Schrift jedenfalls aus der Kategorie "die Erde ist eine Scheibe" und daher ermüdende Zeitverschwendung. Daher von mir nur 1 Stern, eigentlich würde ich gerne gar keinen vergeben. (Ich beziehe mich auf die ersten Seiten des Buches, der Rest mag spannender sein?)