This weekend Erich von Däniken was in California to give the keynote address to the Conscious Life Expo. At the event, he received the “Integrity Award” for his lifetime of investigation into the ancient astronaut theory. The layers of irony are thick, particularly since von Däniken’s “integrity” involves being convicted of embezzling money to fund his writing of Chariots of the Gods, admitting to fabricating his exploration of a cave full of “alien” artifacts, wholesale reusing of material from book to book while charging readers for “new” content, and the usual laundry list of false and misleading statements that demonstrate his lack of scholarly rigor or even a basic critical understanding of his own material.
There is an irony in giving an award “for telling the truth” to a man who claims not to make claims but to be “just asking questions.”
During his keynote address, von Däniken (henceforth EVD) touched on the truly important issues in life: “Did extra-terrestrials have sex with humans?” It probably says something that this question came first in the description of his address, but I am more interested in the fact that EVD is still repeating a demonstrably false claim about the Great Pyramid of Giza: Cheops and the Great Pyramid
As regular readers know, I am currently writing a book about exactly this issue—the persistence of bizarre medieval myths about the pyramids down to the present. What astounds me, though, is that EVD happily repeats material—which he first published more than fifty years ago!—that is, by turns, false and misleading. Let’s take his points one by one.
It’s not a secret that the material EVD has based his claim upon is medieval in origin. He first learned about it from Col. Vyse’s Operations, written in 1840, which very clearly explains that the stories are medieval in origin and therefore unreliable. I’ve pointed out in this space and elsewhere many times how this story grew and developed from a stew of Enochian mysticism, Hermeticism, alchemy, astrology and Abrahamic religious fervor. I’m glad I’m writing a book about the subject since it is a bad claim that just won’t die.
19 Comments
Machala
2/27/2019 10:06:11 am
Jason,
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PNO TECH
2/27/2019 10:46:03 am
Agreed; it's akin to JDPowers Most Reliable * award given to Range Rover. Source & recipient both highly suspect
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Machala
2/27/2019 03:12:50 pm
If Jason had a "Like" button, I'd have clicked it on your comment. I owned a (semi-new) 1969 Leyland Land Rover back in the days when I lived in Ireland - 'nuf said.
rick
2/28/2019 01:53:55 pm
I am not trying to justify EVD, but if you look at famous, rich , families, I would estimate 80% derived their success and money from non reputable activities. EVD has, I believe, rightly so, another explanation for our history. But I am a Zachery Stitchin believer & reader, too. Thks
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An Anonymous Nerd
2/28/2019 09:35:45 pm
[if you look at famous, rich , families, I would estimate 80% derived their success and money from non reputable activities. ]
Accumulated Wisdom
2/27/2019 02:11:24 pm
I was surprised to see someone had spent about 50 bucks to create the award. I was expecting a certificate with a scratch-and-sniff sticker attached.
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Flossie Wilde
2/27/2019 02:37:18 pm
I wonder if this honor carries as much prestige as a coffee mug honorary Masters Degree?
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Machala
2/27/2019 05:39:03 pm
Nope, but he did get a Laural & Hardy handshake from Giorgio Tsoukalos, a kiss (on the lips) from David Childress, and 84 autographed copies of David Wilcock "books".
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Kent
2/27/2019 06:41:29 pm
Van Daniken is as relevant as Lyndon LaRouche at his peak.
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Bezalel
2/27/2019 06:47:08 pm
One of the top 20 Latin adages
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An Anonymous Nerd
2/27/2019 06:59:00 pm
Ignoring him, and folks of his ilk, arguably is one of the things that've brought us to this point. His intellectual children are all over the place and he's been one of the most-influential writers and thinkers of recent decades.
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Machala
2/27/2019 08:27:07 pm
I have to laugh at a couple of your phrases and reread your comment several time to see if you weren't being sardonic - and hoping you were. Using such terms as "His intellectual children" and stating that "he's been one of the most-influential writers and thinkers of recent decades." begs argument - particularly any consideration of him as a "thinker". The man is an intellectual fraud, a plagarist, and charlatan. That hardly qualifies him as a THINKER !!
An Anonymoous Nerd
2/27/2019 09:41:15 pm
[Again I hope you were being ironic in your description of the moronic.]
Kent
3/1/2019 01:19:45 pm
What do you mean "us"?
Infinite Magnetic
2/27/2019 08:56:22 pm
I saw him at Alien Con - Baltimore as well!
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Infinite Magnetic
2/27/2019 08:59:10 pm
"People who attend the Conscious Life Expos fall for anything." - Richard Dolan
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THE INFALLIBLE POPE
3/1/2019 05:44:04 am
I AM THE GREATEST DONKEY OF THEM ALL !!!
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Titus Pullo
3/3/2019 09:18:56 pm
Joe Rogan had Dave Foley on (who I really liked on News Radio and who played Astronaut Alan Bean very well on the HBO "From the Earth...") and mentioned that he had just spent time with EVD but also said what EVD was selling was shit. So maybe Joe is leaving the conspiracy stuff behind...at least the AA stuff. Dave on the other hand was into UFO's....oh boy..
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AuthorI am an author and researcher focusing on pop culture, science, and history. Bylines: New Republic, Esquire, Slate, etc. There's more about me in the About Jason tab. Newsletters
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