The latest eSkeptic newsletter has a worthwhile read titled “A New Mythology: Ancient Astronauts, Lost Civilizations & the New Age Paradigm“, written by skeptic Tim Callahan:
Authors with little knowledge of either myth or history, and even less of science, have generated an entire new genre that is being embraced by educated and intelligent people. It is a genre in which idiosyncratic interpretation of myth, bad history, and questionable science have been melded to create a new paradigm, one that has the potential to challenge reason and science to the same degree as Bible-based creationism.
Callahan obviously argues from a point of view (that of cynic/skeptic), and I would take issue with a few points – or more precisely, his method of picking and choosing. However, overall, it’s a necessary read for anybody interested in ‘alternative history’, to better understand orthodox views/explanations of a number of the associated ‘mysteries’ in the genre.