Jacques Vallée
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Jacques Vallée | |
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Spouse |
Janine Saley (died 2010) |
Children | 2 |
Jacques Fabrice Vallée (French:
His scientific career began as a professional astronomer at the Paris Observatory. Vallée co-developed the first computerized map of Mars for NASA in 1963. He later worked on the network information center for the ARPANET, a precursor to the modern Internet, as a staff engineer of SRI International's Augmentation Research Center (ARC) under Douglas Engelbart.
Vallée is also an important figure in the study of
Early life
Vallée was born in Pontoise, France in 1939.[1] He completed his undergraduate degree in mathematics at the University of Paris in 1959 and received the equivalent of an MS in astrophysics from the University of Lille Nord de France in 1961. He began his professional life as an astronomer at the Paris Observatory in 1961. He was awarded the Jules Verne Prize for his first science fiction novel, Le Sub-espace (1961), published under the pseudonym of Jérôme Sériel.[1]
Academic and business career
Vallée moved to the United States in 1962 and began working as a research associate in astronomy under Gérard de Vaucouleurs at the University of Texas at Austin. While at McDonald Observatory, he compiled NASA's first detailed informational map of Mars with de Vaucouleurs.
In 1963, Vallée relocated to
In 1971, Vallée left Stanford to join the Engelbart group as a senior research engineer. His tenure at ARC coincided with the group's immersion in
Following its sale in 1983, Vallée entered the venture capital sphere as a partner at
He has also served on the National Advisory Committee of the University of Michigan College of Engineering and authored four books on high technology, including Computer Message Systems, Electronic Meetings, The Network Revolution, and The Heart of the Internet.
Paranormal research
According to Vallée, he sighted an
In the mid-1960s, like many other UFO researchers, Vallée initially attempted to validate the popular
However, by 1969, Vallée's conclusions had changed, and he publicly stated that the ETH was too narrow and ignored too much data. Vallée began exploring the commonalities between UFOs,
As an alternative to the extraterrestrial visitation hypothesis, Vallée has suggested a
Vallée's opposition to the popular ETH was not well received by prominent U.S. ufologists, hence he was viewed as something of an outcast. Indeed, Vallée refers to himself as a "heretic among heretics".
Vallée's opposition to the ETH theory is summarised in his paper, "Five Arguments Against the Extraterrestrial Origin of Unidentified Flying Objects", Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1990:
Scientific opinion has generally followed public opinion in the belief that unidentified flying objects either do not exist (the "natural phenomena hypothesis") or, if they do, must represent evidence of a visitation by some advanced race of space travellers (the extraterrestrial hypothesis or "ETH"). It is the view of the author that research on UFOs need not be restricted to these two alternatives. On the contrary, the accumulated data base exhibits several patterns tending to indicate that UFOs are real, represent a previously unrecognized phenomenon, and that the facts do not support the common concept of "space visitors". Five specific arguments articulated here contradict the ETH:
- unexplained close encounters are far more numerous than required for any physical survey of the earth;
- the humanoid body structure of the alleged "aliens" is not likely to have originated on another planet and is not biologically adapted to space travel;
- the reported behavior in thousands of abduction reports contradicts the hypothesis of genetic or scientific experimentation on humans by an advanced race;
- the extension of the phenomenon throughout recorded human history demonstrates that UFOs are not a contemporary phenomenon; and
- the apparent ability of UFOs to manipulate space and time suggests radically different and richer alternatives.
Vallée's ideas about
Via professional association with SRI and independent friendships with
In popular culture
Film appearances
In 1979, Robert Emenegger and Alan Sandler updated their 1974
Vallée served as the real-life model for Lacombe, the researcher portrayed by François Truffaut in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind.[8] He also attempted to interest Spielberg in an alternative explanation for the phenomenon. In an interview on Conspire.com, Vallée said, "I argued with him that the subject was even more interesting if it wasn't extraterrestrials. If it was real, physical, but not ET. So he said, 'You're probably right, but that's not what the public is expecting — this is Hollywood and I want to give people something that's close to what they expect.'"[9]
Filmography
- UFOs: It Has Begun(1979)
- Witness of Another World (2018)
- The Phenomenon (2020)
X-Files
Episode "
Personal life
Vallée was married to Janine Saley until her death in 2010.[11] They have two children.[1]
Publications
Journal articles
- "An Automatic Question-answering System for Stellar Astronomy," with JSTOR 40674368.
- Jacques Vallée (1 December 1967). "UFO Consensus". Wikidata Q110652743. Richard J. Rosa, William T. Powers, Thomas R. P. Gibb, Jr., Philip C. Steffey, Isabel R. A. García, and George Cohenalso had letters.
- "Group Communication Through Electronic Media: Fundamental Choices and Social Effects," with Robert Johansen and Richard H. Miller. Educational Technology, vol. 14, no. 8 (August 1974): 7-20. JSTOR 44420906.
- Jacques Vallée; Hubert Lipinski; Robert Johansen; Thaddeus Wilson (18 April 1975). "Computer conferencing". Wikidata Q81085856.
- "Remote Viewing and Computer Communications: An Experiment." ISSN 0892-3310.
- "Five Arguments Against the Extraterrestrial Origin of Unidentified Flying Objects."
- "Presented at the Eighth Annual Conference of the Society for Scientific Exploration, Boulder, Colorado, June 1989."
- "Estimates of Optical Power Output in Six Cases of Unexplained Aerial Objects with Defined Luminosity Characteristics." ISSN 0892-3310.
- "Physical Analyses in Ten Cases of Unexplained Aerial Objects with Material Samples." ISSN 0892-3310.
- "Six Cases of Unexplained Aerial Objects with Defined Luminosity Characteristics." ISSN 0892-3310.
- "Improved instrumental techniques, including isotopic analysis, applicable to the characterization of unusual materials with potential relevance to aerospace forensics," with Garry P. Nolan, Sizun Jiang, Larry G. Lemke. ISSN 0376-0421.
Books
Finance
- OCLC 44681865.
Novels
- Fastwalker, with ISBN 1883319439.
- Stratagème (in French). (January 2006). ISBN 2841877779.
- English: Stratagem (July 2007). ISBN 978-0615156422.
- English: Stratagem (July 2007).
Science Fiction
- Le Sub-Espace [Sub-Space] (as Jérôme Sériel). Sub-Space (1961)
- Le Satellite Sombre [The Dark Satellite] (as Jérôme Sériel). (1963)
- Alintel (1986)
- Provided partial basis for Fastwalker.
- La Mémoire de Markov (1986)
Technical
- Computer Message Systems. Data Communications Book Series. New York: ISBN 0070510318.
- ISBN 0201034786.
- ISBN 0140071172.
- ISBN 978-1571743695.
UFOlogy
- Anatomy of a Phenomenon: Unidentified Objects in Space – a Scientific Appraisal. NTC/Contemporary Publishing (January 1965). ISBN 0809298880.
- Reissue: UFO's In Space: Anatomy of A Phenomenon (paperback). ISBN 0345344375.
- Reissue: UFO's In Space: Anatomy of A Phenomenon (paperback).
- Challenge to Science: The UFO Enigma – with Janine Vallée (NTC/Contemporary Publishing, 1966)
- Jacques Vallée (1969), Passport to Magonia: from Folklore to Flying Saucers, Wikidata Q35273897
- Jacques Vallée (1975), The Invisible College: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered about UFO Influence on the Human Race, Wikidata Q2983594
- The Edge of Reality: A Progress Report on Unidentified Flying Objects – Jacques Vallée and Dr. J. Allen Hynek (Quality Books, 1975)
- Jacques Vallée (June 1979), Messengers of Deception: UFO Contacts and Cults, Wikidata Q40014992
- Jacques Vallée (April 1988), Dimensions: A Casebook of Alien Contact (in English and French), Wikidata Q40201814
- Jacques Vallée (March 1990), Confrontations: A Scientist's Search for Alien Contact, Wikidata Q19422803
- Jacques Vallée (September 1991), Revelations: Alien Contact and Human Deception, Wikidata Q40206753
- UFO Chronicles of the Soviet Union: A Cosmic Samizdat (Ballantine Books, 1992)
- Forbidden Science: Journals, 1957-1969 (North Atlantic Books, 1992; ISBN 0615187242)
- Forbidden Science, Volume Two: Journals, 1970-1979 — California Hermetica (San Francisco: Documatica Research, 2009; ISBN 0578032317)
- Wonders in the Sky: Unexplained Aerial Objects from Antiquity to Modern Times (paperback ed.). Tarcher. 2010. ISBN 978-1-58542-820-5.
- Forbidden Science, Volume Three: Journals, 1980-1989 — On the Trail of Hidden Truths (self-published with Lulu Press, 2016)
- Forbidden Science 4: The Spring Hill Chronicles, The Journals of Jacques Vallee 1990-1999 (self-published with Lulu Press, 2019)
- TRINITY: The Best-Kept Secret (Documatica Research, 2021; ISBN 979-8745902567)
Reports
- Group Communication Through Computers, Vol. 1: Design and Use of the FORUM System, with Hubert M. Lipinski and Richard H. Miller. Menlo Park, Calif.: Institute for the Future (July 1974).
- "Supported by National Science Foundation Grant GJ-35 326X and Advanced Resesrch Projects Agency Contract No. DAHC 15 72 C 0165."
Other materials
- Report from the Field: Scientific Issues in the UFO Phenomenon (presentation). George Washington University (November 8, 2002).
- "Crop Circles: 'Signs' From Above or Human Artifacts? Some personal speculations on a fractal theme." ufocasebook.com.
- "Are UFO Events related to Sidereal Time? Arguments against a proposed correlation." jacquesvallee.com.
See also
- Magonia (mythology)
Further reading
- Mahar, Ted. "UFO Scientist Says Search Needs Skeptics Jacques Vallee Employs both Respect and Analysis." Oregonian (June 4, 1990) p. D1.
- Kripal, Jeffrey J. "The Future Technology of Folklore: Jacques Vallee and the UFO Phenomenon" (Chapter 3). Authors of the Impossible: The Paranormal and the Sacred. University of Chicago Press (2010) pp. 142–197.
References
- ^ a b c Tattoli, Chantel (February 18, 2022). "Jacques Vallée Still Doesn't Know What UFOs Are". Wired. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "PLANET – IRC History, ARPANET Chat, Conferencing, Jacques Vallee, Internet."Living Internet. Accessed June 30, 2021. Archived from the original.
- ^ a b Official biographical profile. jacquesvallee.net.
- hdl:1911/111924.
- ^ Joaquim Fernandes, Fernando Fernandes and Raul Berenguel, Fatima Revisited (2008) p.186-200
- ^ Jacques Vallée, Anatomy of a Phenomenon (1965) p. 148-151.
- ^ Jacques Vallée, Dimensions (1988/2008) pp. 195-205.
- ^ Jacques Vallée, Dimensions (1988), page 269.
- ^ Mack White, "Heretic Among Heretics"
- ^ Sheaffer, Robert. "New X-Files Renews Cover-Up Conspiracy Claims." Skeptical Inquirer, vol. 40, no. 3 (May 2016): 14–15. (subscription required).
- ^ "Janine Vallee Obituary - Death Notice and Service Information". Legacy.com. 25 March 2016.
External links
- Official website
- Jacques Vallée at IMDb
- Interview: Jacques Vallée – A Man of Many Dimensions (2006)
- Interview: Jacques Vallée Discusses UFO Control System with Jerome Clark (1978)
- Interview: Heretic Among Heretics: – Jacques Vallée (1993)
- Interview: Dr. Jacques Vallée Reveals What Is Behind Forbidden Science
- Interview with Chris O'Brien (1992)
- Green Egg interview with Dr. Jacques Vallée at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
- The "Pentacle Memorandum" Including text of correspondence from Dr. Jacques Vallée (1993)
- Foreword to book: UFOs and The National Security State – Vallée
- French biography of Dr. Jacques Vallée
- Anatomy of a Hoax: The Philadelphia Experiment 50 Years Later by Dr. Jacques Vallée