Episode
An alien other? Kimberly Engels on the phenomenology of contact
- Published
- Jul 29, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 5051
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Summary
On this episode, I sit down with Kimberly Engels, associate professor of philosophy at Molloy University and research director of the John Mack Institute, to discuss her book, "Contact and Multidimensional Subjectivity: Toward a Phenomenology of Disclosure." The conversation focuses on Engels' approach to studying UFO experiencers through phenomenological methods, examining how these encounters transform participants' sense of self, reality, and ethics. We discuss the concept of "partial witnessing" as a form of epistemic harm, where experiencers' testimonies are reduced to fit pre-existing worldviews rather than being taken seriously in their full complexity. Engels outlines how a multi-dimensional “new” ethics is emerging from contact experiences that includes everything now existing on this planet, as well as an interspecies relationality. This development suggests rather strongly that humanity is undergoing a transformation in how we understand our place in a more-than-human universe. The discussion also touches on the debate between traditional human rights approaches to contact and a post-anthropocentric perspective that acknowledges the epistemic advantages of non-human intelligences. Engels advocates for epistemic humility and invites people to consider alternative ways of understanding these experiences rather than forcing specific interpretations. https://johnemackinstitute.org/ Link to the “Breaking the Taboo” event hosted by the John Mack Institute and Center for the Impossible, organized by Kim Engels and Karin Austin, among others: https://youtu.be/SkO3MoBGcuU?si=geirx5cP-Pqy_Z1K To buy her book: https://a.co/d/07gG266X —------------------------------------------------------- ———— Music Credits: Music: Cinematic Logo 04 by TaigaSoundPr…