Former President Barack Obama recently sat down for an interview with Brian Tyler Cohen, and during a lightning round at the end of their conversation, the topic unexpectedly turned to aliens. Obama’s response -- suggesting that extraterrestrial life may exist, while downplaying the idea of a secret underground lab at Area 51 -- quickly sparked online debate before being partially clarified afterward.
So what, if anything, should we take seriously?
Where’s the line between reasonable curiosity and unfounded speculation? When does open-mindedness become gullibility -- and when does skepticism become closed-mindedness?
In this episode, I explore the full spectrum of the alien question: what’s scientifically plausible, why certain ideas get labeled “crazy,” and how to stay open-minded without losing your grounding. Because navigating the unknown isn’t about choosing belief or disbelief -- it’s about learning how to think clearly when the conversation drifts beyond the ordinary.
