Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World


INTRODUCTION Mankind's history, past and present, holds many puzzling events and questions. These enigmas have fueled our collective imagination for centuries and, though we now live in a full technocratic and scientific society, many of them remain unanswered. That is the essence of mystery, windows of doubt ripped in the fabric of our reality that allow a glimpse into that large area of uncertainty we chose to call the unknown. Ranging from simple and almost risible phenomena like showers of frogs that fall from the sky, to mind boggling UFO sightings and close encounters, this mysterious world keeps our curious minds in constant awe. An enormous amount of literature has been produced on the various subjects that compose this particular area of knowledge but the new media, namely the TV and the Internet, though swarming with shows and websites on the subject, have always suffered from a colossal lack of seriousness and scientific rigor. For that reason "Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World", a Yorkshire Television production from 1980, is still the benchmark for audiovisual treatment of the unknown as a whole. Through 13 exceptional episodes, the world-renowned author Arthur C. Clarke guides the viewers through different categories of mysteries that encompass sciences like zoology, archaeology, meteorology, physics and astronomy, just to cite some. As we can see there are many scientific areas involved in such investigations, but definitive answers are very rare either because of the elusive nature of the phenomena or due to the absence of interest from the scientists themselves. Most of us, as individuals, choose to keep these subjects away from our daily existence, deeming them as too complicated or inaccessible. Some of us prefer to tackle them as part of some system of belief, as manifestations of classic religious faiths or newly-born mythologies. Fortunately there are also a very few of us who face the unknown in a straightforward manner, armed with the sometimes feeble instruments of human reason, in an effort to understand and shed some light into that frightening darkness in the firm assumption that the resulting knowledge will change our existences forever. Such overwhelming fascination with the mysteries that surround us is outstandingly patent in this TV series, with its authors approaching every theme with a subtle mesh of journalistic and scientific seriousness, making it accessible to the casual spectator and enlightening to the more informed viewer. There was a clear interest in speaking with the witnesses as well as with investigators in the physical locations where the events occurred. From the millennia old megalithic edifications of Britain, to the cold Siberian forests of Tunguska, all views and discoveries are presented in this globetrotting series, providing a fascinating insight into the bizarreness that permeates our lives. As a work of televised reference, this series is still unsurpassed, revealing the true commitment of its creators to the subjects without sensationalism. In the end, almost thirty years after the original airing date, its interesting to see how little we have advanced in answering to the questions posed in “Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World”. The inefficiency of our science is to blame, but also the confusing mist of pseudo-scientific publications and documentaries, more business oriented than enlightening. As the Chinese sage Confucius once said "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". This work is an excellent starting point for an investigation of the paranormal. We shall take it then as an important stepping stone towards a better understanding of the unknown. This website is an homage, but also a small contribution for that larger effort. Bruno & Carlos de Figueiredo
INTRODUCTION - EPISODES LIST - BEHIND THE SCENES - FORUM - LINKS - ABOUT US - MAIN MENU

2008 // webdesign by BrunoF

INTRODUCTION

Mankind's history, past and present, holds many puzzling events and questions. These enigmas have fueled our collective imagination for centuries and, though we now live in a full technocratic and scientific society, many of them remain unanswered. That is the essence of mystery, windows of doubt ripped in the fabric of our reality that allow a glimpse into that large area of uncertainty we chose to call the unknown. Ranging from simple and almost risible phenomena like showers of frogs that fall from the sky, to mind boggling UFO sightings and close encounters, this mysterious world keeps our curious minds in constant awe.

An enormous amount of literature has been produced on the various subjects that compose this particular area of knowledge but the new media, namely the TV and the Internet, though swarming with shows and websites on the subject, have always suffered from a colossal lack of seriousness and scientific rigor. For that reason "Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World", a Yorkshire Television production from 1980, is still the benchmark for audiovisual treatment of the unknown as a whole. Through 13 exceptional episodes, the world-renowned author Arthur C. Clarke guides the viewers through different categories of mysteries that encompass sciences like zoology, archaeology, meteorology, physics and astronomy, just to cite some.

As we can see there are many scientific areas involved in such investigations, but definitive answers are very rare either because of the elusive nature of the phenomena or due to the absence of interest from the scientists themselves. Most of us, as individuals, choose to keep these subjects away from our daily existence, deeming them as too complicated or inaccessible. Some of us prefer to tackle them as part of some system of belief, as manifestations of classic religious faiths or newly-born mythologies. Fortunately there are also a very few of us who face the unknown in a straightforward manner, armed with the sometimes feeble instruments of human reason, in an effort to understand and shed some light into that frightening darkness in the firm assumption that the resulting knowledge will change our existences forever.

Such overwhelming fascination with the mysteries that surround us is outstandingly patent in this TV series, with its authors approaching every theme with a subtle mesh of journalistic and scientific seriousness, making it accessible to the casual spectator and enlightening to the more informed viewer. There was a clear interest in speaking with the witnesses as well as with investigators in the physical locations where the events occurred. From the millennia old megalithic edifications of Britain, to the cold Siberian forests of Tunguska, all views and discoveries are presented in this globetrotting series, providing a fascinating insight into the bizarreness that permeates our lives. As a work of televised reference, this series is still unsurpassed, revealing the true commitment of its creators to the subjects without sensationalism. In the end, almost thirty years after the original airing date, its interesting to see how little we have advanced in answering to the questions posed in “Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World”.

The inefficiency of our science is to blame, but also the confusing mist of pseudo-scientific publications and documentaries, more business oriented than enlightening. As the Chinese sage Confucius once said "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". This work is an excellent starting point for an investigation of the paranormal. We shall take it then as an important stepping stone towards a better understanding of the unknown. This website is an homage, but also a small contribution for that larger effort.

Bruno & Carlos de Figueiredo