drtimlomas/multidimensionalpositivepsychology

Philosophical / speculative

I am interested in questions relating to the place of humans in the cosmos and the issue of UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) and Non-Human Intelligence (NHI)

Papers

Lomas, T., Masters, M. P., Wheeler, B., & Brown, S. (2026). Celestial (be)longing: A case for scientific interest in humankind’s yearning for, and potential origins in, the heavens. Philosophy and Cosmology. https://doi.org/10.29202/phil-cosm/36/1

Throughout history and across cultures, human beings have fashioned myths involving some kind of interstellar or somehow “otherworldly” contact. These range from visitations from elsewhere in the cosmos, to humanity itself having a celestial origin. Until recently, these narratives have largely been interpreted as imaginative fictions of some form, such as a creative origin story, with the possibility of these actually having some historical truth being generally dismissed. This interpretation is influenced by an epistemological assumption that an “extraordinary” (e.g., extraterrestrial) visitation from some form of “Non-Human Intelligence” (NHI) is a priori highly unlikely, which until recently has been the scientific consensus. However, developments over recent years have led to such assumptions being re-thought. As such, this paper argues these early celestial myths may be worth revisiting with an open mind. Ultimately, the key question may not only be who “they” are (i.e., rumored NHI), but who “we” are (i.e., humans), and relatedly, where did we come from, why are we here, and where are we going?

Lomas, T. (2025). Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) disclosure as ontological shock? Exploring diversity among social media responses to a congressional UAP hearing. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 65(3), 654-688.

The topic of “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena” (UAP) has risen to increasing prominence recently, as exemplified by the Congressional UAP hearing in July 2023. Indeed, some observers interpreted the event as “disclosure” – a process by which authorities, long suspected to have withheld evidence that some UAP are genuinely anomalous (e.g., extraterrestrial), admit this to the public. Whether it actually constituted disclosure is another issue, but it was certainly experienced by some as such. The significance of such disclosure is that some commentators suggested it may precipitate “ontological shock” (a person having their fundamental sense of reality challenged in some way). Whether the hearing did indeed do so is the research question animating this paper, which presents an exploratory, preliminary examination of reactions to the hearing on X (previously Twitter). A Grounded Theory analysis identified 19 themes (involving 76 subthemes), distributed across four categories: concern; positive reactions; skepticism and indifference; and critical engagement. Evidently, even if this event constituted disclosure and/or ontological shock for some people, there were diverse reactions, and collectively the effect was more one of ontological “fracturing.” The paper highlights the complexity of this topic and the need for further research.

Lomas, T., Masters, M., & O’Malley, A. (2025). Conspiracies, cover-ups, compartmentalization, and containment: The complex, secrecy-related information dynamics of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. World Futures. https://doi.org/10.1080/02604027.2025.2585942

This paper sheds lights on these dynamics by delving into the informational complexity around this topic. The aim here isn’t to determine or uncover the ”truth” about this phenomenon, which we are not in a position to do anyway (having no privileged access to classified or otherwise secret information, and only relying on what is in the public domain). Rather, we are just attempting to think about, from first principles, the interrelated nature of information, people, institutions, and potential UAP, such that together these intersecting considerations might help explain the murkiness and confusion that habitually surround this topic. Our starting point is to note three crucial properties of information that influence whether and with whom it is shared, namely information as power, responsibility, and value. We then suggest that these properties are enhanced to the extent information is novel, unusual, not widely known/believed, existentially challenging, connected to scientific/technological development, and militarily/politically consequential. These “secrecy multipliers” all pertain to the UAP topic. The paper then reviews eleven intersecting reasons for UAP-related secrecy. The first five concern the nature of institutions and people, and are not specific to this topic per se: institutions create secrets; institutional complexity; information control; information impedance; and the lure of secrecy. The next six more closely pertain to UAP, and involve various forms of concern, including regarding: the existential implications of the topic; possible “beings” connected to UAP; geopolitical power dynamics; legal repercussions arising from alleged concealment; institutional reputations; and public reaction. To be clear, the plausibility of these secrecy-related dynamics in relation to the topic does not mean that UAP are in fact necessarily “genuine” (i.e., extraordinary). Nevertheless, whatever the ultimate truth about UAP proves to be, these considerations help explain the historic and present secrecy around the phenomenon.

Lomas, T., O’Malley, A., Masters, M. P., & Vernet, R. (2025). The UAP Assessment Matrix: A proposed framework for evaluating evidence and understanding regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. Acta Astronautica, 234, 491-503

Over recent years the issue of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) has increasingly captivated attention and even concern, as reflected in the US military establishing a UAP Task Force in 2020. By their very definition however, such phenomena present an epistemological challenge to observers and analysts, raising questions such as what does it mean for something to be unidentified or anomalous, and relatedly, what kind of evidence and understanding would it take for the phenomenon to become identified and explained. This paper aims to help address these issues by providing a UAP Assessment Matrix that would allow observers to appraise a given UAP event/case, featuring two main dimensions: evidence (i.e., the quality of the data pertaining to it); and understanding (i.e., the extent to which the data align with various theories and explanations). Moreover, both dimensions feature numerous sub-dimensions (which is what makes the framework a matrix), allowing more nuanced and fine-grained assessments to be made. We also demonstrate the matrix using a little-known but significant UAP case study from 1953. The matrix will ideally provide a foundation for more rigorous and considered analyses of UAP events and stimulate further understanding of this vitally important topic.

Lomas, T. (2024). A global picture of unidentified anomalous phenomena: Towards a cross‐cultural understanding of a potentially universal issue. International Social Science Journal, 74, 851–879.

Over recent years, the issue of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) has increasingly captivated attention and even concern, as reflected in the US military establishing a UAP Task Force in 2020. However, the discourse and debate around this important topic are beset with misunderstandings and a general lack of knowledge and information. One prominent point of contention is the claim or insinuation that this is a uniquely Western concern, and even one exclusively centred on North America. Crucially though, this is an incorrect assumption and perhaps reflects the Western‐centrism to which academia is liable. To redress this issue, this paper reviews the publicly available information on the prevalence of UAP sightings and reports worldwide, showing that, even if these are heavily biased towards the United States, this is nevertheless a global phenomenon. The discussion concludes though by noting that this is a very poorly understood topic – despite the dawning recognition of its importance – and much more work is needed to better ascertain its cross‐cultural dynamics.

Lomas, T. (2024). A history of scientific approaches to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Time to rethink their relegation to the paranormal and engage seriously? Journal of Scientific Exploration, 38(1), 91–109.

The topic of “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena” (UAP) has historically been regarded with skepticism by the scientific community. After a period of relative openness and ambivalence in the 1950s and 60s, it eventually became generally categorized as a “paranormal” concern and dismissed as a legitimate focus of inquiry. However, the issue has risen to public prominence over recent years. As such, this paper argues UAP should be redeemed as a scientific topic and given the scrutiny that such a potentially important phenomenon merits. The focus here is not assessing the nature of UAP per se but simply to argue this is a valid topic that the scientific community has shied away from which deserves real consideration.

Lomas, T. (2024). The extraterrestrial hypothesis: A case for scientific openness to an interstellar explanation for Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. Philosophy and Cosmology, 32.

Over the past several years the question of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) has commanded increasing interest. Attention has generally focused on two main classes of hypotheses: a conventional terrestrial explanation (e.g., human technology), and a more extraordinary extraterrestrial explanation (i.e., an intelligent civilization from elsewhere in the cosmos). However, while some authorities seem open to the latter (e.g., elements of the military and intelligence communities), on the whole scientists appear reluctant to consider it. This may be because such ideas have long been relegated to the "paranormal" and dismissed as a legitimate focus of enquiry. However, work has nevertheless flourished on adjacent ideas, such as the possibility of extraterrestrial life per se and the viability of interstellar space travel. As such, given these adjacent ideas, together with new evidence concerning UAP that seems to elude conventional understanding, this paper argues that the scientific community should engage with the extraterrestrial hypothesis as a real and genuine possibility.

Lomas, T., Case, B., & Masters, M. (2024). The cryptoterrestrial hypothesis: A case for scientific openness to a subterranean earthly explanation for Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. Philosophy and Cosmology, 33.

Recent years have seen increasing public attention and indeed concern regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). Hypotheses for such phenomena tend to fall into two classes: a conventional terrestrial explanation (e.g., human-made technology), or an extraterrestrial explanation (i.e., advanced civilizations from elsewhere in the cosmos). However, there is also a third minority class of hypothesis: an unconventional terrestrial explanation, outside the prevailing consensus view of the universe. This is the ultraterrestrial hypothesis, which includes as a subset the "cryptoterrestrial" hypothesis, namely the notion that UAP may reflect activities of intelligent beings concealed in stealth here on Earth (e.g., underground), and/or its near environs (e.g., the moon), and/or even "walking among us" (e.g., passing as humans). Although this idea is likely to be regarded sceptically by most scientists, such is the nature of some UAP that we argue this possibility should not be summarily dismissed, and instead deserves genuine consideration in a spirit of epistemic humility and openness.

Lomas, T., & Case, B. (2023). A history of psychogeography and psychocosmology: Humankind's evolving orientation on earth and in space. Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology, 4, 100090.

Although psychology has tended to focus on the individual, paradigms have emerged looking at people in context, such as social psychology. More recently, these have included fields attending to humans’ ecological context, such as ecopsychology. However, little has been conducted on spatial orientation, on how humankind has understood itself in relation to the Earth (“psychogeography”) or the universe (“psychocosmology”). To address this lacuna, this paper presents a historical narrative of psychogeography and psychocosmology, identifying four main perspectives that emerged over time. First, stretching into pre-history, belief in a flat Earth and a layered cosmos. Second, beginning around the 6th Century BCE, a spherical Earth and a geocentric cosmos. Third, from the 15th Century onwards, an expanded Earth and a heliocentric cosmos. Finally, in the 20th Century, an unstable Earth and an acentric cosmos. The paper illuminates the evolving way humans have understood their world and place in the wider universe, and highlights the psychological impact of these developments.

Lomas, T., & Case, B. (2023). From angels to aliens: Humankind’s ongoing encounters with, and evolving interpretations of, the genuine celestial unknown. Zygon, 58: 614-635.

Throughout history, people have observed aerial events that appeared extraordinary and anomalous. In earlier eras, these were often interpreted through a lens that invoked special classes of divine beings, such as angels (who, compared with gods, are regarded as more likely to interact with humans). Today, in our ostensibly secular scientific age, there is a tendency to assume such observers were mistaken, and that with the benefit of modern knowledge, these events can be “debunked” and attributed to conventional naturalistic explanations. However, recent years have seen a burgeoning interest and even concern over the issue of unidentified aerial phenomena. Through the lens of our “space age,” these are sometimes interpreted using notions such as extraterrestrial agents. Ultimately though, this article suggests that both categories of explanation, from angels to aliens, may be the perennial human quest to render comprehensible, through the prism of prevailing beliefs and traditions, an ongoing encounter with celestial phenomena that remain genuinely unknown but deeply significant.

Lomas, T. (2022). Stranger than we can imagine: The possibility and potential significance of non-human forms of consciousness and wellbeing. Journal of Positive Psychology. doi: 10.1080/17439760.2022.2131608

Recent decades have seen an intensification of scholarship on wellbeing. Looking ahead, the next frontier may be engaging with the possibility of non-human forms of wellbeing. This paper reviews the main candidates for what these forms may be, limiting its considerations to entities that are living and capable of conscious experience. However, what makes this topic so complex and fascinating is that what exactly constitutes life or conscious experience is not self-evident. Thus, this paper considers various potential life forms, which vary in the extent to which they challenge standard conceptions of life, including organic life forms on earth, matter, AI, and extra-terrestrial life. Some possibilities are unlikelier and more speculative than others, but all have at least a non-zero probability, so merit at least some consideration and attention. Moreover, the paper articulates why these possibilities have considerable relevance for human wellbeing, and so warrant the attention of wellbeing scholars.