The Theory of the Prison Planet

If Earth Isn’t Home… Where Is?

From the moment that humans were able to think and ponder, we have wondered about our origin. Where do we come from? Why are we here? A new theory seeks to answer that very question: the theory of the prison planet.

As science has developed, new theories have popped up left and right seeking to answer the ultimate question of the origins of mankind. While nearly every culture on the face of the planet has sought to explain our presence on Earth, science has taken the reigns in recent years to develop a possible hypothesis. With this, we get theories such as the ever-popular simulation hypothesis.

Recently, the theory of the prison planet has begun to gain traction. Developed by American ecologist Dr. Ellis Silver, the prison planet theory states that the origin of humankind is not found here on Earth but elsewhere. Silver contends that we are not an evolutionary product of this world but, rather, visitors that found ourselves on Earth relatively recently in the geographical timescale.

Silver goes on to argue that we may have come to Earth anywhere between tens of thousands of years ago to hundreds of thousands of years ago before breeding with earlier developed species such as the Neanderthals, causing us to become the hybrid species we know as humans today.

If you’re anything like me, this theory seems a bit far-fetched. It should be noted, however, while Silver’s theory sounds like the ravings of a mad man he is anything but. Rather than being the usual tin-foil hat wearing enthusiast, Silver is a respected scientist. He even has some evidence to back up his claims.

The Question of Humans

Silver is more than willing to present his findings regarding the prison planet theory. According to Silver, it all starts with the fact that we, as a species, really don’t belong here on Earth. As Silver acknowledges, humans are unlike any other species found here on Earth in terms of both mental capacity and intelligence. There is, in fact, no species on Earth that can contend with humankind’s ability to create, philosophize, and advance in a technological sense. And that’s not Silver’s only argument to suggest that humankind originated elsewhere in the Universe.

Silver also states that humans possess many physiological characteristics that suggest we didn’t originally develop here on Earth. In fact, Silver lists a variety of differences between us and nearly every other lifeform found on Earth. According to Silver, these differences can be observed as early on as the beginning of our lives.

The first example Silver offers is the fact that human mothers experience both complications and pain during natural childbirth that is not witnessed elsewhere in the animal kingdom. While it can be argued that many of these complications may be due to the size of a baby human’s head, Silver argues that there is no basis for this to be normal if this is a result of evolutionary progression.

Silver also argues that human babies are virtually helpless for years after birth, developing excruciatingly slowly when compared to the rest of the animal kingdom. Within the animal kingdom, rather, it is the norm for babies to become fairly self-sufficient in a rapid amount of time. While this may seem like enough to make you raise an eyebrow, there is still much that Silver has to say.

Silver goes on to note that as humans age, we display certain anomalous traits that we don’t share with other members of the animal kingdom. He cites the fact that we are extraordinarily prone to developing chronic illnesses, that we are weak to the impact of the sun (we are the only species that experiences sunburn), and that the range of frequencies that we can hear is relatively low compared to the rest of the animal kingdom. Silver even goes on to cite the reason that humans are so prone to back issues as being the gravitational difference between Earth and our homeworld.

While there are a number of other interesting differences between the human race and the majority of the animal kingdom that Silver goes on to highlight, it seems that he is of the opinion that our bodies are not well-suited for the Earthly environment. As he says:

My thesis proposes that mankind did not evolve from that particular strain of life (native earth organisms), but evolved elsewhere and was transported to Earth between 60,000 and 200,000 years ago. Mankind is supposedly the most highly developed species on the planet, yet is surprisingly unsuited and ill-equipped for Earth’s environment: harmed by sunlight, a strong dislike for naturally occurring foods, ridiculously high rates of chronic disease, and more. This suggests (to me at least) that mankind may have evolved on a different planet, and we may have been brought here as a highly developed species. The Earth approximately meets our needs as a species, but perhaps not as strongly as whoever brought us here initially thought.

Where is Home?

So let’s say that all of this is true. If so, where is home? Where did we come from? Silver has his own theories. According to him, it is a strong possibility that Earth serves as a prison planet for holding prisoners who found themselves incapable of integrating into the normalcy of society.

According to Silver, it is highly possible that our ancestors were exiled here on Earth due to their own indiscretions, leaving them to be forgotten about before they continuously began breeding with Neanderthals. Calling it the “Prison Planet Theory”, Silver remarks on why we all find ourselves here, saying:

“One reason for this, discussed in the book, is that the Earth might be a prison planet — since we seem to be a naturally violent species — and we’re here until we learn to behave ourselves.”

Silver further goes on to add some weight to his theory by stating that our ancestors may have had overseers at one time. These overseers became gods in the minds of our ancestors. He even suggests that the UFOs that we see today may be our overseers coming back to take a look at us and see how far (or how little) we have progressed on our prison planet.

While I’m unsure of how much I can agree with Silver’s findings, I have to admit that the prison planet theory is indeed interesting. If you are interested in learning more about the theory, Silver has actually written an entire book on the subject entitled Humans are not from Earth: a scientific evaluation of the evidence. Give it a read!

What do you think of Silver’s theory? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave me a response to this article so we can further discuss it!