Deanna Wilborne
Original conceptualization: 2008
Formal revision and publication draft: 2026
The original Close Encounters classification proposed by J. Allen Hynek (1972) categorized observed UFO phenomena into Levels 1 through 3 (later extended to 6 in popular culture). This document extends the framework bidirectionally. The negative levels (-3 to -1) describe pre-phenomenological cognitive states preceding encounter. The positive levels (7–8) describe post-contact relational development beyond initial interaction. The result is a continuous cognitive and relational taxonomy: from ignorance, to awareness, to encounter, to normalization.
Levels 1–6 are based on:
Hynek, J. A. (1972). The UFO experience: A scientific inquiry. Henry Regnery.
These levels classify observable encounter events.
See also: Close encounter - Wikipedia
The concept of extraterrestrial contact does not exist within the
entity’s cognitive framework.
Not avoided. Not ignored. Simply not a topic.
The idea of extraterrestrial life is acknowledged but dismissed as irrelevant, unlikely, or not worth investigation.
Speculation, dreams, fictional narratives, or informal discussion of contact occur without physical or evidentiary basis.
Indirect exposure through rumor, storytelling, media, or misremembered accounts. No direct experience.
These levels describe progressively closer physical interaction, from distant visual observation to biological interaction.
Repeated contact between entities occurs. Interaction becomes structured, possibly diplomatic, though still somewhat formal.
Contact is normalized. Entities may spend time together voluntarily. Social interaction replaces spectacle. They may go out to lunch.
Hynek’s scale classifies encounter events.
The V&B extension classifies cognitive and relational states
surrounding those events.
The highest form of contact is not spectacle, but normalization.
Milliways (referenced humorously in related V&B material) originates from:
Adams, D. (1980). The restaurant at the end of the universe. Pan Books.
This conceptual extension was first articulated in 2008 within the Vernnack & Blupirk creative universe and formalized in this document in 2026 for archival publication on GitHub Pages.
© 2026 Deanna Wilborne
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