Cohane, John

Introduction

John Philip Cohane is most relevant to ufology for Paradox, a popular speculative work arguing for extraterrestrial involvement in human origins. He fits UAPedia as a bridge between UFO interest and alternative deep-history narratives.

Background

Cohane wrote for general audiences, presenting large historical claims in an accessible style. His work is often discussed as part of the early “ancient astronaut” reading lineage.

Ufology career

He is not a modern case investigator; his “ufology” role is hypothesis-driven, using history and myth interpretation to argue for non-human influence.

Early work (Year–Year)

Early impact came through mass-market distribution of speculative ideas that later became recurring motifs in ancient-aliens media.

Prominence (Year–Year)

Prominence comes largely from being an early, readable “ET origins” proponent rather than from institutional ufology leadership.

Later work (Year–Year)

Later mentions tend to position him as a precursor—someone whose style foreshadowed later waves of ancient-astronaut publishing.

Major contributions

His contribution is helping codify a core storyline: ancient contact as an explanation for discontinuities in human history.

Notable cases

Not case-driven; his “evidence” is mostly interpretive—myth, artifact claims, and historical puzzles.

Views and hypotheses

Cohane’s best-known hypothesis is that human origins and early history might be better explained with extraterrestrial involvement than with purely terrestrial development.

Criticism and controversies (if notable)

Critics categorize the work as speculative and not aligned with mainstream anthropology. Supporters treat it as provocative synthesis that highlights unanswered questions.

Media and influence

His influence is primarily bibliographic—an early node in a large later media genre.

Selected works

Paradox; The Key.

Legacy

Cohane remains part of the “proto–ancient aliens” bookshelf that continues to feed modern ufology-adjacent history narratives.