Would the ongoing debate about extraterrestrial lifeforms be much less common if the Roswell UFO incident had never occurred?
It would be less common, but more productive
The Roswell incident put UFOs front and center in the American mainstream culture. So many of our films and other elements of our perception of UFOs have stemmed directly from this incident. If it weren't for Roswell, we would probably still have the debate, but not on the same level.
The TRosewell UFO
I personally think that the Roswell UFO incident is only one of many incidents and stories that goes around regarding extraterrestrial life forms. Without that story I'm sure the public would simply focus on another event or a more varied set of stories to illustrate their point. ET's are of interest to the world, there's not much we can do to stop our fascination
the ongoing debate
I personally disagree, I believe the Roswell UFO incident is only one of many incidents and stories that goes around regarding extraterrestrial lifeforms. Without that story I'm sure the public would simply focus on another event or a more varied set of stories to illustrate their point. ET's are of interest to the world, there's not much we can do to stop our fascination.
Science fiction has widely spread the idea of extra terrestials.
The Roswell UFO incident wasn't nearly as important to sparking the debate about other life in the universe, as science fiction has been. Science fiction writers have intrigued the minds of millions of people over the years. The books they wrote have led to countless alien themed movies. These books and movies have fueled the commonality of debates about extra terrestrial life.
Plenty of Other Incidents
I believe the Roswell UFO incident is only one of many incidents and stories that goes around regarding extraterrestrial lifeforms. Without that story I'm sure the public would simply focus on another event or a more varied set of stories to illustrate their point. ET's are of interest to the world, there's not much we can do to stop our fascination.