Timely Article Raises Serious Questions About Alien Contact.

[LarsMac]

Originally Posted by Greznik

Very interesting article. The thing I find interesting is that when talking about extraterrestrial life out there, we always assume that they have better technology than we do. If this was the case, they would have come here some time ago to take our resources before we use em all up ourselves. Who's to say that earth doesn't have the best technology out there, and if we find living life elsewhere, we don't eventually go there and we are the hostile extraterrestrial life to this planet. Or maybe at one time long ago they had great technology and upon a vast world war almost all were lost, including their technology and were put back to a primitive life. Who knows, but always very interesting

Well there is the assumption that any that could detect the signals we send, decipher them and come to investigate, or even respond at all in a timely manner, would be equal to or superior to us. In fact, for them to come and investigate the signals we are transmitting would require them to have some technology we are deficient in.
If their technology is equal to ours, they may detect the signal, and would then have to decipher it, and respond, and perhaps many years from now, we receive their response. Assuming anyone here at that time can remember they are responding to, we would now have actually communicated with another life form. Then what?
Both of us, now aware of each other would begin to prepare for a meeting.
Both start going through the whole process. (friend or foe? aggressive or peaceful? Can we trust THEM? Should we be prepared for invasion? should we prepare a preemptive strike? Are they poisonous? do they have disease?
How much can we really tell them?
If they learn to monitor our entertainment, they could decide these humans are far to warlike.
If they are at all like life on Earth, they will be somewhat aggressive and defensive.
If they detect us first and it is light years away, they now have a significant head start on preparation for the meeting, before we even have received their response.

I would side with those calling for some prudence. We should try to find them and learn about them, before letting them know where we are.

[MG Mighty]

We won't come into contact with aliens in our life time (at least of extra terrestrial forms).

Life is a struggle for access to a limited amount of resources.

I don't see as a good thing to be the path of a stampede.
So what's the point of calling them here when we aren't yet able to create harmony and prosperity among us.

And no, people are selfish and some would betray our specie
in the hopes of achieving a better future for themselves and their beloved (and although it is a reasonable position in the short term, it has no viability in the long term, when the status quo would be altered and they were no longer needed).

It would be nice if mankind consider Earth and the Solar system to be a true sanctuary that it is to us (imho) before it starts to expand into other stars.

(And yes I believe that it is possible that in the future our descendents will met with extra terrestrial intelligent life form, but they will be human and descent also from us)

[Jas]

Interesting article, thanks Yirrk.

I often wonder about us humans; what other species exploits it natural environment to such an extent as we do ? Look at how humans dominate all aspects of life on this planet. We might reasonably expect such domination if anyone were to answer our calls - maybe they are on the way, maybe they are here and have been for some time ?

Seems pretty clear there is already an alien presence on Earth, just look in the mirror

[Rednexi]

Heheh nice article. Hmmm i just think that if such an contact would happen, the thing to fear would be us. Just think about our EU-briefcase-carrying bookworms telling them, "no sir, your plasma-moustaches dont fill our norms!". Or suits asking carefully "could you by any possibility have any oil in your planet?". Be afraid, be very afraid, aliens i mean.

[Sirhc]

Well if you just look at the human race in general I cannot imagine a sentient race wanting to make contact. I mean really we cannot get along with each other. We try, but there are a lot of paranoid people. I guarantee there are people somewhere who still think the world is flat . We have people doing all sorts of attrocities in the name of their interpretation of God. If a little green man suddenly appeared on our door step, do you know what kind of religious hysteria that would create?

While I think the human race is growing and many of us are accepting of many things, I still think the majority of people cannot comprehend the truely alien let alone the differences in the human race. Its a rocky road and I don't think we will see peace and acceptance of all the differences in humans and our cultures in my lifetime. Until we can face our own demons I really don't think an actual peaceful alien race would even care to bother trying to make contact.

We have a hard enough time trying to wrap our heads around our own lives and deaths let alone throwing another equation like an E.T. Many people would litterally pop a gasket because this would make them question everything. I also think deep down inside even the most idealistic SETI researcher knows that we are just not ready, but maybe just maybe if contact was made it could be the catalyst for change. Somehow I doubt it though, there are just to many narrow minded kooks with to many people following every word they say.

[Matrix]

In my opinion, a civilization that has reached a level of evolution sufficient for intra-galactic travel will have also evolved spiritually, out of our current warring, paranoid, greedy, individualistic mentalities and be much more peaceful than we could understand. If they were aware of us, its likely that they would just observe our civilization with minimal interventions, if any.


A quote taken from "the mothman prophecies" movie that illustrate the difficulties of communicating with highly advanced civilizations.

John Klein: I think we can assume that these entities are more advanced than us. Why don't they just come right out and tell us what's on their minds?

Alexander Leek: You're more advanced than a cockroach, have you ever tried explaining yourself to one of them?

So maybe trying to contact aliens at this point is just a waste of time?

[Chopper]

I feel I have to give some credit to the person (I cant remember who) on EF who has, as their footnote, the following:

"How 'Earth-like' exactly..? Temperate and able to support carbon based life? Or over-run with self-absorbed @$$holes..?"

[Yirrk]

Originally Posted by Chopper

I feel I have to give some credit to the person (I cant remember who) on EF who has, as their footnote, the following:

"How 'Earth-like' exactly..? Temperate and able to support carbon based life? Or over-run with self-absorbed @$$holes..?"

Oh yeah that guy....I think he started this thread!

[Shadowsong]

Originally Posted by Yirrk

Oh yeah that guy....I think he started this thread!

Whoah! Chopper pulled a "Vedder"

[timmmers]

I think the first TV signals leaked into space were Nazi propeganda weren't they?
If not they were early ones. Not a great introduction for anyone finding those signals.

If anyone comes here it will be a great effort to do so, and a very long journey unless they know much more than we do about travel in space...so they may be staying a while, and more worryingly they may be hungry and see us as we see most animals here...FOOD.

I hope no-one ever pops over for any reason ...it won't end well for us if they do unless they are very peaceful folk indeed. Look what humans did to new races they "discovered" ...wiped them out.

Even in the very best scenario that aliens turn up and wish to show us new ways to do things and technology ....the world governments would screw it up out of fear of someone getting an edge from it. UFO lands in Iran or North Korea and starts doling out technology for example? That sound like a great scenario ?

I don't think anyone intelligent enough to make the journey here would waste their time. I'm happy with that if it's true.

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