The Discovery of Intelligent Alien Life! Now What?

[akuli]

We should just turn around and go home! Why stuff up their lives when we could be better served fixing up our own society.

[FernandoGodspee]

Hmm...This is almost identical to the arguments of politicians during imperialist America. Should we uplift the Philippians' society, or leave them alone? Perhaps enslave them, or drive them out...

The way I see it, there are multiple spectrums of intent here. The first one is how much we want to make contact with them. On one side, we completely ignore them. Leave them alone completely, let them go on as they should. On the other side, we establish complete contact with them, sharing all information.

Another spectrum is of ethical vs practical intent. The ethical thing to do would be to give them information, medicine, technology, resources, even labor. This would make them equals, almost like a sister country to the Earth society. But on the other hand, we turn them all into slaves/eat them all/kill them all. Rape and pillage. We harvest the land for its resources, ravage the countryside, destroy them completely. Think America vs the Indians in the 1700s, only no ethics applied at all. Everything is done for the good of our society, the end justifies the means.

A final spectrum is how much we change them. We could probably destroy their culture completely if we wanted to, or preserve it completely. Do we act as missionaries for our religions?

For all of these things, I would assume humankind would choose something exactly in the middle. Because the other planet is populated with humans, they are also of our species. Our evolutionary mechanisms compel us to help others, in order to survive and reproduce. Yet all of human nature is intrinsically derived from selfish desires. You do good deeds because it might help you in the long run, or help you go to heaven. The two clashing forces are actually one and the same, but they end up creating something in the middle of everything.

[Muckraker]

But on the other hand, we turn them all into slaves/eat them all/kill them all. Rape and pillage. We harvest the land for its resources, ravage the countryside, destroy them completely. Think America vs the Indians in the 1700s, only no ethics applied at all.

We are talking about space-faring humans capable of timely intergalactic travel. It's true that humans have done bad things and still do bad things but I think trending clearly shows that future humans will not be akin to Spanish conquistadores. It may not seem like it but humanity is on a path to benevolence. Did humans in the 1700's have the ASPCA, DCF, Red Cross, or the NAACP? When a culture experiences major changes today is it likely to end up more repressive or less?

I see no logical evidence to support the assertion that highly-advanced humans will be war-like, conscience-free, capitalists scouring the universe for inhabited planets to conquer, enslave, and exploit. Does this really sound like the future of people that are currently legislating bullying and buying up land in Colombia to provide sanctuary for endangered orchids and hummingbirds?
http://savingspecies.org/projects/cu...mbian-orchids/

We could probably destroy their culture completely if we wanted to, or preserve it completely.

Depends on what their culture entails. I'm all for saving ethnic food. But screw culture if it calls for female circumcision and foot binding.

Do we act as missionaries for our religions?

Do current trends support the assertion that religion will play a major and intrusive role in the lives of future humans? If religions still exist at that point I think they will have become so diluted and friendly they all will have melded into one.

[grandpa]

We are talking about space-faring humans capable of timely
intergalactic travel.
It's true that humans have done bad things and still
do bad things but I think trending clearly shows that
future humans will not be akin to Spanish conquistadores.

Such behavior won't reproduce itself perfectly, at least.

Grandpa h.

[KayTwee]

We're so arrogant to believe that we could/would have a positive impact on them, particularly if we have no means to observe/monitor their communications beforehand so as to have some inkling of their mindset. Hell, we don't even know how they got there.. they may have settled the planet and made a conscious decision to eschew technology.. how nice of us to come charging in on white horses to save a day that was never in jeopardy.

I would say, if we found it and there was no apparent distress, no violation of the basic rights of individuals I think we are "morally" obligated to live and let live. What right do we have to decide anything for them? Pretty much anything we do will unravel their reality, I wouldn't care to be responsible for that.

I get the point of this thread, but it does make me shake my head in wonder at the fact that we dream of the "good" we could do for other planets in far flung reaches of our galaxy or beyond when we can't even manage to feed, clothe and house everyone on this one. I know a lot of people were disappointed at the budget cuts made to our space program but in all honesty, we should be embarrassed that we've ever even contemplated leaving this planet before everyone here is afforded equal rights and opportunities.

[Muckraker]

how nice of us to come charging in on white horses to save a day that was never in jeopardy.

I don't know. If I was dying of cancer I wouldn't mind an alien showing up and handing me a Tic-Tac that cures cancer.

Pretty much anything we do will unravel their reality, I wouldn't care to be responsible for that.

Unraveling reality isn't always bad, especially when that reality is destructive. I'd love to unravel the reality of ass-backwards cultures that "circumcise" girls or cut off the noses of wives that are "not in the mood." Doesn't the pursuit of enlightenment also require us to sacrifice our reality?

I get the point of this thread, but it does make me shake my head in wonder at the fact that we dream of the "good" we could do for other planets in far flung reaches of our galaxy or beyond when we can't even manage to feed, clothe and house everyone on this one.

This is assuming that space-faring humans capable of reaching another inhabited planet will be the same as we are today. The human experience is quite a bit different today than it was two-hundred years ago. It's very different than it was even twenty years ago. Now that we are globalizing and are in the steeper part of the exponential rise of technology I think life on earth one-hundred years from now will be unrecognizable.

I know a lot of people were disappointed at the budget cuts made to our space program but in all honesty, we should be embarrassed that we've ever even contemplated leaving this planet before everyone here is afforded equal rights and opportunities.

But exploration is fun.

I can't argue against this point. Human priorities are screwed up. I look at the Happy-Meal toy in my hand and marvel at all that went into creating it and getting it there--then I drop it in the trash.

[KayTwee]

Well, as I said.. if we can't observe that anything has gone horribly wrong for the individuals living on said planet then it's rather self-serving of us to imagine that we're more enlightened than they. Also, (and this may sound a bit Kaczynski-ish) who is to say that greater technological advancement is actually a boon? But perhaps that's a whole other thread

[Muckraker]

Well, as I said.. if we can't observe that anything has gone horribly wrong for the individuals living on said planet then it's rather self-serving of us to imagine that we're more enlightened than they.

What if Earth was the planet in question? Humans are doing better than ever but things still could be a whole lot better for a whole lot of us. "Benevolent" alien intervention could do everyone a bit of good. It would knock the high-and-mighty down a few notches, raise the huddled masses up to an acceptable baseline, and solve many of the lesser problems of the folks in between the top and bottom.

An event like that would also dump all humans in boxes we don't currently have to admit we're in--the category of humans on earth and that of life on earth. Maybe we'll spend less energy on being American, Iranian, or Chinese when, in the larger scope of the universe, it's a bit like being violently patriotic about the street you happen to live on.

From a purely selfish point of view, I wouldn't be too upset with the countless new experiences offered by the sudden appearance of advanced alien life. As long as one of those new experiences does not involve my brain becoming an alien fruit smoothie of course.

Also, (and this may sound a bit Kaczynski-ish) who is to say that greater technological advancement is actually a boon?

Probably would be a great topic of its own.

For this thread, though, I would be hard-pressed to come up with much on the anti-technology side of things. I think the version of me debating thought-provoking concepts with someone thousands of miles away is a better example of personal enlightenment than the version of me sitting by the fire, resting after twelve hours of turning over soil, and listening to his sister play a home-made fiddle before hitting the hay. (Please, pay no attention to that man behind the curtain though--the version of me spending all his time letting 5000 of his closest friends know what he had for breakfast.)

[KayTwee]

What if Earth was the planet in question? Humans are doing better than ever but things still could be a whole lot better for a whole lot of us. "Benevolent" alien intervention could do everyone a bit of good. It would knock the high-and-mighty down a few notches, raise the huddled masses up to an acceptable baseline, and solve many of the lesser problems of the folks in between the top and bottom.

True, it could.. but it could also throw the world into chaos. Maybe eventually it works out alright, but I just don't see a clear-cut case for intervention when it's all "ifs" and "maybes".. then again, I have been accused of some level of nihilism so perhaps it's just that aspect of my psyche shining though.

An event like that would also dump all humans in boxes we don't currently have to admit we're in--the category of humans on earth and that of life on earth. Maybe we'll spend less energy on being American, Iranian, or Chinese when, in the larger scope of the universe, it's a bit like being violently patriotic about the street you happen to live on.

I agree, to a large extent.. but not everyone who experiences this would have the same feeling about it. Just because folks like you and I are capable of experiencing something of this magnitude with open minds does not mean that everyone else on the face of the planet would. If you're shooting for the lowest common denominator and their comfort level, I think you end up erring on the side of "ignorance is bliss" and leaving them be.

From a purely selfish point of view, I wouldn't be too upset with the countless new experiences offered by the sudden appearance of advanced alien life. As long as one of those new experiences does not involve my brain becoming an alien fruit smoothie of course.

Indeed! I'm none too fond of the idea of being smoothied either but more and more I find myself hoping that this December finds our alien overlords returning to visit/reclaim/destroy us as the Mayans et al seemed to believe would happen.. not because I'm all that caught up on the concept but simply because my evil streak rubs its hands together in gleeful anticipation of the fundamentalist (of any religion) bubble being popped.. and there's that nihilism creeping in again.

Probably would be a great topic of its own.

For this thread, though, I would be hard-pressed to come up with much on the anti-technology side of things. I think the version of me debating thought-provoking concepts with someone thousands of miles away is a better example of personal enlightenment than the version of me sitting by the fire, resting after twelve hours of turning over soil, and listening to his sister play a home-made fiddle before hitting the hay. (Please, pay no attention to that man behind the curtain though--the version of me spending all his time letting 5000 of his closest friends know what he had for breakfast.)

True.. there are good and bad aspects to everything but overall, I think that humans would be happier and healthier with a reasonable level of advancement and less spare time on their hands to worry over what to do with it.. idle hands being the devils handiwork, and all that

I'm one of those oddballs, I suppose. While I do appreciate the ability to have thought-provoking conversations with people on the other side of the planet, I would much rather have the same conversation over a campfire. I don't do social media, I think it's a massive waste of time and resources and frankly, I couldn't give less of a fuck about who had what for breaky, what local spot they're now the "mayor" of or how many cows they've got on their virtual farm and I would gladly trade in all the technology for a life guaranteed to be completely uninterrupted by people who feel otherwise.

[minorwork]

The perfect human condition would be the dream then if we were found by the perfect aliens? Engineering aliens I presume. Problem there is that there be the give and take angle that raising the lower while knocking down the high and mighty would require some tolerance for necessary, ahem, side effects. A second penis but no hands or some other trade off.

The perfect matching of reality to wishes is already promised by Christian theology, another side effect (death) that I'd protest against if I was forced by another to rise and meet the high and mighty on the way down.

[Castaway]

Or do we quarantine their sector of the universe from contact? But wait! If they're indeed human, doesn't this provide us with a missing link to our own existence?

I have no "missing links" to my existence." My wife keeps me fully informed. She says I am an "alien life-form;" but without the "intelligence." lol Hey; what's intelligence?

[timsmith]

If we look back at our history, a lot of our 'first encounters' went catastrophically wrong. Take for example (because i'm a kiwi) James Cook's first landing in New Zealand, in which his men shot dead several Maori over cultural indifference. Both sides believed they were defending their safety.
European settlement in New Zealand only put fuel on the fire during the New Zealand land wars, in which a further 20,000 Maori lost their lives.
That being said, from from an ethical perspective (which is of course about preserving the greater good) it would be ultimately benificial for both sides to encounter each other. Even if initial encounters were similar to Cook's any losses would be reconcilled with lives saved from medicine, and knowledge and understanding.