When do you think we will have extraterrestrials visit us? visit us

[Anomalocaris]

It would be arrogant of them to decide our fate.

Perhaps their approach would be more like "It would be stupid for us not to decide their fate while we can".

Keep in mind all of our conceptions of social attitudes like arrogance, confidence, morality, expedience, etc are likely all the result of specific perception adaptations to the particular types of societies as primates and apes we evolved through.

They may have came to technological sophistication along an entirely different social and behavioral path, and have no conception, or even the ability to conceive, of notions like arrogance, morality, charity etc.

Their sole determination might be "we are likely better off if they are exterminated".

[Adjusted Sanity]

I assume they wouldn't sterilize us. If they're actually morally superior to us (which always seems to be the assumption about advanced races.) I'd think they'd understand that we're still advancing ourselves.

Why would they, having all together a different biology, psychology, history, perception, and motivation, take to our pitiful, ad hoc, variable, self-serving contrivance called morality? Rather ethnocentric of you, don't you think?

I just can't see any good justification for eliminating a less advanced species that poses no immediate threat to the universe. Observing the species would make more sense.

[Anomalocaris]

I just can't see any good justification for eliminating a less advanced species that poses no immediate threat to the universe. Observing the species would make more sense.

Hedging one's bets on one's own future by eliminating the unknown, the uncontrolable and the unpredictable?

Seems like a powerful justification to me were I not saddled with our species' conception of morality.

[Gambit]

But we aren't a virus. We're an intelligent, developing species. I assume any advanced alien race would have had similar origins and almost equally ugly histories. I doubt they just eliminate us for not being at their stage of development. It would be arrogant of them to decide our fate.

My point is that compared to them, we may seem like what viruses appear to us. If that were true, I doubt they would bat an eyelash, or whatever aliens have, while proceeding to make sure we don't contaminate the universe.

Dammit, that's what Dr Neil was saying. Why the fuck would they care about us, anymore than we care about ebola? It only takes them to be 1% more intelligent than us for them to not give a shit. Why won't anyone listen to Dr Neil? The man is a genius, ffs!

[Brian37]

NEVER!

Now, let me qualify this with "to the knowledge of our periodic table and distance of space and planet size range" I wont say "never" in an absolute. but the current Area 51 crap is just that CRAP.

Does biological life exist elsewhere in the universe? I would be shocked if it did not. But distance and speed are a bitch considering the size of the universe. Knowing what we know now, while it is likely life exists elsewhere, it is likely it is stuck on an island and can only travel local, like us.

So when I say "never" I am not saying we wont find the materials we find here in carbon based life elsewhere. I am simply not going to let UFO cable crap or Star Trek be my guide.

I would actually love to be proven wrong, especially with believers. If we got visited, and those "visitors" had a different god, what would that do to our superstitions?

I think life in the universe is a ratio and a range and a percentage, all be it a minority. But at least in our location, we seem to be on an island. If it is tough for us just to get to Mars or, then something light years away even if advanced, still has the same problems of input and output and fuel to get here.

[Anomalocaris]

Consider this:

Our rate of technoloigcal progress is controlled by our rate of thinking, our reflexes, our sociology. Ultimately these things are governed on a gross scale by the rate of our cellular motabolism - the rate at whioch biochemical processes critical to our thinking takes place.

There is no reason I am aware of to suppose advanced species would all advance their technologies at roughly the same rate. Some species may hail from very cold worlds, which puts a limit on the rate at which critical biochemical processes can take place, and thus by extension, the speed with which they can think, and the speed with which they can advance their technologies. If they by chance evolved on a planet much older than ours, and thus attained advanced technologies earlier than we did, What would be their logical reaction to us, knowing the fundamental limitations of their biology would allow us to predicatbly surpass them if they don't put brakes on our development?

[Ace Otana]

Does biological life exist elsewhere in the universe? I would be shocked if it did not. But distance and speed are a bitch considering the size of the universe.

Don't lose hope padawan. Warp is apparently possible. It's only bending the fabric of space around a ship which essentially means compressing space in front of the ship and expanding behind it causing a bubble or if you will a wave that moves space around the ship allowing it to travel faster than the speed of light by bringing to points in space closer together, plus a reliable, safe and powerful propulsion system for normal space travel and artificial gravity for long journeys seeing as the human body weakens over time in space. Not to mention a very advanced and accurate map of point A and point B plus all the objects between the two.....you don't want to fly into anything unexpected!

Nothing to it.

[Anomalocaris]

Actually, even with current technology, interstellar travel doesn't actually take very long compare to the length of time our species have existed and may yet exist. It seems to me that it is our particular psychology, which place extremely heavy emphasis on what would payoff in our lifetime and perhaps the life time of next just 1-2 generations while discounting anything that might payoff further in the future, and the sociology resulting from this psychology, much than any technological limitation, that prevents us from undertaking interstellar travel now.

Why would we assume aliens share this similar psychology that puts such emphasis on short term goals?

[Brian37]

Consider this:

Our rate of technoloigcal progress is controlled by our rate of thinking, our reflexes, our sociology. Ultimately these things are governed on a gross scale by the rate of our cellular motabolism - the rate at whioch biochemical processes critical to our thinking takes place.

There is no reason I am aware of to suppose advanced species would all advance their technologies at roughly the same rate. Some species may hail from very cold worlds, which puts a limit on the rate at which critical biochemical processes can take place, and thus by extension, the speed with which they can think, and the speed with which they can advance their technologies. If they by chance evolved on a planet much older than ours, and thus attained advanced technologies earlier than we did, What would be their logical reaction to us, knowing the fundamental limitations of their biology would allow us to predicatbly surpass them if they don't put brakes on our development?

I am for expanding knowledge. But I am not for woo keeping us in stagnation because it sounds nice.

There are some things that WILL never happen. I will not kick a game winning goal in a Super Bowl. Frogs do not turn into human princes. And no matter how much fun it would be to have my member in the mouth of Angelina Jolie, NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

Expanding knowledge should be humanity's goal. Dwelling on our personal fantasies is a placebo. It is ok to brainstorm, it is not ok to treat your personal whims as facts.

[Anomalocaris]

Your point is relevent how?