RE: Alien cover upfer
December 28, 2015 at 12:10 pm
(This post was last modified: December 28, 2015 at 12:40 pm by Anomalocaris.)
To admit technology could exist that seems magical to us is hardly the same as saying there can be magic. In any case, it does not need to even seem magical. It is well within out own technology to survey our own planet in a manner that would avoid our own detection, so long as we make the prerequisite assumption that the alien can get such a surveillance device to our solar system.
For example, they can place an Hubble like optical telescope in orbit about the sun at lagrangian point with earth, and aim it at the earth. The aperture of such a scope would be almost optically black when viewed from the direction it is pointed. It can also be shield so as to emit very little infrared in the direction it is pointed at, and any part of it which protrodes beyond the aperture when viewed from the direction it is pointed at can also be pointed optical black. It can schedule its communication times so it's transmission beam never intersects the earth. Such a surveillance device would be essentially undetectable to current technology, be able provide quite a voluminous amount of data about us, and is easily attainable with current technology.
On the larger philosophical point, it is madness to assert all for which we have no evidence therefore do not, or could not, exist. That's because the ratio of things which exists to those for whose existence we have evidence must be enormously large.
The only thing which would be of greater madness is to assert a specific thing for which there is no evidence actually does exist. That is because ratio of imaginable things whose existence is Unevidenced, and who in fact does not exist, to those whose existence is Unevidenced but in fact does exist, must be an even larger.
To admit something for which there is no evidence may exist is therefore a vast gulf away from asserting that for which there is no evidence therefore actually does exist. The former allows one to make progress towards finding more evidence for more things, the latter substitutes delusion for knowledge.
For example, they can place an Hubble like optical telescope in orbit about the sun at lagrangian point with earth, and aim it at the earth. The aperture of such a scope would be almost optically black when viewed from the direction it is pointed. It can also be shield so as to emit very little infrared in the direction it is pointed at, and any part of it which protrodes beyond the aperture when viewed from the direction it is pointed at can also be pointed optical black. It can schedule its communication times so it's transmission beam never intersects the earth. Such a surveillance device would be essentially undetectable to current technology, be able provide quite a voluminous amount of data about us, and is easily attainable with current technology.
On the larger philosophical point, it is madness to assert all for which we have no evidence therefore do not, or could not, exist. That's because the ratio of things which exists to those for whose existence we have evidence must be enormously large.
The only thing which would be of greater madness is to assert a specific thing for which there is no evidence actually does exist. That is because ratio of imaginable things whose existence is Unevidenced, and who in fact does not exist, to those whose existence is Unevidenced but in fact does exist, must be an even larger.
To admit something for which there is no evidence may exist is therefore a vast gulf away from asserting that for which there is no evidence therefore actually does exist. The former allows one to make progress towards finding more evidence for more things, the latter substitutes delusion for knowledge.
