How Should We Deal With Alien Contact? A Survey.

[Karn's Return]

Never survey the public for anything, and definitely not online. I think Pepsi learned that lesson with a Mountain Dew flavor a while back, with names I dare not repeat here.


The point is, there's reasons why governments keep secrets from their populous, and whether or not those reason are always good or not, I have to agree with them at times, and contact with an extraterrestrial race would be one of those things that should be kept hidden until their true motives are discovered. That said, if a hostile, advanced race were to make contact with Earth, I don't think we're at a good point technologically to deal with anything that has FTL or Hyper-drive abilities...

 

[Dave]

Could you actually keep it a secret?

I don't believe in the Roswell or Area 51 conspiracies because there would be real photos and witness testimony that wasn't fake. Even 50 years ago there may have been parts of planet Earth that was scarcely populated and where an alien could land and take-off without being seen by a human. That just isn't true today. Anytime something happens today there are people ready with mobile phones to capture everything. Some would do that rather than to rescue the injured from an accident or attack, or to run away to safety.

 

[Karn's Return]

If not keep it a secret, then try their best to keep things contained and keep the citizens away from any sites of contact, if contact did not prove to be immediately hostile and a diplomatic approach may be tried.


If immediately hostile, then there would be no way it could be kept secret as our cities would be the targets of attack, and even in times that wouldn't be the case, livestock and other animal life, as well as potential massive damage to our farmland, would not be able to be kept secret either. However, the media would be able to spin such events in a way as to blame disease, weather, droughts/wildfires, etc.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Why would advanced aliens visit Earth?
Because they like the taste of Soylent Green!

 

[tegeus-Cromis]

You know, SF aside, people forget how utterly isolated we are in an infinite, or practically infinite, universe. The chances a) that there is intelligent life within communication distance, b) that they are advanced enough to detect and locate us, c) that, if they do so, they'd be interested in us enough to come see us, and d) that they have the technology to do so, are infinitesimal. All these notions of aliens invading Earth are left over from the days when people still considered Martians an actual possibility.

 

[Dave]

Why would advanced aliens visit Earth?

We do we travel now? Why do we want to explore space? Curiosity about other cultures. To see amazing sights and sounds. To seek out new worlds, new civilisations, to go boldly where no one has gone before.

 

[Parson]

However, the media would be able to spin such events in a way as to blame disease, weather, droughts/wildfires, etc.

I doubt that. The media has precious little credibility and the "true" story would get out. --- Just think about the undying quality of conspiracy theories. I can't imagine how the truth could be more contained than something which is both nonsensical and false.

 

[Danny McG]

We do we travel now? Why do we want to explore space? Curiosity about other cultures. To see amazing sights and sounds. To seek out new worlds, new civilisations, to go boldly where no one has gone before.

Nooooo! Dave! Nooooo!
Do Kirk, not Picard

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

To go boldly where no one has gone before

Do Kirk, not Picard

It's just not the same without a split infinitive

 

[Lumens]

Just send out a probe.

That's what I would (boldly) do.

 

[Dave]

Just send out a probe.

That's what I would (boldly) do.

Which takes us right back to @Vertigo's post here: How Should We Deal With Alien Contact? A Survey.

There is a real possibility that probes could have periodically visited Earth, just to check how evolution has been getting along and whether or not we wiped ourselves out yet!

 

[ctg]

I don't believe in the Roswell or Area 51 conspiracies because there would be real photos and witness testimony that wasn't fake.

How do you now know they weren't real, after everything that has happened?

 

[Dave]

...after everything that has happened?

What has happened? There was some special effects make up and some top secret spy planes.

 

[mosaix]

Never expected that this thread would still be going.

Here’s a point worth discussing. Is it likely that an aggressive, war faring alien race is going to be able to develop space travel technology? Or is it more likely that, in order to develop space travel technology, a race has to be more interested in the science and exploration than war fare?

(And in saying ‘space travel’ I’m not talking about getting into orbit or the nearest planet. I’m talking about proper space travel. )

To put it another way is a race more interested in conquering, enslaving etc going to destroy itself before it gets to the stars?

Are we worrying about nothing?

 

[ctg]

What has happened? There was some special effects make up and some top secret spy planes.

I hope it's all like that mate. We'll see.

.Is it likely that an aggressive, war faring alien race is going to be able to develop space travel technology? Or is it more likely that, in order to develop space travel technology, a race has to be more interested in the science and exploration than war fare?

Yes and Yes. The humanity has a flaw in thinking as we seem to have accepted that we are alone and there could never be anyone before us. Certainly not aliens who might have developed technology sooner than us.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Never expected that this thread would still be going.

Here’s a point worth discussing. Is it likely that an aggressive, war faring alien race is going to be able to develop space travel technology? Or is it more likely that, in order to develop space travel technology, a race has to be more interested in the science and exploration than war fare?

(And in saying ‘space travel’ I’m not talking about getting into orbit or the nearest planet. I’m talking about proper space travel. )

To put it another way is a race more interested in conquering, enslaving etc going to destroy itself before it gets to the stars?

Are we worrying about nothing?

Well, the point is we've have developed space travel and I'd count us a pretty aggressive race...at least the beginnings of space technology. Who knows where we'll be in a hundred years, and what we'd be able to see via huge increases in telescopes, radio and optical and computing power. (Assuming we don't destroy ourselves of course, but I am, oddly, somewhat optimistic about that.)

But then how can anyone make an assumption that only some peaceable race of Carl Sagans could ever make the leap up to some sort of galactic travellers? I find this assumption a tad weak. This sort of assumption came about after the development of the atomic and H-bomb where there was a real fear that the world would be totally destroyed. (I've just read Atomic: The First War of Physics and the Secret History of the Atomic Bomb 1939-49, I thoroughly recommend it as a book of modern history of this subject: very little physics, but a lot about the physicists of the time.) I'm not sure such a doomsday scenario holds up as much today - although I'll readily admit, we're still sitting with enough weapons to destroy ourselves and who knows what sort of regimes get into place and think they can get away with something...

Now, there is now a great deal of competition in space, even more so than in the 'golden age' of the cold war. We've got China, India, EU and commercial US interests now doing a lot more.

Also, I should point out, that to think of aliens as wanting to 'conquer, enslave' is a really human way of thinking about things. Perhaps there are intelligent beings like us out there that might think the same way as us. But, probably, if they are there, they really just don't...

But aliens could be so far away from us that they might view the whole planet as lacking in intelligence totally. Take a few genetic samples then perhaps just change everything to suit their own alien needs. It might just look to us like being 'conquered'. There's a load of scenarios like this, that are nothing like conquer/expansion/cuddly aliens like Dr Sagan that exist!

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Oh the old trope - the more advanced alien races must be more civilised because if they weren't they would have blown themselves up? That's a story book theme. Maybe it's real in some cases. And maybe in others the barbaric, species conquering monster alien races just aren't suicidal! Meanwhile the peaceful ones have climate changed / polluted / ecological melted down themselves to death!

It's all guesswork I'm afraid.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Anthoney]

I think our most likely encounter will be a signal sent hundreds or thousands of years ago by a species that may or may not still exist. Maybe not even an intentional signal. Just noise from their planet.

 

[-K2-]

I think our most likely encounter will be a signal sent hundreds or thousands of years ago by a species that may or may not still exist. Maybe not even an intentional signal. Just noise from their planet.

We already received that...

You know the rest

K2

 

[Parson]

This thread is only speculation. But I like speculation. I would posit that a war like race is more likely to develop star travel than a peaceful one, because (if they are anything like us!) there would be a continual sense of competition. And, as we think we know, every technology can be weaponized.