Friday, 30 June 2017
Endless Life Checks: Life Check# 14 What Would You Ask Aliens If You H...
Endless Life Checks: Life Check# 14 What Would You Ask Aliens If You H...: What Would You Ask Aliens If You Had a Chance That we’re not alone in the universe is something no one knows but most suspect – not on...
Life Check# 14 What Would You Ask Aliens If You Had a Chance - Top 10 Questions
What Would You Ask Aliens If You Had a Chance
That we’re not alone in the universe is
something no one knows but most suspect – not only because it is highly
probable that there is another advanced form of life somewhere out there, but
also because it is a highly fascinating subject that does a beautiful job at
spurring our imagination. However, in imagining what such form of life could
look like or behave like, we readily make a number of anthropocentric
assumptions (that is, we assume they are like us to an unnecessary degree),
some of which we are not even aware of. Our common idea of what an
extraterrestrial being should look like has been largely shaped by depictions
in arts and entertainment that were, in one way or another, created to be relate-able and convenient for storytelling purposes, while compromising
verisimilitude. If we live in a multiverse, then practically any kind of being
we could possibly conceive has existed or will exist at some point. But let’s
pretend that humanity is on the verge of making first contact with a single
species, a civilization that dwells on a planet close to ours. What can and
what can we not assume about them? What do we have to wonder about them? Let us
explore, in the spirit of speculation, a number of factors that merit some
thought – and how they are related to both science fiction and real science.
Appearance
It’s not just that we
imagine them to be humanoid (standing on two legs, two limbs coming out of the
sides of the upper torso, a head with a nose, a mouth, ears, and eyes); it’s
that we imagine them to appear earthling-like at all. Even when we try to diverge
most from the typical humanoid appearance that science fiction gives to
extraterrestrials, we can’t help but envision them as sharing a general
morphology with Earth’s fauna: reptiles, crustaceans, or, at best, insects –
only of human size or slightly bigger. The rationale behind this is actually
not as faulty as it may seem. If we build our imagined extraterrestrial from
the ground up, we make anthropocentric assumptions about their morphology out
of necessity. After all, we are the only intelligent species that we know of,
and therefore the only instance that we can study of evolution reaching such a
state. First, we assume that any intelligent species had to arise from some
sort of biochemistry similar to ours. Then the resulting life form had to achieve
a multicellular state, so as to develop a dedicated brain. It had to develop a
skeleton of sorts to cope with gravity, and its body had to grow up to a
minimum size such that its brain developed the level of cognition that we
enjoy. It had to grow at least a pair of limbs to move around with and a pair
to use tools. It also has to have a set of senses to interact with its world
and a body big and strong enough to thrive in its ecosystem. In the end, it’s
just simpler to not think outside the box.
That said, we’re basing all of this on the idea that their world is like ours – and that evolution took a very similar set of paths that resulted in similar biodiversity. But they don’t have to be the same size we are. For example, for all we know, there could be sapient extraterrestrials the size of a small building or the size of a freight train. They don’t have to have a head or limbs resembling what we’ve seen on this planet. They don’t even need to have a skin instead of, say, a cellulose wall or something made of an exotic compound. Even more exciting to contemplate are extraterrestrial life forms that don’t share our biochemistry at all. It is theorised, for example, that silicon-based beings would be of a crystalline structure and thrive in high-temperature places, though silicon biochemistry is not as flexible and apt for life as carbon’s is.
That said, we’re basing all of this on the idea that their world is like ours – and that evolution took a very similar set of paths that resulted in similar biodiversity. But they don’t have to be the same size we are. For example, for all we know, there could be sapient extraterrestrials the size of a small building or the size of a freight train. They don’t have to have a head or limbs resembling what we’ve seen on this planet. They don’t even need to have a skin instead of, say, a cellulose wall or something made of an exotic compound. Even more exciting to contemplate are extraterrestrial life forms that don’t share our biochemistry at all. It is theorised, for example, that silicon-based beings would be of a crystalline structure and thrive in high-temperature places, though silicon biochemistry is not as flexible and apt for life as carbon’s is.
Energy
Whatever shape they
have, extraterrestrials need some sort of energy source to live – that much we
know, at least in our universe with our particular laws of physics. What could
it be, then? Evolution is a powerful force, but I doubt there are beings with integrated
cores prancing around fusing hydrogen atoms like it’s going out of fashion in
the vicinity of our galaxy. Again, this variable powerfully hinges on their
biochemistry, and the effects are many to be left without discussion. Given the
availability of the elements that make up the compounds that make us up, it
isn’t a stretch to think that there are aliens who have a diet similar in
chemistry to ours. But whatever they specifically eat defines many of their
characteristics and traits, ranging from their anatomy to their social
structure to their economy to their attitudes toward other life forms. Do they
see us as prey; as predators; as competition; as the intrusive dwellers of an
earthy, delicious planet; as a waste of precious iron and other minerals in our
bloodstream; or as nasty, smelly blobs of excrement? Conversely, are their
diets something that makes them inherently disgusting and undesirable to us
(say, ammonia-based beings)? Are they out in search of food or is their planet
so plentiful and their hearts so altruistic that they are out to feed the
starved (and their definition of “starved” so convenient that it includes us
but doesn’t make us their inferior)?
Another interesting but less meaningful energy-related question is, of course, how they power their infrastructure and technology. Presumably, whatever they do to keep their ships afloat or their lights on is something we could apply to our own technology, if it is more efficient than our own energy-extraction processes and as long as it isn’t based on a resource that their planet has and ours doesn’t.
Another interesting but less meaningful energy-related question is, of course, how they power their infrastructure and technology. Presumably, whatever they do to keep their ships afloat or their lights on is something we could apply to our own technology, if it is more efficient than our own energy-extraction processes and as long as it isn’t based on a resource that their planet has and ours doesn’t.
What's Their Story
It has taken life
approximately 3.5 billion years to get from our last universal ancestor (i.e.,
the most recent forebear of all organisms on Earth) to where we are today.
Along the way, there have been natural disasters, giant dinosaurs, more natural
disasters, early empires, religions, nations, navies, colonization, Theodore
Roosevelt, world wars, and a cold war. Whatever we’re responsible for, we’re
equal parts proud and ashamed of, but undoubtedly, it is a very interesting
story to tell. What do they have to tell us, then? Did their evolution yield as
diverse an array of life forms as ours did? If so, did their planet endure
extinction events, perhaps involving other intelligent species? Did their
civilization break up into different nations? If so, is their world still
governed by different nations?
Again, the way they would approach us would be, in more than one way, defined by their history. A society unaccustomed to violence might be benevolent to a fault, almost naive, in their first interactions with another intelligent society. Then again, it could also be exceedingly cautious, aware that not all civilizations regard the concept of harmony with such devotion. A society that has become used to conflict, on the other hand, is likely to have developed both a more sophisticated diplomacy apparatus and a military – and the extent to which they rely on either is something we can only speculate about. Some, including Jared Diamond and Stephen Hawking, have speculated that, if we ever come into contact with a civilization that is superior to us and behaves more or less like us, then, judging by the outcome of the most significant encounters between two societies that’s occurred throughout human history, it is likely that the superior civilization would come to dominate us, perhaps through a combination of hard power (force or coercion) and soft power (non-intimidating persuasion).
Again, the way they would approach us would be, in more than one way, defined by their history. A society unaccustomed to violence might be benevolent to a fault, almost naive, in their first interactions with another intelligent society. Then again, it could also be exceedingly cautious, aware that not all civilizations regard the concept of harmony with such devotion. A society that has become used to conflict, on the other hand, is likely to have developed both a more sophisticated diplomacy apparatus and a military – and the extent to which they rely on either is something we can only speculate about. Some, including Jared Diamond and Stephen Hawking, have speculated that, if we ever come into contact with a civilization that is superior to us and behaves more or less like us, then, judging by the outcome of the most significant encounters between two societies that’s occurred throughout human history, it is likely that the superior civilization would come to dominate us, perhaps through a combination of hard power (force or coercion) and soft power (non-intimidating persuasion).
Expectations of Us
It is our hope that any
contact we make with extraterrestrial beings will have a mutually beneficial
outcome – scientific cooperation, space exploration, the sharing of resources,
and perhaps even a shared appreciation of some sort of common art. Needless to
say, we have also contemplated a variety of negative outcomes involving their
use of violence upon us. But just because they don’t use violence doesn’t mean
they can’t possibly be subjugating us. We ourselves use plants and animals for
our own self-preservation purposes, and while some of us make efforts to
improve the way we treat animals, the fact remains that we condition their
lives to our will, regardless of whether they are aware of it. Could it be that
a more advanced civilization would want to use us in some way, whether we know
it or not? Could it be that they, like us, have always expected to be contacted
by a superior race, and so they are as unprepared and eager to be baffled as we
are? As I suggested above, many scientists are of the opinion that going out of
our way to make contact with aliens is not something humanity should do. Our
first-contact aliens might be as wary of making contact with us as we are of
them – and if history serves to indicate anything, they might be completely
justified.
How Intelligent
Unfortunately, the
extent to which we can speculate about the capabilities of other intelligent
beings is limited by our own intelligence. If they are smarter than us, we can
conceive them to be more proficient in science and engineering. Just like a Neanderthal
would probably imagine (if he even could imagine) more sophisticated beings to
be much more formidable hunters and tool makers, while being unable to conceive
art, diplomacy, metaphysics, or semantics the way we see them. What sort of
concepts could a more developed intelligence conceive that we can’t even begin
to comprehend, no matter how much our science and technology advance? What
level of insight into the nature of life do they have?
Again, going back to the Neanderthal analogy, just imagine that we come into contact with a race that’s just as intellectually capable as the Neanderthal: they would understand their encounter with us very differently from the way we would understand it. They are limited by their brain and would not comprehend our efforts to communicate with them; meanwhile, we would be frustrated and disappointed, as our interaction with them would prove fruitless. Now imagine that we come into contact with a race that’s much, much smarter than us, such that their advantage over us is the same as ours is over the Neanderthal. Would they be frustrated by our inability to do and comprehend what they can do and comprehend? Or is there a minimum level of intelligence that we’ve already achieved, past which all forms of communication are possible? (The same way there is a minimum level of intelligence that dogs have achieved, past which they are as capable as we are of identifying their “loved ones.”)
The concept of cosmicism, developed by fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft, is more or less related to this issue, as it describes the inability of humanity to comprehend much greater forces that rule the universe, and proposed that the magnitude of these forces renders us insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Again, going back to the Neanderthal analogy, just imagine that we come into contact with a race that’s just as intellectually capable as the Neanderthal: they would understand their encounter with us very differently from the way we would understand it. They are limited by their brain and would not comprehend our efforts to communicate with them; meanwhile, we would be frustrated and disappointed, as our interaction with them would prove fruitless. Now imagine that we come into contact with a race that’s much, much smarter than us, such that their advantage over us is the same as ours is over the Neanderthal. Would they be frustrated by our inability to do and comprehend what they can do and comprehend? Or is there a minimum level of intelligence that we’ve already achieved, past which all forms of communication are possible? (The same way there is a minimum level of intelligence that dogs have achieved, past which they are as capable as we are of identifying their “loved ones.”)
The concept of cosmicism, developed by fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft, is more or less related to this issue, as it describes the inability of humanity to comprehend much greater forces that rule the universe, and proposed that the magnitude of these forces renders us insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Developed AI?
This is a rather common
prompt for works of science fiction (a recent and notable example being the
stellar video game series Mass Effect), but the underlying question is every
bit as significant as it’s made out to be by works of fiction. We know – again,
via science fiction – that there exists the risk of developing a form of
artificial intelligence that may not act in humanity’s best interests, which
could pose a threat to our existence. It may sound like an overblown
prediction, but the importance of ensuring that development of AI be carried
out responsibly is very real; in fact, there is an actual organization
dedicated to just that, known as the Singularity Institute. Assuming that a
rogue AI’s interests clash with those of every other life form, though, our
concern should be whether any form of rogue AI emerges anywhere in our
interplanetary vicinity.
Unfortunately, we do not have control over what civilizations that haven’t had contact with us do, and so there is a probability that someone somewhere, unbeknownst to us, is developing a form of artificial intelligence, if they haven’t already. The probability of this scenario is fairly low, and it’s even less probable that a species of such intelligence would not have a sense of precaution. Even then, it’s very, very unlikely that this could pose a threat to our existence. But it’s a question worth asking, and one that has produced some quality works of fiction.
Unfortunately, we do not have control over what civilizations that haven’t had contact with us do, and so there is a probability that someone somewhere, unbeknownst to us, is developing a form of artificial intelligence, if they haven’t already. The probability of this scenario is fairly low, and it’s even less probable that a species of such intelligence would not have a sense of precaution. Even then, it’s very, very unlikely that this could pose a threat to our existence. But it’s a question worth asking, and one that has produced some quality works of fiction.
Cognition and Emotion
Regardless of their
level of intelligence, we cannot assume that aliens think the way we do. It’s
not necessary to our construct of a hypothetical alien race that their memory
functions the same way ours does, or that they have the same notion of self that
we do, or that they communicate through spoken language, or that they think of
space and time like we do. It would surprise you how much our cognitive
processes can vary across cultures; think, for example, of the Piraha people in
the Brazilian Amazon and the words of Carl Sagan, “the simplest thought, like
the concept of the number one, is an elaborate logical underpinning.” When
asked to count objects, the Piraha seem to have little understanding of
numeracy, using only three words, more or less equivalent to – “roughly one,”
“more than one,” and “many” – to refer to amounts. These are your fellow human
beings, who are as physically evolved as you and I are and live in the same
environment; now extrapolate this difference to the potential gap between how the
aliens’ minds work and how ours do! Numeracy is not the only possible
difference.
Equally intriguing is the idea that they may feel very different emotions from us. Many of our emotions are hypothesized to be the byproducts of evolution, and so the way we feel emotions has been shaped by our own, unique evolutionary history. It is quite possible, then, that whatever alien civilization we make first contact with does not understand the purpose of laughter, doesn’t feel spite, or isn’t scared or awed by the things that scare and awe us. Conversely, it is also possible that they feel emotions that we cannot even begin to comprehend. This would make interplanetary diplomacy less easy than we wish it were.
Equally intriguing is the idea that they may feel very different emotions from us. Many of our emotions are hypothesized to be the byproducts of evolution, and so the way we feel emotions has been shaped by our own, unique evolutionary history. It is quite possible, then, that whatever alien civilization we make first contact with does not understand the purpose of laughter, doesn’t feel spite, or isn’t scared or awed by the things that scare and awe us. Conversely, it is also possible that they feel emotions that we cannot even begin to comprehend. This would make interplanetary diplomacy less easy than we wish it were.
Knowledge of the Universe
Whether (or where) there
are extraterrestrial civilizations is only one of the very many things that we
do not know about our universe. Presumably, some civilization out there already
comprehends most, if not all (what we would call the “Theory of Everything”),
physical phenomena to a much more sophisticated degree than we do, has been
able to elucidate the nature of dark matter and dark energy, counts with a far
grander cartographic database of the universe than we do, and knows much more
about where in the universe there is life. Some of these civilizations might
even understand how to use the topology of space-time to their advantage, a
topic that has been thoroughly explored by our imagination. Their willingness
to share this knowledge and technology with us would no doubt benefit us
immensely, as well as them.
However, as stated above, it is possible that we are simply too limited in intelligence to comprehend the work and the understanding that the other civilization is capable of. However, it is obvious that humans have not stopped evolving, and there exists the possibility that from us will emerge a more intelligent species, or at least more intelligent humans, twenty thousand years from now or a million years from now.
However, as stated above, it is possible that we are simply too limited in intelligence to comprehend the work and the understanding that the other civilization is capable of. However, it is obvious that humans have not stopped evolving, and there exists the possibility that from us will emerge a more intelligent species, or at least more intelligent humans, twenty thousand years from now or a million years from now.
Prolonging Existence
Existential threats vary
from local (say, a plague) to universal (the Big Rip), but no one is completely
devoid of them. In fact, the grander in scale and the more beings they affect,
the more inevitable they can potentially be. We can eradicate a disease or
prevent nuclear holocaust, but we can’t prevent a gamma ray burst from firing
straight at us or a supernova from wreaking havoc. Such undertakings seem
impossible to us, but even they seem trivial compared to the ultimate
extinction event: the universe’s eventual transition into a state unsuitable
for life. This can happen 97 trillion years from now, when stars cease to fuse;
1034 years from now, when protons start to decay; 10100 years from now, when
all that remains is photons; or any day now, if we are in a false-vacuum state.
Presumably, any intelligent form of life would want to prolong its existence
indefinitely, whether as it is or in some sort of elevated state. What steps
might other civilizations take to ensure their continued existence, then?
Not too long ago, when the Big Crunch seemed like the most plausible end-of-the-universe scenario, a physicist named Frank Tipler proposed that the solution would be to create an infinitely powerful computer, which would harness all the energy created by the Big Crunch. With this energy, he argued, the computer could “bring back to life… all life that ever existed”. In the very last second of objective time (i.e., “physical” time), the computer could create an infinite amount of “subjective” time in which it could emulate all possible quantum states of the universe – including every life form that ever existed. The takeaway from this is that, as self-preserving life forms, we meet our awareness of the finitude of the universe with ideas to overcome it and make the existence of life infinite (if only subjectively so – but does that matter?).
Not too long ago, when the Big Crunch seemed like the most plausible end-of-the-universe scenario, a physicist named Frank Tipler proposed that the solution would be to create an infinitely powerful computer, which would harness all the energy created by the Big Crunch. With this energy, he argued, the computer could “bring back to life… all life that ever existed”. In the very last second of objective time (i.e., “physical” time), the computer could create an infinite amount of “subjective” time in which it could emulate all possible quantum states of the universe – including every life form that ever existed. The takeaway from this is that, as self-preserving life forms, we meet our awareness of the finitude of the universe with ideas to overcome it and make the existence of life infinite (if only subjectively so – but does that matter?).
Why are they here?
Within our narrow (but,
in all likelihood, accurate) idea of what kind of planets can sustain life and
using our verdant technology, we have already discovered a few star systems
with one or two planets that fulfill our criteria. The bad news is that there
is a rather long stretch between being able to sustain life and being able to
sustain advanced, intelligent civilizations, and there is little reason to
believe that one of the rather few habitable planets that we’ve identified
actually harbors intelligent life. The good news is that we’ve explored such an
insignificant corner of the universe for life that the mere fact that there are
habitable planets within earshot means the probability of there being life
somewhere out there is excitingly high. Again, the bad news is that physical
constraints prevent us from getting to such faraway places within any
reasonable time-frame. Faster-than-light travel is not as yet understood to be
possible, unless we are able to meddle with the very fabric of space-time. Even
then, if the Big Rip hypothesis turns out to be true, every second that passes
makes intergalactic travel more and more implausible.
But supposing we are one day able to distort space-time to travel to faraway places, where should we look? It’s not just planets at a certain distance from their stars that we should look for. The size of the star, its luminosity, its dark spots, the way the planet revolves around the star (e.g., tidal lock), the atmospheric components of the planet, the planet’s rotation and tilt, the size and distance of other planets orbiting around the same star (which could stabilize the habitable planet’s orbit and shield it from asteroids and comets), and even the shape and activity of the galaxy are all important factors to consider.
Regardless, we’re not flying out in search of aliens any time soon. If we are to see them in our lifetimes, it’s probably because they will come to us – not the other way around – but I don’t think we’ll see that very soon, either. Regardless, extraterrestrial life is a captivating subject, and I do hope that one day humans will greet creatures of another planet and establish a mutually beneficial relationship. The end of a life-sustaining universe is not an encouraging scenario to contemplate, so it would be nice to know we’re not the only ones concerned with preserving life forever.
But supposing we are one day able to distort space-time to travel to faraway places, where should we look? It’s not just planets at a certain distance from their stars that we should look for. The size of the star, its luminosity, its dark spots, the way the planet revolves around the star (e.g., tidal lock), the atmospheric components of the planet, the planet’s rotation and tilt, the size and distance of other planets orbiting around the same star (which could stabilize the habitable planet’s orbit and shield it from asteroids and comets), and even the shape and activity of the galaxy are all important factors to consider.
Regardless, we’re not flying out in search of aliens any time soon. If we are to see them in our lifetimes, it’s probably because they will come to us – not the other way around – but I don’t think we’ll see that very soon, either. Regardless, extraterrestrial life is a captivating subject, and I do hope that one day humans will greet creatures of another planet and establish a mutually beneficial relationship. The end of a life-sustaining universe is not an encouraging scenario to contemplate, so it would be nice to know we’re not the only ones concerned with preserving life forever.
B#14
Thursday, 29 June 2017
Endless Life Checks: Life Check# 13 Alien Contact, What Will Happen Whe...
Endless Life Checks: Life Check# 13 Alien Contact, What Will Happen Whe...: 17 ways humanity's first contact with aliens could go down......... Some are fairly certain that we haven't yet made contact ...
Life Check# 13 Alien Contact, What Will Happen When Contact is Made
17 ways humanity's first contact with aliens could go down.........
Some are fairly certain that we haven't yet made contact with extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) but when it happens - yes it's definitely going to happen and be big news. What is somewhat less definite is the form that news is going to take, will it turn out to be hostile, with ET harvesting our resources. On the other hand will ET offer to solve some of our long standing lingering problems such as poverty, hunger, clean renewable energy and goodwill towards mankind. Endless Life Checks takes a look at seventeen possible outcome. There is no doubt that some of them are silly but who knows, we should throw everything into the mix and consider it all!
1. ETs ignore us Just like in Star Trek, it’s possible that ETI has some kind of Prime Directive or other non-interference policy with other species for whatever reason, so that even if we did know for sure that they were out there, they might not respond to us. They also might not communicate simply because as a species, humans don’t interest them, whether it’s because of our primitive nature or violent tendencies or terrible taste in music or otherwise. Or, they could show up in the form of a giant alien probe, have a pleasant conversation with the whales, and then leave, without sparing us so much as a glance.
2. ETs maybe contact us, but maybe not When ETI does contact Earth, it may be as unambiguous as a UFO landing in Times Square. Or, it may be a signal that we only receive once and can’t understand or decode. In fact, it’s possible that this has already happened, as with the still unexplained “Wow signal” in the above pic.
3. ETs change our philosophy No matter when or how we detect ETI, if it happens it’s going to cause massive changes to everything from science to religion, even if we find out nothing else besides the fact that ETI do exist. All of a sudden, we’re not alone in the universe, and Earth and everyone on it goes from being a super special place to just another planet covered with self-replicating and tolerably aware biological lifeforms. While most people would probably argue that this is a good thing to know, we’d have to seriously re-evaluate our existence, which has been unavoidably human-centric.
4. ETs help us solve our problems It’s likely that ETI will be much, much more advanced than we are. And it’s also likely that ETI will be generally cooperative, since it would be hard for a fundamentally uncooperative society to expand into space. This combination (which is the fantasy of everyone interested in alien life) might provide insights that could enable us to learn how to avoid a technological catastrophe like global nuclear war or climate change.
5. ETs threaten us, we kick their ass As unlikely as it seems, it’s within the realm of possibility that humans could successfully repel an invasion of earth by more advanced ETI, whether it’s because we have some technology that the ETI doesn’t, or because some environmental factor defeats the ETI for us. In addition to forcing Earth to unite as a planet, after it’s all over, we’d be able to steal a bunch of cool new tech from all the crashed flying saucers. It’s also conceivable that a second ETI could come to our rescue, which would be pretty sweet.
6. ETs are boring and/or annoying While we generally think of ETI as something profound, there’s no certainty of that. Perhaps we’d start receiving unintentional signals from an ETI similar to our own civilization 50 years ago, with no hope for two-way communication, just cryptic military signals and reruns of bad TV shows. Or, a bunch aliens might show up to our planet as needy refugees, requiring a significant amount of resources without offering much in return.
7. ETs eat us Everything has to eat something else, and aliens are no exception. Unfortunately, being high up on the food chain and intelligent enough to take care of ourselves means that we might be an ideal source of nutrition for carnivorous ETIs. Plus, there are lots of us to choose from and we seem to reproduce very rapidly, so the only question is, do we taste good? If the Kanamits from that Twilight Zone episode are to be believed, we sure do..
8. ETs enslave us Advanced ETI may already have solved problems related to food production and manual labor, but on the other hand, animals slaves are cheap, reliable, and versatile. Enslavement can also take many other forms, such as forcing us to adopt their belief system, using us for entertainment purposes (like trained seals), or simply keeping us as pets.
9. ETs steal our resources It would be hard to develop a galactic civilization without maintaining a society that operates on generally sustainable principles, but that doesn’t mean that Earth might hold some physical value for ETI. Maybe they sprinkle rare-earth metals on their cupcakes or something. It may also be that a rapidly expanding ETI needs to consume the resources of other planets just to sustain their greed for shiny things (think Avatar, but reversed), and while this level of expansion may not be feasible in the long term, that’s not gonna do Earth much good if an expansionist ETI finds us before they burn themselves out.
10. ETs destroy Earth because it’s in the way Even if ETIVogon hyperspatial bypass construction project that would lower the commute times of a countless aliens, could our paltry six or seven billion people really object to annihilation in the name of progress?
11. ETs kill us all for being a bad species In greater scheme of things, humans kinda suck. We have a penchant for ruining our environment, we’re currently wiping out other species left and right, and we’re making more of ourselves at a rate that is clearly unsustainable. All of this makes it hard to argue that we’d make for responsible and respectful citizens of the galaxy, and ETI may just decide that everyone (including residents of our own planet) would be far better off if homo sapiens just weren’t around.
12. ETs kill us all by accident ETI may be different enough from humans that we don’t have to worry about catching a disease from them. In fact, this is very likely. But it also may be the case that an ETI is just barely not different enough that we catch something that loves humans but that our immune systems are totally unprepared for and it wipes us out. ETI could also destroy us by accident if they unwittingly introduce a tenacious invasive species to Earth that eats all of our quadrotriticale, or if they otherwise negatively modify our ecosystem without intending to.
13. ETs kill us all because they can Consider what happens when we humans encounter an intelligent species, like dolphins or chimpanzees: we hunt them for meat, we hunt them for sport, we lock them up and use them for research, we give them diseases, we dissect them, and we put them in zoos and teach them to do tricks, all because they’re not quite as smart as we are. It’s entirely possible, even likely, that a more advanced ETI might treat humans the exact same way. And if we have a problem with that, well, maybe we should consider how we treat other species.
14. ETs get us to kill ourselves If all ETI wants to do is destroy Earth, the cheapest and easiest way to get us to do it is to simply send a message that provides detailed instructions on how we can go about killing ourselves. This could be in the form of a technology that we are unready for, more deliberate directions telling us how to (say) construct a particle accelerator that will actually create a black hole that will destroy our entire planet, or even simply an alien presence that makes us all go nuts and kill each other.
15. ETs are intentionally hiding from us Instead of ignoring us because of some type of Prime Directive noninterference doctrine, it’s possible that ETI are taking it to the next level and actively trying to keep us unaware of their presence. They might be hiding out in the asteroid belt spying on Earth, they might have cloaking devices that allow them to get closer still, or they could be lizard people living among us in disguise. One other intriguing possibility is that ETI have surrounded our entire solar system with a giant “virtual planetarium” that shows the universe as empty, when really it’s full of life.
16. ETs are unintentionally hiding from us It’s big galaxy out there, and an even bigger universe. We’re listening in for ETI signals all the time, but only in a few isolated parts of the spectrum that we think might be useful for communication, so it’s entirely possible that ETI is blaring away on a different spectral band that we’re not paying any attention to. Or maybe ETI is just too far away to detect us or be detected themselves. Or, our assumption that ETI is anything like us is inherently flawed, and it exists as some manifestation of vast hyperintelligent pan-dimensional (like the little white mice fromHitchhiker’s Guide) and we can’t interact with it.
17. ETs are not there The final scenario to consider is that ETI is simply not out there, and that humanity is completely alone in the ‘verse. At this point, the only thing we have do disprove this is some math that says that the Universe is a frikkin’ huge place and no matter how infinitesimally small a probability life has to exist somewhere besides Earth, the sheer volume of space ensures that it probably does. But that’s just a supposition, and until we actually make contact for the first time, all we can do is watch the skies, and hope.
B#13
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