(me) "there is the possibility, however exceedingly unlikely, that we are 'alone', for all practical purposes at least."
I'll rephrase that:
"there is the possibility, however exceedingly unlikely, that we are 'alone'. For all practical purposes, at least, we most probably are - unless there's a loophole (or a wormhole) in the physics.
Terry: "How would we make physical contact, and what would be the purpose of such contact?"
The argument, I think, goes like this: we are a fledgeling technological species - born yesterday, one might say - and a detectable ETI would most likely be socially and scientifically more developed than us, possibly by many millions, or even billions, of years. It could hardly be less developed. The hope, therefore, is that (1) such an ETI would have discovered how to bridge the gulf in spacetime (2) that it/they would be able and willing to offer humanity a leg up.
I think it's a beautiful scenario, and may be possible, current human knowledge notwithstanding; but I wouldn't count on it. The grounds for speculation are fertile indeed, but we are stuck with our present day scientific realities.
