Re: Feo: Hawkings Warning


Posted by danno might on Jan 26, 2004 at 07:09
(206.50.195.194)

Re: Feo: Hawkings Warning (Bill Gill)


any speculation on the attitudes and abilities of intelligent alien species must delve in the realm of science fiction or science speculation. There is nothing but our own model to study and extrapulate from. Given the human record of what happens when one technological superior (same species) encounters another, trying to say that encounters by different species would be treated any better denies the ingrained (by biology) xenophobia that any invasive (it appears aggressive to the host worlds being invaded, but aggression is so cloaked in human emotions, it causes more confusion than clairity, it seems).

Given our record, I don't think we (as a species) would be too concerned about displacing any creatures, intelligent or otherwise, that we had the power to dominate including extermination, if the threat was seen to be great enough. If we can spawn societies that would kill millions of its own citizens (Stalin, Mao) or millions of what is considered sub-humans (Turks, Nazis), who can say we have advanced past that evil?

Who can say that any alien race that decides to invest the power, effort and time to come to our solar system will be any kinder, gentler, or compassionate?

That, in a nut-shell, is the warning Hawkings mentions (along with many others including sci-fi writers great and small).

In my arguements, I tried to explain that the universal "Will to Live" probably applies to all creatures in all environments.

Sure there are a bunch of hacks writing crap every day but even in some of the lamest stories, like "Independence Day", the idea that an interstellar species would be coming with the sole purpose of reproducing itself is not that incredible. Its how they tell the story that is pitiful.

Do you buy into the arguement that any species that has the power to cross interstellar space would somehow have defeated the "darker side" and approach us more like the Star Trek Prime Directive? I would think it more likely that the aliens would be under a different directive - survival. Hopefully they would be of a completely different bio-type and wouldn't want to attempt to take the earth from us.


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