5 ms·

At this point we're pretty settled that alien life probably exists in some form out there. Whether that alien life could evolve to create technology and build s

by isaiahg 11y ago

At this point we're pretty settled that alien life probably exists in some form out there. Whether that alien life could evolve to create technology and build spacecraft is another thing. But the even bigger thing is when you take into account just how vast the distances involved are. It's just so unlikely that alien life could exist, develop technology, and then be in the same neighborhood as us.

Houshalter 11y ago
Not really unlikely if you consider the vast scale of time as well. A few million years is enough to reach the end of the galaxy even at very very low percent of the speed of light. That's a long time in our terms, but a very short time given the age of the universe, or even our own planet. Self replicating Von Neumann probes could handle the issue of exploring such a large number of solar systems by increasing their numbers exponentially. They could leave behind machines that could continuously monitor and survey planets for millions of years. If aliens exist, then I would expect for them to have observed us like that. Unless they have no interest in the outside world at all, which seems unlikely.
- enkephalin 11y ago
  i think the main issue with people having trouble believing in visitations from extraterrestrial species (or at least their technology), is that they have absolutely no sense for the age of the universe. and the fact that so many people believe it to be utterly ridiculous that alien life forms could be exploring the galaxy, yet here we humans are, doing exactly that, is just completely mind-boggling to me.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
  - sam_goody 11y ago
    I think the main issue that most people have with aliens is that we kinda expect that if they exist (which scientifically and religiously they should) and they have the technology to have found us and interact with us (possible) they would have subjugated us or annihilated us by now. The fact that they haven't suggests that either they don't exist or that they haven't found us.
    - Houshalter 11y ago
      That's just anthropic bias/survivor bias. There have probably been a lot of Earth like planets that have been annihilated. Perhaps the only reason we exist is because we are lucky enough to have friendly neighbors, or perhaps no neighbors. Well I do wonder how friendly they are, given that they haven't intervened at all in Earth's history. I find that very unlikely. Moral aliens would probably want to help us, amoral ones kill us like you said. But the probability of aliens existing yet being indifferent seems unlikely.
      - VLM 11y ago
        Given a pride of lions in Africa having severe domestic turmoil over leadership selection issues, what are the odds anyone in, for example, Wisconsin, either knows, cares, and is capable of sending an effective peacekeeping force? You can even abstract out distance. I'm pretty sure there's some hierarchical struggle going on with the squirrels in my front yard, but I'm also pretty sure I don't care. And we're fellow mammals competing for the same nut trees and fruit bushes. If there are Star Trek Hortas tunneling under my backyard, I really don't care as long as they stay out of my basement. Even within our own species there's a pretty strong taboo against colonialism that seems to automagically form right after (inevitable?) failed early experiments with colonialism. The odds of white people running Africa again are pretty low, even though we obviously did a better job than they are doing. Despite being incredibly easy to reach and staggering power imbalance, the colonies in Africa didn't last long and even a fairly irrational space alien would see the futility in trying to take over Earth. There are many reasons to invade Canada. Stealing their resources of spar and mast grade timber for 1800s era sailing ships would be a pretty stupid idea in the current year. Its possible there's a natural magic filter such that being able to travel interstellar and having enough power to turn earth into a colony naturally means there are no material resources on earth worth the taking... What would a galaxy wide empire do with titanium, silicon based semiconductor electronics, or rocket engines, only miserable savages a million levels beneath them use stuff like that. It would be like handing a modern american a flint spear tip, what good is that other than in a museum?
        11y ago

by isaiahg 11y ago

Houshalter 11y ago

Not really unlikely if you consider the vast scale of time as well. A few million years is enough to reach the end of the galaxy even at very very low percent of the speed of light. That's a long time in our terms, but a very short time given the age of the universe, or even our own planet. Self replicating Von Neumann probes could handle the issue of exploring such a large number of solar systems by increasing their numbers exponentially. They could leave behind machines that could continuously monitor and survey planets for millions of years. If aliens exist, then I would expect for them to have observed us like that. Unless they have no interest in the outside world at all, which seems unlikely.

enkephalin 11y ago
i think the main issue with people having trouble believing in visitations from extraterrestrial species (or at least their technology), is that they have absolutely no sense for the age of the universe. and the fact that so many people believe it to be utterly ridiculous that alien life forms could be exploring the galaxy, yet here we humans are, doing exactly that, is just completely mind-boggling to me.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- sam_goody 11y ago
  I think the main issue that most people have with aliens is that we kinda expect that if they exist (which scientifically and religiously they should) and they have the technology to have found us and interact with us (possible) they would have subjugated us or annihilated us by now. The fact that they haven't suggests that either they don't exist or that they haven't found us.
  - Houshalter 11y ago
    That's just anthropic bias/survivor bias. There have probably been a lot of Earth like planets that have been annihilated. Perhaps the only reason we exist is because we are lucky enough to have friendly neighbors, or perhaps no neighbors. Well I do wonder how friendly they are, given that they haven't intervened at all in Earth's history. I find that very unlikely. Moral aliens would probably want to help us, amoral ones kill us like you said. But the probability of aliens existing yet being indifferent seems unlikely.
    - VLM 11y ago
      Given a pride of lions in Africa having severe domestic turmoil over leadership selection issues, what are the odds anyone in, for example, Wisconsin, either knows, cares, and is capable of sending an effective peacekeeping force? You can even abstract out distance. I'm pretty sure there's some hierarchical struggle going on with the squirrels in my front yard, but I'm also pretty sure I don't care. And we're fellow mammals competing for the same nut trees and fruit bushes. If there are Star Trek Hortas tunneling under my backyard, I really don't care as long as they stay out of my basement. Even within our own species there's a pretty strong taboo against colonialism that seems to automagically form right after (inevitable?) failed early experiments with colonialism. The odds of white people running Africa again are pretty low, even though we obviously did a better job than they are doing. Despite being incredibly easy to reach and staggering power imbalance, the colonies in Africa didn't last long and even a fairly irrational space alien would see the futility in trying to take over Earth. There are many reasons to invade Canada. Stealing their resources of spar and mast grade timber for 1800s era sailing ships would be a pretty stupid idea in the current year. Its possible there's a natural magic filter such that being able to travel interstellar and having enough power to turn earth into a colony naturally means there are no material resources on earth worth the taking... What would a galaxy wide empire do with titanium, silicon based semiconductor electronics, or rocket engines, only miserable savages a million levels beneath them use stuff like that. It would be like handing a modern american a flint spear tip, what good is that other than in a museum?
      - 11y ago