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Why would you go through all that effort for a lower grade civ that had zero chance of attacking you and you couldn’t get (and probably don’t need) the resource
by richardw 5y ago
Why would you go through all that effort for a lower grade civ that had zero chance of attacking you and you couldn’t get (and probably don’t need) the resources.
Next question:
Are all distant civilisations friendly because there’s no reason not to be?
- TheOtherHobbes 5y agoLikely not. Convergent evolution. As soon as you get animals you get resource competition, violence, and a food chain with a predator at the top. In more sophisticated species you also get dominance/submission hierarchies. It's possible at some point a species might transcend that and become wholly benevolent. It's also possible that some species are cooperative colony organisms which somehow evolve intelligence, self-awareness, and technology. But at a guess it's more likely that most species remain aggressive and competitive for a very long time, and they'll only ignore humans if we aren't complex enough to be a threat - now or in the future - and have nothing worth stealing or harvesting.
- zarzavat 5y agoThe precautionary principle. Imagine that you are an alien and you don’t destroy every fledgling spacefaring civilization that you detect. Best case: you save some marginal resources. Worst case: that civilization “grows up” and develops the means to destroy you.