Would Visiting Aliens be Benevolent or Malevolent - Page 3

Lonestar · June 11, 2003, 21:35

Quote:

Originally posted by Sava
you damn commie!

Not really. We've only had 200 years of real technological growth. I doubt it would compare to a race which has had 10's of thousands of years to create technology.

Read my damn thesis.

Lancer · June 11, 2003, 21:36

They would grab a really hot blonde, who would be a real screamer. Hearing the screams, a hero would save her. Then the hero and blonde would kiss, and, we must assume, go straight to "the beast with two backs" routine.

GePap · June 11, 2003, 21:36

Quote:

Originally posted by Lonestar
No Competition= slow growth.

Remember, Nescessity is the Mother of All Invention. In the WorldWar series, the Race's Invasion force had became so "flexible" by Race standards, they were treated with contempt when the Colonists arrived. Eventually the colonists started to change too, and Earth (Tosev) was treated with contempt by the rest of the Empire.

(They have sublight speeds, the Homeworld is Tau Ceti)

Not really. Where was the competition inherent for, lets say, the Chinese after the emperors took over? The only times in which urban societies have stopped innovating, at leats in human history, is when political forces step in to squash innovation, in order to maintain the status quo. Europe saw a huge burst of innovation only in the last 500 years, which also happen to be the same time when vast new resources came into play. I think it could be argued that it was not the wars of Europe at this timet fed innovation, but that the innovations of the time fed the wars, since new spoils and new reasons to fight kept coming up.

Quote:

Because their planets Were large Desert planets with not much in the way of natural barriers. As a result, their culture unified and Homogenizaed fairly early.

HGuan cultures of the great plains of NA and Asia, while sharing very similar economic lvelyhoods, never "homogenized", as such, even without huge barriers like mountains and so forth.

Lonestar · June 11, 2003, 21:38

Quote:

Originally posted by GePap

Not really. Where was the competition inherent for, lets say, the Chinese after the emperors took over? The only times in which urban societies have stopped innovating, at leats in human history, is when political forces step in to squash innovation, in order to maintain the status quo. Europe saw a huge burst of innovation only in the last 500 years, which also happen to be the same time when vast new resources came into play. I think it could be argued that it was not the wars of Europe at this timet fed innovation, but that the innovations of the time fed the wars, since new spoils and new reasons to fight kept coming up.

But they never had no competitors at all. And they were at 21st leve tech (at least)

Quote:

HGuan cultures of the great plains of NA and Asia, while sharing very similar economic lvelyhoods, never "homogenized", as such, even without huge barriers like mountains and so forth.

See above.

Sava · June 11, 2003, 21:38

Quote:

Originally posted by Lonestar
Read my damn thesis.

I did...

I think that situation is more fiction than science. It doesn't make much sense, nor is that kind of situation really practical. I'm sure it's a good story, but I doubt it would occur.

Lonestar · June 11, 2003, 21:39

Also, this race is a group of Reptiliods who mate by "Seasons", otherwise they are not aroused at all.

GePap · June 11, 2003, 21:44

Quote:

Originally posted by Lonestar
But they never had no competitors at all. And they were at 21st leve tech (at least)

What about nature and the elements? And they never had any internal political strife whatsoever?

See, this is the problem. We assume that something that may (may) be true for humans would be true for an alien race. So if the are "not passionate" and have "no political competition" then advancement MUST be slow. Well, that might make sense, to a HUMAN mind, but there is no objective reason why it would be true to a NONHUMAN and utterly NONTERRAN sentient being.

This is one of the reasons I ike Lem so much. He never write aliens, if only becuase he accepts that as a human, how could he write aliens? They are ALIEN.

Sava · June 11, 2003, 21:46

Quote:

Originally posted by Lonestar
Also, this race is a group of Reptiliods who mate by "Seasons", otherwise they are not aroused at all.

How many offspring do they have each mating season?

Cyclotron · June 11, 2003, 21:50

I think they would do more or less what we would do if the situation was reversed. As we are the only such species known to us, it is logical to base our assumptions of other species off of ourselves.

Lonestar · June 11, 2003, 21:51

Quote:

Originally posted by GePap

What about nature and the elements? And they never had any internal political strife whatsoever?

See, this is the problem. We assume that something that may (may) be true for humans would be true for an alien race. So if the are "not passionate" and have "no political competition" then advancement MUST be slow. Well, that might make sense, to a HUMAN mind, but there is no objective reason why it would be true to a NONHUMAN and utterly NONTERRAN sentient being.

This is one of the reasons I ike Lem so much. He never write aliens, if only becuase he accepts that as a human, how could he write aliens? They are ALIEN.

They have no real internal Political strife. They have an "Emperor WorshiP" system similiar to pre WW2 Japan.

Most of the series is from the Aliens' point of view, and they think that Humanity is "anomalous" because we're the 3rd race they've met, and we're the only Mammalian/always in season sentient race they've encountered.

So, if you were an alien and you'd encountered two previous races remarkably similiar to your own, what conclusion would YOU reach?

Lonestar · June 11, 2003, 21:52

Quote:

Originally posted by Sava
How many offspring do they have each mating season?

2 or 3 appears to be the norm.

GePap · June 11, 2003, 21:52

Actually, that is an utterly illogical assumption, given how even two different human beings can so utterly msunderstand one another.

GePap · June 11, 2003, 21:55

Quote:

Originally posted by Lonestar
So, if you were an alien and you'd encountered two previous races remarkably similiar to your own, what conclusion would YOU reach?

I would question why the firts two races we met were like ours. That is the great annomily. And why did this race ever get to space travel? If you don;t advance, you simply don;t advance. i think it very unlikely that the Aborigenes of Australia, given a million years of thier lifestyle, would make it to space, if only becuase the need to ever do anything that might lead to space would never be there.

Sava · June 11, 2003, 21:59

Quote:

Originally posted by Lonestar
2 or 3 appears to be the norm.

If they do not produce offspring that fast, they would die out.

The diplomat · June 11, 2003, 22:26

Extraterrestrial life does not exist. So, the question is mute!

Sava · June 11, 2003, 22:28

Quote:

Originally posted by The diplomat
the question is mute!

moot... my linguistically challenged friend

GePap · June 11, 2003, 22:30

Quote:

Originally posted by The diplomat
Extraterrestrial life does not exist. So, the question is mute!

And that conclusion is based on?

Winston · June 11, 2003, 22:33

Just a thought, but perhaps it's based on the total lack of evidence of the opposite...

It's rather amusing watching these debates unfold BTW. The usual hardcore agnostics and what have you suddenly aren't the least bit doubtful when it comes to aliens.

It's almost religious...

The diplomat · June 11, 2003, 22:33

Quote:

Originally posted by Sava
moot... my linguistically challenged friend

I just realized the terrible mispelling

GePap · June 11, 2003, 22:39

Quote:

Originally posted by Winston
Just a thought, but perhaps it's based on the total lack of evidence of the opposite...

It's rather amusing watching these debates unfold BTW. The usual hardcore agnostics and what have you suddenly aren't the least bit doubtful when it comes to aliens.

It's almost religious...

Part of being an aethist is a lack in belief in miracles. Given the sheer number of stars in the universe, and given recent discoveries about just how plentyful planets may be, to believe only one planet in one star system in the entire universe gave birth to life is the one possibility that borders on the absurd (read, divine). I think the exploration of Europa will be very interesting.

Sava · June 11, 2003, 22:40

Quote:

Originally posted by The diplomat
I just realized the terrible mispelling

The question could be mute, but then we'd never hear it.

Sava · June 11, 2003, 22:47

Quote:

Originally posted by Winston
Just a thought, but perhaps it's based on the total lack of evidence of the opposite...

It's rather amusing watching these debates unfold BTW. The usual hardcore agnostics and what have you suddenly aren't the least bit doubtful when it comes to aliens.

It's almost religious...

If the universe is infinite and assuming there isn't a God behind everything, there is life somewhere else out there. It's just a question of how far away it is.

Lonestar · June 11, 2003, 22:56

Quote:

Originally posted by GePap
Actually, that is an utterly illogical assumption, given how even two different human beings can so utterly msunderstand one another.

You do know you've made my point, right?

Lorizael · June 11, 2003, 23:02

No, we suspect there may be life. We have yet to observe any extraterrestrial life. Although there was that bit of bacteria that came here from Mars.

Lung · June 12, 2003, 00:20

Quote:

Originally posted by Sava
If the universe is infinite and assuming there isn't a God behind everything, there is life somewhere else out there. It's just a question of how far away it is.

Not to mention, how when away it is/was/will be

Logically, life in the universe is plentiful , but intelligent life is rare, and due to it's nature, cannot stand still. Either it has wiped itself out, has stood still, or has evolved into something else, like bananas. Damn! The dreaded moron disease has struck again!!

Winston, I am agnostic, and don't believe in UFO's. Belief in UFO's should not be differentiated against belief in leprechauns, dragons, fairies, and religion in general for that matter

However, to grandly claim as "preposterous", the notion that intelligent alien beings are beyond the realm of possibility is as closed-minded as it gets, and is based on cultural/religious beliefs as much as anything else.

And Lonestar, i would gladly read your thesis

BRING IT ON!!

Also, I see that i've opened up a can of worms. Good

Sava · June 12, 2003, 00:34

I don't believe in UFO's either.

Lung · June 12, 2003, 00:40

Why do people gladly accept UFO's, but can't bring themselves to believe that man landed on the moon??!?

It just goes to show that people would rather believe what they want to believe rather than reality

Q Classic · June 12, 2003, 01:08

if life does exist elsewhere in the universe, it's likely that we'd be unable to communicate, let alone understand, their motives, cultures, or even their existance or not; after all, we have evolution pushing us one way--what is to say evolution did not push another species a different way, so that look like matresses, or like rocks?

it's conceivable we'd never even notice them at first.

Lorizael · June 12, 2003, 01:26

You all do know that belief in UFOs isn't required, right? UFOs do exist. Whether UFOs are flying saucers with little green men in them is a whole different story.

Lonestar · June 12, 2003, 15:26

Quote:

Originally posted by Lung

And Lonestar, i would gladly read your thesis

BRING IT ON!!

Also, I see that i've opened up a can of worms. Good

Already posted.