03-05-2003, 11:45 PM
The urge to control and possess power is the foremost reason to expand territory. It's what happened on this planet. So odds are it occurs elsewhere. Hopefully we are the only ones left to outgrow it.
I never liked that distance argument either, I always bring it up because it is a harsh reality, and needs to be acknowledged regardless.
Let me alter it a bit for the sake of refreshing the stale lines that seem to have attached themselves to discussions of this type. The nearest star is just over 4 years travel from here at 100% light speed. If there is life out there that can actually travel the countless millions of lightyears in interstellar space, they are looking at a vast starscape, one from their perspective, with their own constalations and whatnot.
To find life is quite challenging when the only way to observe us would be to see the earth many aeons before Homo sapiens sapiens even began to evolve.
Let's assume they are enlightened scientists and explorers. They then would be looking quite extensively at everything they come across, in order to further their own understanding. That leaves billions of years before the first exploration team reaches us. Since this is unlikely, let's use a less idealized example; Interstellar Biologists.
Biologists would have no interest in rock formations or mineral compositions except in remote cases. They would only look for life, and would only look at systems that can create life as they know it. They would not interfere with a species in it's development, nor use force to subdue it. However, the odds are always agaisnt them finding us, no matter how advanced they are. Space is just too massive. If they have already found us however, things would be as they are now.
* Wha? furls brow
There are just too many questions, and nowhere near enough facts to formulate answers. It doesn't help that every conversation about aliens turns into one about how the government is covering the existance of aliens up, and it irritates me no end. I loathe conspiracy theories. They just stem from the natural muistrust of government by the people under it.
In order to keep this from going that direction, let me close with this.
Whether we are alone or not is a boolean question. If we are, then people are just seeing things. If we aren't then there are too many possibilities to list. I hope we aren't alone, though I fear we are.
I never liked that distance argument either, I always bring it up because it is a harsh reality, and needs to be acknowledged regardless.
Let me alter it a bit for the sake of refreshing the stale lines that seem to have attached themselves to discussions of this type. The nearest star is just over 4 years travel from here at 100% light speed. If there is life out there that can actually travel the countless millions of lightyears in interstellar space, they are looking at a vast starscape, one from their perspective, with their own constalations and whatnot.
To find life is quite challenging when the only way to observe us would be to see the earth many aeons before Homo sapiens sapiens even began to evolve.
Let's assume they are enlightened scientists and explorers. They then would be looking quite extensively at everything they come across, in order to further their own understanding. That leaves billions of years before the first exploration team reaches us. Since this is unlikely, let's use a less idealized example; Interstellar Biologists.
Biologists would have no interest in rock formations or mineral compositions except in remote cases. They would only look for life, and would only look at systems that can create life as they know it. They would not interfere with a species in it's development, nor use force to subdue it. However, the odds are always agaisnt them finding us, no matter how advanced they are. Space is just too massive. If they have already found us however, things would be as they are now.
* Wha? furls brow
There are just too many questions, and nowhere near enough facts to formulate answers. It doesn't help that every conversation about aliens turns into one about how the government is covering the existance of aliens up, and it irritates me no end. I loathe conspiracy theories. They just stem from the natural muistrust of government by the people under it.
In order to keep this from going that direction, let me close with this.
Whether we are alone or not is a boolean question. If we are, then people are just seeing things. If we aren't then there are too many possibilities to list. I hope we aren't alone, though I fear we are.