In a message dated 12/9/2000 12:18:03 AM Alaskan Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< As this is my first posting to this group, I'll attempt not to sound
fanatically ignorant.
Your concept of using quasars or other such means as a method of signaling a
civilizations existence, whether an alien one or our own at some future
time,
is interesting. But is does raise one question.
Why?
Yes, I asked that very question. WHY would a space-faring species want to
bother with communicating across time and space to species yet unborn? HOW
would they communicate universal concepts, if they did? It's analogous to
you and I trying to talk to a cockroach. What can we tell a cockroach, other
than 1) humans have nutritious garbage 2) humans tend to stomp cockroaches,
and 3) when the lights go on, look out.
Now extrapolate. What is a Cosmic species going to tell us? How can a being
from a faraway place, with a completely alien mentality, communicate? More
to the point, if they are anything at all like people, why would they want
to? The essence of this last question is that your Aliens are going to have
to be dramatically different than you or I, or perhaps they have achieved a
'higher state of consciousness' or something.
Why would an advanced space faring civilization want to signal to any and
all
'rookies' that "Here we are! Come visit!"? Perhaps with the advances such
a
culture has made, they have determined that dealing with other cultures
"when
the time comes" is preferable to the universes largest billboard technique.
You'd need a billboard b/c space is a very large place, with great ranges of
time. Chances are, that unless there IS a cosmic billboard, two space faring
races would miss one another. On the other hand, if Race A puts up such a
billboard, and Race B is bright enough to figure it out, then it might
encourage Race B to catch up to Race A.
It seems to me rather presumptuous to think that advanced civilizations
can't
wait to meet us, or any other developing world. Many novels have argued,
and
I tend to agree, that if we survive ourselves and make the jump into
interstellar then intergalactic space, the first meetings would be for trade
and assurances, not giving a helping hand to any one who asked.
Actually, I differ here. If an alien civilization is bright and powerful
enough to figure out how to cross interstellar space, and capable enough to
make do with interstellar resources, then they DON'T need trinkets. What
could you possibly offer to Mr. Alien, that he doesn't already have a
superior version of? What did the North American Indians have, the
Aborigines have, that the Europeans needed? Nothing really -- just land and
resources, and the Europeans could take that.
Here, our Space-faring aliens wouldn't even need resources, since it's far
more efficient to simply manufacture your own. For instance, an alien
civilization could build their version of an O'Neal colony, with an
environment ideally suited to them, far easier than adapting Earth for their
needs.
So, they don't need trinkets. They don't need Earth. Presumeably, they
don't need our blond young virgins for food or whatnot. What's that leave?
The best I can come up with is genetic diversity. The only thing that Earth
really offers to a race that could presumeably travel the stars is the fact
of it's 4 billion year bio-heritage. That would only be interesting to a
science interest, or a philanthropic interest...
In essence, why would a space faring Alien civilization want to communicate,
want to establish links with others, when they would presumeably have no real
benefit to doing so? Well, I ask you... if you stumbled across an
extraordinarily bright cockroach in your kitchen tomorrow, what would you do?
Would you stomp it, or would you, with curiousity, try to nurture it, help
it along... see what it could make of itself? Your answer reveals much of
human character.
Space
exploration may begin with governments sending out a 'Magellan' or a
'Cortez', but whichever the case may be, the 'Hudson's Bay Company' will be
sure to follow to capitalize on what they find. I for one doubt that alien
civilizations care to have a bunch of outcast adventurers and fur trappers
homing in on their beacons.
That's the downside of talking to a cockroach: it may decide it likes you,
and call all its' relatives to your home. At some point, initial innocent
fascination might inevitably turn to horror, as the superior species realizes
it has 'created a monster'.
Pleasant dreams!
-- JHB (now, I KNOW there's a great science fiction story in there
somewhere...!)
I hope I haven't insulted anyone's intelligence too badly for a short
message.
Dave Price >>
==
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