Is SETI Going To Get Us Into TROUBLE ?

[MegalosSkylaki]

Isac Asimov thinks it could.

And so does DOOG

The one saving grace of SETI is that it willl achieve nothing--except important advances in DC, cryptology etc.

Here's the argument:

We have only recently achieved the technological level by which we can send out into space --and listen for comparible data--a mathethmatically determined sequence, such as pi ["pie"].

From a probableistic view, that means other sentient or intelligent Life forms are either BELOW us us in technological development and therfore SETI is wasted upon them

--OR--

And here is the scarey part: Are at a more advanced level of Technical development.

The chances of both we AND an extra-terrian Civilization being at about the SAME level of deveopment is highly IMprobable, given the vast range of Tech development that is conceivable.

History has shown that when Two civilizations of Unequal development meet, the superior Technology exploits the lower one.

Imagine the Meso-American Mayans telling the European Spainards:"Come and find us!"

Are we doing exactly that ?

MegalosSkylaki

[Theophylact]

Well, MegalosSkylaki, if there were bad eefuses out there wishing to colonize, enslave or eat us, it wouldn't be SETI that'd do us in, because it's only listening. But we've been broadcasting to space ever since Heinrich Hertz used his first spark coil.

If we get turned into Fricasee of Earthling, blame Uncle Miltie and Ralph Kramden, not Carl Sagan and I. S. Shklovskii....

Indeed.

Contact was a remakably apt movie, except for the nice guy aliens which is a large unknown.

[Skywalker[TSG]]

Originally posted by MegalosSkylaki
Isac Asimov thinks it could.

And so does DOOG

The one saving grace of SETI is that it willl achieve nothing--except important advances in DC, cryptology etc.

Here's the argument:

We have only recently achieved the technological level by which we can send out into space --and listen for comparible data--a mathethmatically determined sequence, such as pi ["pie"].

From a probableistic view, that means other sentient or intelligent Life forms are either BELOW us us in technological development and therfore SETI is wasted upon them

--OR--

And here is the scarey part: Are at a more advanced level of Technical development.

The chances of both we AND an extra-terrian Civilization being at about the SAME level of deveopment is highly IMprobable, given the vast range of Tech development that is conceivable.

History has shown that when Two civilizations of Unequal development meet, the superior Technology exploits the lower one.

Imagine the Meso-American Mayans telling the European Spainards:"Come and find us!"

Are we doing exactly that ?

MegalosSkylaki

WE ARE THE BORG - RESISTANCE IS FUTILE !!!

[Epidemic]

Superior Aliens could be nice, Mean, or indifferent.

Do you often go out into your back yard and take over an ants colony kill the queen and rule with an iron fist? ant technology could do little to stop you.



Theo you is the math and science whiz.

Is math truely the universal language. could you not have a numbering system based upon 9.7854 or count 100, 101, 102... 110, 200.

Making 1000 in their system = to 200 in ours.

and .001 = to .02 in our system???

[MegalosSkylaki]

Have to see Contact again as I don't remember it too well.

I think Asimov was talking about making contact in the generic sense. That is also my argument.

As for SETI, I am corrected (ThanX) as to it's sending messages, I'll admit.

But often it is hard to listen in the manner SETI is without leaving some signature . And what is the next agenda if it finds ?

Anyhow, the real underlying question remains:

What are the consequences of Contact ?

DOOOOOOOOOOOGSTANDSCORRECTED

"Fricasee of Earthling"

[MegalosSkylaki]

P.S. The was a 'Fifties B&W movie called something like Angry Red Planet or such where Earth sends out pi to da Martians. This was a quintessential Cold War anxiety Flick..err..maybe.

[nomaxim]

And just think, one of the first video pics we sent out into space was Hitler.

[Skywalker[TSG]]

Hahah and dont forget radio broadcasts from WW1
Spanish flu and millions dead in totaly meaningless warfare.


Lets just hope the aliens cant understand any human language.

[ClubMed]

Finding a black monolith with dimensions 1 by 4 by 9 would be an interesting way of making contact.

If we ever do make contact with an intelligence superior to us, we can be sure that they would be monitoring us long before we notice.

We may even be so inferior that they will decide to come back in 10,000 years to see if something interesting has happened.