see2--board won't let me log i
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Post by see2--board won't let me log i on Dec 21, 2023 9:12:38 GMT
Douglas Adams explained this perfectly What was his explanation - SatNav playing up? Ask Again. |
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Post by Sheepy1 on Dec 21, 2023 9:23:50 GMT
What was his explanation - SatNav playing up? Ask Again. Causing you anxiety? makes a change from the angry bear. |
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Post by johnofgwent on Dec 21, 2023 10:50:39 GMT
Douglas Adams explained this perfectly What was his explanation - SatNav playing up? Sorry, if you have not read or do not remember "The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy" you will not get the reference.
in short, Ford Prefect explains to Arthuir Dent that the interstellar equivalent of what we would consider antisocial bastards who race cars round tesco car parks doing doughnuts while shoppers cower in terror and police do fuck all fly their spaceships into redneck dumb hick terrotory and have fun with the locals, mutilate their cattle, abduct their women etc etc all for a laugh
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Post by Einhorn on Dec 21, 2023 14:58:09 GMT
As we have advanced technologically, we have acquired weapons of ever greater destructive power, and for decades now have had the ability to wipe ourselves out. Any aliens who come here would have to have developed much higher levels of technology to have been able to do so. And presumably could if they had wanted to to have developed even greater technological weapons of mass destruction. Yet the very fact that they are so technologically advanced means that they must have avoided using such destructive weapons against each other even if they developed them. So I suspect for that reason they are likely to be, or have at least evolved or learned to be, less warlike and destructive than us. One of the most thought provoking posts I've ever read on this site! I can't remember what it's called, but there is a theory that society can't outlast for very long the point at which it gains the ability to destroy itself. If aliens possess the ability to get here, they have clearly defied that theory. By itself, it doesn't amount to conclusive proof of their intentions, but it would warrant the assumption that their intentions are peaceful. |
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Post by Orac on Dec 21, 2023 14:59:51 GMT
What was his explanation - SatNav playing up? Sorry, if you have not read or do not remember "The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy" you will not get the reference.
in short, Ford Prefect explains to Arthuir Dent that the interstellar equivalent of what we would consider antisocial bastards who race cars round tesco car parks doing doughnuts while shoppers cower in terror and police do fuck all fly their spaceships into redneck dumb hick terrotory and have fun with the locals, mutilate their cattle, abduct their women etc etc all for a laugh
"Teasers" The motivation might seem like an outrageous, outlandish explanation, until you start considering what we would do in their shoes. Imagine you could travel e to a society at the 10th C level of technical progress and drive a motorbike about scaring the locals. The temptation would be irresistible for many lol |
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Post by Orac on Dec 21, 2023 15:04:07 GMT
As we have advanced technologically, we have acquired weapons of ever greater destructive power, and for decades now have had the ability to wipe ourselves out. Any aliens who come here would have to have developed much higher levels of technology to have been able to do so. And presumably could if they had wanted to to have developed even greater technological weapons of mass destruction. Yet the very fact that they are so technologically advanced means that they must have avoided using such destructive weapons against each other even if they developed them. So I suspect for that reason they are likely to be, or have at least evolved or learned to be, less warlike and destructive than us. One of the most thought provoking posts I've ever read on this site! I can't remember what it's called, but there is a theory that society can't outlast for very long the point at which it gains the ability to destroy itself. If aliens possess the ability to get here, they have clearly defied that theory. By itself, it doesn't amount to conclusive proof of their intentions, but it would warrant the assumption that their intentions are peaceful. I disagree. They might equally be the survivors of a gigantic war that lasted hundreds of thousands of years and killed countless billions of sentient creatures. While i know nothing of aliens, it seems some things must be fixed in their nature. A life-form will always be a collection of resources that could be used by someone else. |
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Post by Einhorn on Dec 21, 2023 15:14:46 GMT
One of the most thought provoking posts I've ever read on this site! I can't remember what it's called, but there is a theory that society can't outlast for very long the point at which it gains the ability to destroy itself. If aliens possess the ability to get here, they have clearly defied that theory. By itself, it doesn't amount to conclusive proof of their intentions, but it would warrant the assumption that their intentions are peaceful. I disagree. They might equally be the survivors of a gigantic war that lasted hundreds of thousands of years and killed countless billions of sentient creatures. While i know nothing of aliens, it seems some things must be fixed in their nature. A life-form will always be a collection of resources that could be used by someone else. Yes, that occurred to me, too. But the shift from nuclear power to inter-galaxy space travel won't have happened overnight. It will have taken centuries in our time. So, if they survived centuries without destroying themselves while having the means to do so, the assumption that they are peaceful is warranted. It's only an assumption, but it is a compelling one. |
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Post by johnofgwent on Dec 21, 2023 15:34:31 GMT
Sorry, if you have not read or do not remember "The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy" you will not get the reference.
in short, Ford Prefect explains to Arthuir Dent that the interstellar equivalent of what we would consider antisocial bastards who race cars round tesco car parks doing doughnuts while shoppers cower in terror and police do fuck all fly their spaceships into redneck dumb hick terrotory and have fun with the locals, mutilate their cattle, abduct their women etc etc all for a laugh
"Teasers" The motivation might seem like an outrageous, outlandish explanation, until you start considering what we would do in their shoes. Imagine you could travel e to a society at the 10th C level of technical progress and drive a motorbike about scaring the locals. The temptation would be irresistible for many lol Yes, i can see that might appeal to some. Who am i kidding i’d be first to wheelie into the tardis to go get it done. And just think if you could persuade some blonde maiden to throw her leg over and you high tail it away then who knows what songs they might sing. |
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Post by Orac on Dec 21, 2023 15:41:47 GMT
I disagree. They might equally be the survivors of a gigantic war that lasted hundreds of thousands of years and killed countless billions of sentient creatures. While i know nothing of aliens, it seems some things must be fixed in their nature. A life-form will always be a collection of resources that could be used by someone else. Yes, that occurred to me, too. But the shift from nuclear power to inter-galaxy space travel won't have happened overnight. It will have taken centuries in our time. So, if they survived centuries without destroying themselves while having the means to do so, the assumption that they are peaceful is warranted. It's only an assumption, but it is a compelling one. It is not very compelling in my opinion. I think the notion of a war finishing off humanity itself is a rather overblown one. It would have to be a very big war to kill off humanity itself - ie every single human dead. Bear in mind that every weapon has a counter - the counter to nuclear weapons is protecting yourself with miles of dirt or (possibly) sending your species, faction, DNA out to colonise. We can see from our own experience that not having a gigantic nuclear war that kills everyone or resets history does not require a peaceful nature. A species with a 'peacefull nature' (if it acts) is not really possible. Even a rabbit will get arse-ie of you start chomping on his grass - if he had no elbows there would be no rabbits. |
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Post by Einhorn on Dec 21, 2023 15:43:06 GMT
Yes, that occurred to me, too. But the shift from nuclear power to inter-galaxy space travel won't have happened overnight. It will have taken centuries in our time. So, if they survived centuries without destroying themselves while having the means to do so, the assumption that they are peaceful is warranted. It's only an assumption, but it is a compelling one. It is not very compelling in my opinion. I think the notion of a war finishing off humanity itself is a rather overblown one. It would have to be a very big war to kill off humanity itself - ie every single human dead. Bear in mind that every weapon has a counter - the counter to nuclear weapons is protecting yourself with miles of dirt or (possibly) sending your species, faction, DNA out to colonise. We can see from our own experience that not having a gigantic nuclear war that kills everyone or resets history does not require a peaceful nature. A species with a 'peacefull nature' (if it acts) is not really possible. Even a rabbit will get arse-ie of you start chomping on his grass - if he had no elbows there would be no rabbits. Biological weapons could very easily finish mankind off. It's not easy to hide from a virus. |
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Post by johnofgwent on Dec 21, 2023 15:49:15 GMT
It is not very compelling in my opinion. I think the notion of a war finishing off humanity itself is a rather overblown one. It would have to be a very big war to kill off humanity itself - ie every single human dead. Bear in mind that every weapon has a counter - the counter to nuclear weapons is protecting yourself with miles of dirt or (possibly) sending your species, faction, DNA out to colonise. We can see from our own experience that not having a gigantic nuclear war that kills everyone or resets history does not require a peaceful nature. A species with a 'peacefull nature' (if it acts) is not really possible. Even a rabbit will get arse-ie of you start chomping on his grass - if he had no elbows there would be no rabbits. Biological weapons could very easily finish mankind off. It's not easy to hide from a virus. you said it for me. Although nuclear weapons sound like they bring the ultimate ELE the fact is Obama stood a year or two back right where the Enola Gay dumped its junk…. The soil of the island they tested anthrax bombing on will be lethal for quite a long time still |
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Post by sheepy on Dec 21, 2023 15:53:11 GMT
Except an alien species might not have ever followed human being's paths.
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Post by Orac on Dec 21, 2023 15:58:33 GMT
It is not very compelling in my opinion. I think the notion of a war finishing off humanity itself is a rather overblown one. It would have to be a very big war to kill off humanity itself - ie every single human dead. Bear in mind that every weapon has a counter - the counter to nuclear weapons is protecting yourself with miles of dirt or (possibly) sending your species, faction, DNA out to colonise. We can see from our own experience that not having a gigantic nuclear war that kills everyone or resets history does not require a peaceful nature. A species with a 'peacefull nature' (if it acts) is not really possible. Even a rabbit will get arse-ie of you start chomping on his grass - if he had no elbows there would be no rabbits. Biological weapons could very easily finish mankind off. It's not easy to hide from a virus. It's certainly a theoretical possibility. But there are (or will be) counters to even this. |
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Post by Einhorn on Dec 21, 2023 16:05:09 GMT
Biological weapons could very easily finish mankind off. It's not easy to hide from a virus. It's certainly a theoretical possibility. But there are (or will be) counters to even this. The strongest argument in favour of a presumption that aliens will have benign intentions is: we have benign intentions. We've been trying to contact alien life for a long time. We're not looking to destroy or exploit them. It is mostly intellectual curiosity. It could only ever be a presumption, though. Ours signals could be picked up by a scouting ship looking for resources. Still ... |
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Post by sheepy on Dec 21, 2023 16:14:15 GMT
It is not very compelling in my opinion. I think the notion of a war finishing off humanity itself is a rather overblown one. It would have to be a very big war to kill off humanity itself - ie every single human dead. Bear in mind that every weapon has a counter - the counter to nuclear weapons is protecting yourself with miles of dirt or (possibly) sending your species, faction, DNA out to colonise. We can see from our own experience that not having a gigantic nuclear war that kills everyone or resets history does not require a peaceful nature. A species with a 'peacefull nature' (if it acts) is not really possible. Even a rabbit will get arse-ie of you start chomping on his grass - if he had no elbows there would be no rabbits. Biological weapons could very easily finish mankind off. It's not easy to hide from a virus. Which would only be human nature, if you have invented why wouldn't you try it, those who might have an antidote might be on a sticky wicket, as now biological warfare has taken a turn where you can manipulate genes. |
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