Aliens may exist but contact would hurt humans: Hawking

[loke13]

Aliens may exist but contact would hurt humans: Hawking - Yahoo! News

Thoughts? Questions? I for one think......

 

[Dogenzaka]

Uh, just because Hawking thinks aliens might exist doesn't mean that aliens do or don't exist more or less so now that he's opened his mouth.

Sure they might exist. Sure, they might not. We haven't found any yet.

Am I missing something?

 

[loke13]

Uh, just because Hawking thinks aliens might exist doesn't mean that aliens do or don't exist more or less so now that he's opened his mouth.

Sure they might exist. Sure, they might not. We haven't found any yet.

Am I missing something?

I don't remember saying they do but ok.

Thanks for your thoughts Dog.

 

[Dogenzaka]

I never said you said they do.

 

[Dentim]

I believe it's likely they exist. But the chances of encountering them in any imaginable timeframe are astronomically small. As it is now, we definitely wouldn't be the ones visiting other planets to take a peek. So it's up to them, but they might only be in a bacterial form for all we know.

I wouldn't know whether contact would be harmfull. That obviously depends on the intent.

 

[DiceKiller]

I think that contact from aliens would always be harmful. I seriously doubt that any reasons aliens would be searching the universe for planets like ours could be good for us. Like Hawking said, they could be out of resources and searching for more. If they were just curious about our planet, that would be fine (maybe), but if they were curious enough to feel the need to contact us, again, it couldn't be good for us.

Oh, and I think loke just means the topic was about alien contact and not whether they existed or not.

 

[krexia]

Am I missing something?

The question of whether contact with alien life would be helpful or harmful to humanity sounds like a pretty interesting one to me.

I'd like to think that any species that advanced would have basic respect for other forms of sentient life, but that's pretty wishful thinking. I mean we like to think of ourselves as pretty civilised these days, but if we suddenly discovered tomorrow that under the ice on Antarctica was a secret primitive culture sitting on massive reserves of oil, how civilised would we really be?

 

[Orion]

I believe it's likely they exist. But the chances of encountering them in any imaginable timeframe are astronomically small.

Am I the only one that noticed this pun? Was it intentional?

 

[Dogenzaka]

The question of whether contact with alien life would be helpful or harmful to humanity sounds like a pretty interesting one to me.

I'd like to think that any species that advanced would have basic respect for other forms of sentient life, but that's pretty wishful thinking. I mean we like to think of ourselves as pretty civilised these days, but if we suddenly discovered tomorrow that under the ice on Antarctica was a secret primitive culture sitting on massive reserves of oil, how civilised would we really be?

That is indeed an interesting topic, but I suppose I was referring to the idea of aliens existing or not, which is kind of a pointless thing to discuss since we don't know either way.

But if they did, I could see extra-terrestrials as not giving a damn about us if we have resources they want. Assuming they are even intelligent enough to get over here and find us, because we're certainly not intelligent enough to find them.

 

[loke13]

That is indeed an interesting topic, but I suppose I was referring to the idea of aliens existing or not, which is kind of a pointless thing to discuss since we don't know either way.

But if they did, I could see extra-terrestrials as not giving a damn about us if we have resources they want. Assuming they are even intelligent enough to get over here and find us, because we're certainly not intelligent enough to find them.

My thoughts exactly on the subject. Although I would think beings who have mastered space travel would be less.......aggressive?

 

[Nyangoro]

Hasn't Hawkings always had the "bad aliens" viewpoint? I remember him saying the same thing years ago.

 

[Dentim]

Am I the only one that noticed this pun? Was it intentional?

Yes. I'm a sucker for puns, if I can think of one.

My thoughts exactly on the subject. Although I would think beings who have mastered space travel would be less.......aggressive?

You're basing that on the theory that as a people becomes technically more advanced, they also become more benevolent, right?
I'm usually inclined to agree with that, but think about it this way. We're talking about aliens here. Beings who are (unless certain theories turn out to be correct) completely different from us in every way. There's no reason to assume that whatever goes for us, goes for them.

Hasn't Hawkings always had the "bad aliens" viewpoint? I remember him saying the same thing years ago.

Yes he has. I think he'd be the first to run of in the event of an alien visit (regardless of intent). If he could still run that is. s1gildragonin30years (dear god I'm horrible)

 

[loke13]

You're basing that on the theory that as a people becomes technically more advanced, they also become more benevolent, right?
I'm usually inclined to agree with that, but think about it this way. We're talking about aliens here. Beings who are (unless certain theories turn out to be correct) completely different from us in every way. There's no reason to assume that whatever goes for us, goes for them.

Exactly so they might be better than us in every possible way......then again they could be much worse.

 

[The Conquerer]

I shutter to think what advanced lifeforms would do to us. Anal probing and what not *shivers.*

I think they exist, out of the billions of galaxies (and countless solar systems) it's hard to believe that we're the only planet that have highly advanced species. But I doubt we'd encounter them in our lifetime.

 

[Orion]

I shutter to think what advanced lifeforms would do to us. Anal probing and what not *shivers.*

If they can travel distances in the tens of light-years in such a way that is practical for them, they won't be doing anal probing. Probably inject us with nanomachines that would get a much more thorough analysis done and wouldn't hurt us at all.

 

[Nyangoro]

Let's face it, when it comes to aliens, there is absolutely nothing that we can reliably assume.

Even technology-wise, they could have devoted the entirety of their research to how to travel in space and little else.

Their intelligence isn't guaranteed as well, as there may be a creature capable of surviving the vacuum of space (we just haven't seen it yet due to how far away it may be).

 

[Orion]

Their intelligence isn't guaranteed as well, as there may be a creature capable of surviving the vacuum of space (we just haven't seen it yet due to how far away it may be).

As far as Earth creatures go, there is at least one that can survive in a vacuum, as well as around eighteen thousand times the cosmic radiation levels that exist at the edge of the atmosphere.

 

[Nyangoro]

As far as Earth creatures go, there is at least one that can survive in a vacuum, as well as around eighteen thousand times the cosmic radiation levels that exist at the edge of the atmosphere.

Indeed, but I was thinking of a creature actually capable of controlled/instinctual space travel. Not that the little creature you're talking about isn't impressive in its own right (being able to survive practically every possible extreme by going into a state of suspended animation is pretty baller).

 

[The Conquerer]

In all seriousness though, they probably look just like humans...

 

[riku_kicks_butt]

Contact with Aliens probably would mean the end of humans if it happened now. But if the world worked together and became a little more open to the idea of aliens being there. we could handle it