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From: jackson@ttidcb.UUCP (Dick Jackson)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Meeting Advanced Aliens
Message-ID: <410@ttidcb.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 16-Jul-85 12:52:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: ttidcb.410
Posted: Tue Jul 16 12:52:01 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Jul-85 06:33:19 EDT
Organization: TTI, Santa Monica, CA.
Lines: 25




Wasn't it Fermi who asked about 40 years ago "If there are advanced races
out there in the stars, where are they?" meaning that at least one star
faring race should have explored the whole place by now and we should have
seen them. There are several theories (human uniqueness, quarantine, etc)
in answer to THE QUESTION; one that I haven't heard is that the first
aliens to master space are totally zenophobic and when they detect
industrial civilizations arising (via radio transmission) they come and
wipe them, and soon us, out.

Assuming this slightly pessimistic theory is incorrect, I find it interesting
to speculate not on what THEY would come for, but upon what THEY would
be like if considerably advanced relative to ourselves. E.g. with "IQs"
of 1000.

They would talk to us, and be bored a lot of the time in doing so I guess.
Probably they would plan for very long-term goals . Human's plans
are generally of the order of one year (multiply or divide by ten). Gorillas
and dogs don't plan more than a few seconds ahead. I'm assuming that THEY
are ahead of us in roughly the same ratio as we are ahead of gorillas.

Presumably they would have concerns that we could not even comprehend, and
therefore cannot now speculate about! Or can we? Anyone care to try?