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From: mc68020@gilbbs.UUCP (Tom Keller)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: First Contact
Message-ID: <73@gilbbs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Mar-86 14:34:55 EST
Article-I.D.: gilbbs.73
Posted: Wed Mar 12 14:34:55 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Mar-86 01:47:46 EST
References: <[MC.LCS.MIT.EDU].846042.860310.KFL>
Organization: Gil's Place, Santa Rosa CA
Lines: 49

In article <[MC.LCS.MIT.EDU].846042.860310.KFL>, KFL@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU ("Keith F. Lynch") writes:
>>     Incidentally, if we do encounter a friendly race that makes us
>>     look pretty inferior, our mental health may be preserved by
>>     some myths ...
> 
>   I don't think myths are needed.  We are way beyond the stage of
> worshiping what we don't understand.  If aliens with an advanced
> technology do show up, people will simply assume that their history is
> longer than ours, that we would have had very similar technology after
> not too many more decades or centuries ourselves rather than assuming
> that they are smarter or otherwise better than us.  Even if they DO
> prove to be smarter than us, it is generally believed that human
> intelligence enhancement should be possible within a few decades, by
> computer implants or whatever.  And of course we can enhance
> intelligence even today, simply by improving the schools.
> 								...Keith

   Oh, really?  We are beyond the stage of worshiping what we don't 
understand, are we?  I know one hell of a lot of people who worship "God",
"Buddah", "Allah", or whomever.  The *BELIEVE*, they have *FAITH*, many of
them mistakenly claim to *KNOW* that their godhead is truth.  But none of
them, to my knowledge, understand, or claim to understand, their god(s).


   You also made claims to the effect that there would be no reason to be 
paranoid of aliens, and that therefore we wouldn't.  Come now.  Probably the
single greatest factor in international politics on this planet is paranoia.
If we can't even learn to trust our neighbors on this planet, do you actually
expect us to believe that we'll trust aliens from another?


   I know that I would very much like to meet some aliens.  I doubt that I
ever will (not because I don't think they're out there, but because I have
rotten luck).  I would like to think that I would be calm and rationaly, if
presented with an alien lifeform.  I cannot, however, state categorically
that this is so, as I have never experieinced anything even remotely 
similar, and therefore have no idea what my reaction would actually be.


-- 

====================================

Disclaimer:  I hereby disclaim any and all responsibility for disclaimers.

tom keller
{ihnp4, dual}!ptsfa!gilbbs!mc68020

(* we may not be big, but we're small! *)