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From: cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: First Contact
Message-ID: <621@kontron.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Mar-86 15:37:20 EST
Article-I.D.: kontron.621
Posted: Tue Mar 18 15:37:20 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 31-Mar-86 04:17:05 EST
References: <[MC.LCS.MIT.EDU].846042.860310.KFL> <73@gilbbs.UUCP>
Organization: Kontron Electronics, Mt. View, CA
Lines: 32

> 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
> 
>    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?
> 
If you mean fear of other nations, you are right -- that is the single
greatest factor in international relations.  And with good reason.  War
is a very large part of human activity, and always has been.  The fears
that the Soviet Union and the United States have of each other are rational
fears.  It would be nice to ascribe these fears to "paranoia", but they
aren't.  Tom, go read some history -- "all hacking and no humanities makes
Tom a dull boy."

> tom keller