Thoughts on SETI

[Chong]

I think its bonkers. As, no good can come of it:

Best Case Scenario:

There is no one out there. Waste of time and resources

Second-Best case Scenario:

They are nothing like us. In fact, once they get wind of our polluting, fratricidal, cognitively-imparied bolodlust, they may or may not crush us like the roaches they may very well decide we are in order to help ensure we do not spread beyond our current infestation. Maybe they'll be kind and just sterilize us.

Worst Case:

Darwinism is universal, and we are essentially being like the Native Americans broadcasting to the Europeans that "We're here! Come on over for a friendly visit!". We all know how that turned out.

I just find it weird that here we are killing one another left right and center, are still stuck up on "Race" and "Religion" and other cognitive fallacies, and here we expect to get all lovey-dovey with an Alien race who have, in all probability - less in common with us then the cows and pigs we eat every day. Amazing.

 

[Elledan]

<< I just find it weird that here we are killing one another left right and center, are still stuck up on "Race" and "Religion" and other cognitive fallacies, and here we expect to get all lovey-dovey with an Alien race who have, in all probability - less in common with us then the cows and pigs we eat every day. Amazing. >>

Got to agree with you there.

It's why I think that the only way we Humans can realize that we're one, single species is by discovering (intelligent) life on another planet.

 

[LAUST]

I think if there is anything out there with the possibility of making it into our galaxy... they would prolly look down on us and say... "Forget that mess of morons, Move on"

 

[BreakApart]

How about they find our planet and we become a food source......Human w/beans and mustard.

or

The Aliens are in fact a race of titans that put us here in the first place and they return to end the experiment. Just like they did with the Dinosaur experiment they started and ended long ago.

 

[Chong]

<< I think if there is anything out there with the possibility of making it into our galaxy... they would prolly look down on us and say... "Forget that mess of morons, Move on" >>



A Vote for Scenario numbah ONE!

 

[TMPadmin]

<< I just find it weird that here we are killing one another left right and center, are still stuck up on "Race" and "Religion" and other cognitive fallacies, and here we expect to get all lovey-dovey with an Alien race who have, in all probability - less in common with us then the cows and pigs we eat every day. Amazing. >>

I disagree with this statement. Only the uneducated, low-lives that don't bother to improve themselves, living off the government, trash that are killing one another throwing race or religion against each other. Anyone who has any intelligence would understand more about the significance of finding alien civilizations. I would also call you arrogant if you think that in all this universe this planet is the only one that developed life. Oh and Darwinism was debunked years ago. How fit can you be if your pond dries up?

I'm babbling again. I would hope they would just move on, for their sake. Maybe if we could get our stuff together we could actaully do something as a united world. But that won't happen.

 

[fatalbert]

maybe but we still need to defend our honor against DSL Reports!!!

 

[Chong]

<< I disagree with this statement. Only the uneducated, low-lives that don't bother to improve themselves, living off the government, trash that are killing one another throwing race or religion against each other. Anyone who has any intelligence would understand more about the significance of finding alien civilizations. I would also call you arrogant if you think that in all this universe this planet is the only one that developed life. >>



First of all, there's about 3 percent genetic difference between chimps and humans. What amount of difference do you think exist between Einstein and Jerry Springer's audience? Way less. By splitting the human race up into us and them, your just proving my point about how our mindsets are fundamentally flawed and violence prone. Secondly, for me being arrogant - did I in any way imply that I thought option one was the most probable? I think not.

 

[JACKHAMMER]

You are missing the point. SETI basically scans the skys for signals(radio). We send all kinds of signals into space everyday and have been for years (TV and RADIO). You make it sound like we havem't been. Should we all stop using the radio and television?

 

[Chong]

Actually...your right about the signals. Very good point. I read that if you were to look at the Earth with a radio telscope from anywhere in the milky way, we'd be the brightest object out there. So......its sorta too late. we've already beamed Vietnam, Rwanda, Jerry Springer, and Survivor out to the universe. Now sit back and wait to be exterminated.

 

[JACKHAMMER]

Sorry the biologist in me just had to answer this.


<< First of all, there's about 3 percent genetic difference between chimps and humans. What amount of difference do you think exist between Einstein and Jerry Springer's audience? Way less. >>




There may be only a 3% difference in the genome but that actually means very little. Hell, over 75% of the yeast genome is represented on ours. The way our transcription promoters work is very different than low level orgainism (well not different but more complex) That is why we have massive amounts of junk DNA and introns - it is all about how our cells control it. And so what if we are genetically similar to primates? This doesn't take anything away from humanity. There is just as much of a chance that the only aliens we will find are single cellular as opposed to super race. And another question is why do you think this advanced race would be necessarily militant. You watch too many movies.



/edit --- didn't mean to come off pissy ----edit/

 

[Chong]

All your doing is enforcing my point. So we're 75 percent like Yeast. Big deal. We STILL can't get along as a species even when, from a genetic viewpoint, we're basically clones. And I never said they'd be militant. All I said is that if we expect to in any way relate to them, we're assuming they are like US. And, my point being, if they are like us...be AFRAID. And...btw the last movie I watched was a documentray on R. Crumb - the guy who made Zap Comics. Freaky Dude.

 

[gopunk]

/me agrees with jackhammer.

 

[Chong]

And..if they're single cellular...what the hell are they doing sending out signals?

 

[gopunk]

i seriously doubt the first scenario you gave is the "best case" scenario. think about it. you fail to take into account the possibility that these aliens *might* just be friendly.

 

[TMPadmin]

Never said that you decided one way or the other, I just stated that if you have half the thought that we are the only one out here THEN you are taking an arrogant standpoint.

You still think we descended from the apes!? It has been proven to me time and again that there are us and them. Yes, there will be a gray area but fundamentally there are those who can not think past their next "hit" or the next episode of Jerry Springer and there are those who try to better themselves and make a meaningful contribution to society.

But hey man, it all goes up in smoke eventually.

 

[JACKHAMMER]

<< from a genetic viewpoint, we're basically clones >>



But we aren't. Imagine a gene 2kbp long. A single point mutation - one base out of 2000 can make significant changes to the eventual protein - adding new functionality or making it useless. Collectively you are probably 99% similar to the person next to you but that one percent (probably even less) can make a HUGE amount of diiference.



<< All I said is that if we expect to in any way relate to them, we're assuming they are like US. And, my point being, if they are like us...be AFRAID. >>



Assuming they are like us and have developed the technology to get here they probably wouldn't interfere (just think star trek...lol ) And if they aren't they may take no intrest or they may see us as a threat. All SETI does is look to see if something is there, they don't communicate. If there is some other race - militant or not, like us or not - wouldn't you want to know. But then, again ignorance is bliss.



<< And..if they're single cellular...what the hell are they doing sending out signals? >>



They wouldn't. But, my point remains.

 

[KevinF]

<< The Aliens are in fact a race of titans that put us here in the first place and they return to end the experiment. Just like they did with the Dinosaur experiment they started and ended long ago. >>



There are a couple Isaac Asimov short stories like that. The best one is in Robot Dreams.

 

[Chong]

<< But we aren't. Imagine a gene 2kbp long. A single point mutation - one base out of 2000 can make significant changes to the eventual protein - adding new functionality or making it useless. Collectively you are probably 99% similar to the person next to you but that one percent (probably even less) can make a HUGE amount of diiference. >>



I would think it only makes a difference on human terms. All Cockroaches look the same to us, but I'm sure not to other roaches.

And the idea that, like on Star Trek - technological advance means an equal advance in the wisdom how to use it - has NO support in our albeit - limited experience. Never worked with us. Why would it work with someone else? Lots of valid reasons, but no grounds for assumption.

And, in terms of other races - its simply a matter of the starry-eyed wonder of it that annoys me at times. More often than not we seem to have a smug satisfaction that somehow this would mean something "Positive" for the human race - that the wonder of having another race out there might change us. Well, we have any number of relatively intlligent fellow species on the planet already that we treat like prey, and we have no regard as a species for the planet upon which we live. Why would we change because we found another race? Har! it would be even funnier if they're just a little LESS advanced then us! We could then figure out a way to get to them, terraform the planet, stick them on reserves, and call them lazy drunken good-for-nothings. (Improbable, but a funny idea).

The whole idea of other races is an irrelevancy at this point - the only thing that we could hopefully learn from finding life in the universe is that we wake up, same old, same old, and all our problems are still here. Its an arogant, humano-centric view that the two big bossess of two diffreent planets are gonna get together and talk shop. Might not be your view, but its sure seems to be the norm. My only reply to that is....Puh-LEESE. We have little to be proud about in the scheme of things even by our OWN standards, much less those of a more advanced race.

 

[Looney]

Um, perhaps you should read up on exactly what SETI is and how it operates before coming to any conclusion.

Shouldn't the Best Case Scenario be:

We actually detect alien signals, and discover we're not alone in this universe.


Second-Best and Worst case Scenarios:

Whether we search for them or not, if they want to find us, they will. SETI doesn't SEND signal, it just listens.

 

[Chong]

Luverlee Point. Maybe i'm waaaaay off. I just thought that part of the whole program was sending, not just receiving. I could veeery well be wrong and, in any case, it does indeed speak to the earlier post someone made about the fact that we are sending radio traffic brighter than a pulsar. And yeah...if they want to find us, they will. So again...IF that's the point, then why send (if they are in fact sending)?

 

[Chong]

<< i seriously doubt the first scenario you gave is the "best case" scenario. think about it. you fail to take into account the possibility that these aliens *might* just be friendly. >>



very very true. I just didn;t include it because it seems to me that its simply assumed to be so. I was trying to take a contrarian view of it, but you do have a plain ol' fashioned point. Let's hope they are, annd they get here quick! We can use a little help.

 

[gopunk]

And yeah...if they want to find us, they will.

i don't know about that, the universe is a pretty big place.

and yes, seti just listens, no sending.

 

[TMPadmin]

Seti does only listen but as I think was already pointed out all signals are being broadcast into space. I believe that the early days of televisioin are just now reaching Alpha Centauri. So if there happens to be any life there (which I don't think there is) they will have the joys of watching "I Love Lucy" and the like.

 

[crypticlogin]

We put out more emissions in television and radio broadcast signals more than SETI could ever put out in the entire program's lifetime. If "they" were to find us, it probably wouldn't be from SETI.