Archive for February, 2010

I’m always amazed when people tell me how good and kind extraterrestrial aliens are going to be when we finally meet them. Why? Is it wishful thinking, or just an enduring image conjured up by warm and fuzzy fantisies on the big screen? The argument is always made that they would necessarily be far more advanced than we and vastly superior intellectually, but I have a couple of problems linking such beings to a kind and benevolent persona. First of all, let’s look at humanity. Over eons, we’ve developed increasing intellectual awareness and sophistocation, but we haven’t shed our barbaric characteristics; we’ve improved on them. One of the most significant scientific achievements of the twentieth century, the development of nuclear power, was accomplished by some of the finest minds ever assembled, and what was their goal? A bomb, the rocks stone age men threw at each other just weren’t efficient enough–so I think we can abandon the idea that intellectual growth assures benignity.
My second concern is grounded in the reason such aliens might come into this thin little arm of our galaxy to find us–curiosity, the thirst for understanding? I doubt it. Anybody who comes all this way would have to be driven, compelled to satisfy some essential need. And what do we have they might be looking for? With the entire galaxy at their disposal, it certainly won’t be raw materials. It’ll be us, either as food or slaves, and of the two, I consider slaves the more likely.
People who hope for kindly, peaceful beings intent on helping our world are taking a gigantic leap of faith. If they were so very advanced, way beyond us intellectually, in my opinion they’d probably look at us much the way we look at other animals on Earth, more like cattle, horses, or if we’re lucky, dogs. People like dogs, but I don’t really think aliens would come light years to find pets. If we could discover a way to make apes and chimpanzees function as menial laborers, we’d do it in a New York minute, freeing humanity to pursue loftier goals–which is what I suspect such superior aliens would do to us. We’re even smarter and more ingenious than our simian, near human companions. We’d be quite a prize.
Scientists who study the probability of intelligent life in our galaxy are convinced there’s a lot of it, and hopefully, extraterrestrials would fill a spectrum, from good and peaceful to Viking-like, rapacious, and destructive. But looking at our own history, we find the bad guys were the ones most willing to cover the greatest distances to achieve their goals. The peaceful guys stayed home, raised families and crops, and created bodies of law to ensure peace–which fell apart when the raiders attacked. Look at the exploration of the New World if you need an example. Native Americans were obviously human…and friendly at the beginning, but they were systematically attacked, and their cultures destroyed while remaining populations were essentially enslaved. And what about the shameful enslavement of Africans, just for a free labor force? That was only begun to be undone a hundred-fifty years ago, give or take. Sociological development and intellect haven’t gotten us anywhere near peaceful enlightenment. Why should it be any different for our alien friends?
Sorry, E.T., but I give it one-in-four odds any extraterrestrial visitors will be like you, and I think I’m being generous. What is it they said at the end of 50′s B&W sci-fi movies? Yes, I remember, and it was always spooky. Watch the sky. Prepare, and watch the sky! I love that part.