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SETI’s Dilemma: Break the Great Silence?
Centauri Dreams ^ | 10/15/07

Posted on 10/15/2007 11:54:55 PM PDT by LibWhacker

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1 posted on 10/15/2007 11:54:59 PM PDT by LibWhacker
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To: LibWhacker

eh,

Let’s just find the signal first.

Then worry if they want to “serve man”.
Which I seriously doubt they would.


2 posted on 10/15/2007 11:59:54 PM PDT by Names Ash Housewares
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To: LibWhacker
ping for future.
3 posted on 10/16/2007 12:12:42 AM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu ( What is your take on Acts 15:20 (abstaining from blood) about eating meat? Could you freepmail?)
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To: LibWhacker

Should we broadcast messages intentionally designed to be received by extraterrestrial civilizations, thereby notifying them of our existence?

No !


4 posted on 10/16/2007 12:22:47 AM PDT by LeoWindhorse
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To: LibWhacker
First off, personally believe that there is probably not such extraterrestrial intelligence as many Americans consider to be extraterrestrial intelligence (so, to exclude God and angels, and--way out there--maybe humans).

However, if hypothetically such extraterrestrial sentients exist, would be against trying to contact them until humanity has at least one self-sufficient colony in another star system not nearby to the Solar System. Many believe that these aliens would just kindly give their more advanced technology to humans. Why? This flies in the face of human logic.

If humans met some less advanced species of sentients, would humans give their technology for free? Probably not. Even in intra-human cases where more advanced (technologically, not genetically) people transfer information to more primitive people, it is usually not for free. Aid to Africa, for instance, has 'selfish' economic and militaristic driver in many cases.

If humans met a people with whom humanity was not related, and a people who were genetically beneath the human race, it is pretty clear what would probably happen. If they had something of value, humans would exploit them--via slavery--or wipe them out (type, if they had a habitable world for humans, but didn't want human colonists to slowly breed and multiply and take over their planet).

So why would humans expect these aliens for freely give their technology and not exploit humans? There's little advantage to contacting them at this stage, and plenty of risk.

5 posted on 10/16/2007 12:23:21 AM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu ( What is your take on Acts 15:20 (abstaining from blood) about eating meat? Could you freepmail?)
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To: LibWhacker

To the wild card line.

... west of the rockies ...

These people have too much time on their hands.


6 posted on 10/16/2007 12:23:26 AM PDT by chaos_5 (Fred & Hunter '08)
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To: Jedi Master Pikachu
driver drivers....
7 posted on 10/16/2007 12:24:03 AM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu ( What is your take on Acts 15:20 (abstaining from blood) about eating meat? Could you freepmail?)
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To: LibWhacker
If we are afraid of powerful and aggressive civilizations of Type II and Type III, which live “practically everywhere”, it is necessary to forbid numerous pointless transmissions of asteroid and planetary radars as their radiation gradually illuminates greater areas that promotes its detection by ’star aggressors and interventionists.

Uh, OK. Do you think they might be after your "stash"?

8 posted on 10/16/2007 12:24:32 AM PDT by Prokopton
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To: LibWhacker

In b4 illegal aliens...lol, just kidding.

Interesting article bump!


9 posted on 10/16/2007 12:27:27 AM PDT by Constantine XIII
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To: Jedi Master Pikachu
I certainly hope we're not alone because that would imply life is way too precarious in the universe, and I see no reason to trust most of what passes for humanity to be good stewards of the flame.

OTOH, IF there are other intelligent beings out there, I sincerely hope they are a billion light years away!

10 posted on 10/16/2007 12:36:10 AM PDT by LibWhacker (Democrats are phony Americans)
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To: LibWhacker
“What’s the problem?” he asked. “If anyone’s out there, the sooner we get to know them, the better.” When I urged caution, pointing out that we know nothing whatsoever about what an alien species might think or do, he smiled. Wasn’t I just bringing up tired science fiction scenarios like the movie Independence Day? And what about the ‘I Love Lucy’ factor?

Well if we ever do attract the attention of ET, we better have faster space ships and better weaponry than they do or else we're going to be on the wrong end of colonization.

This might appeal to some liberals, but conservatives sort of like being on the top end of the pecking order when the shooting starts. And knowledge of that characteristic is what usually keeps others from testing our resolve.

11 posted on 10/16/2007 12:50:45 AM PDT by anymouse
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To: LibWhacker
I see no reason to trust most of what passes for humanity to be good stewards of the flame.

Suppose that there are millions of civilizations in the Universe, and humanity is the most moral?

12 posted on 10/16/2007 12:52:09 AM PDT by Lucius Cornelius Sulla (IF TREASON IS THE QUESTION, THEN MOVEON.ORG IS THE ANSWER!)
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To: LibWhacker
This is a religiously based response, but....

All members of the human race except for Christ are degenerate and corrupted; are bad stewards, and 'the flame' in your post will be snuffed out.

However, those who believe in Christ, while degenerate and corrupt, will be 'perfected' (to use a word which has come into some controversy recently) and humanity will be transformed into a race that is good and faultless--perfect, the way humans were originally intended to be.

13 posted on 10/16/2007 12:52:16 AM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu ( What is your take on Acts 15:20 (abstaining from blood) about eating meat? Could you freepmail?)
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To: LibWhacker

There is a pretty fundamental flaw here. Assuming that such life exists elsewhere in the “nearby” universe, any message sent by any electromagnetic means (including light, radio, etc.) only travels at the speed of light. It takes centuries, traveling at that highest possible speed, to reach other “nearby” places in the universe. So, assuming a message would be sent, received, and then replied to, we are talking about centuries in the very least to complete one simple communication.


14 posted on 10/16/2007 1:00:25 AM PDT by bajabaja
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To: LibWhacker

First, I have to believe there’s lots of intellent life out there. The place is too large and full of possibilities.

The real question is, if anyone did hear us is there any real chance for them to be able to travel from there to here. If not, so what if they know we’re here.


15 posted on 10/16/2007 1:07:45 AM PDT by DB
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To: Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Suppose that there are millions of civilizations in the Universe, and humanity is the most moral?

We've had the evolution of consciousness and it's taken 11,000 years for us to get to a state that we call humanity if you wanna call it that.

The one fact that always bugs me is that one day life on earth won't be possible anymore so in order to survive we will have to look for another habitat somewhere else so the question is how many other conscious civilizations are there out there that have already been forcefully ejected from their planets of origin and are now probing the universe for a new home???.

16 posted on 10/16/2007 1:55:11 AM PDT by snowman_returns (The Stone Roses - best band the world ever saw!!)
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To: LibWhacker

Trying to communicate across cosmic distances using ANY form of electromagnetic radiation would be like me trying to send a message to Germany by splashing stones in Baltimore harbor and hoping the Germans could read the message on the ripple waves when they got there. Anybody who would do that is not an advanced civilization and SETI is a colossal waste of money.


17 posted on 10/16/2007 2:46:23 AM PDT by damondonion
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To: LibWhacker
The Borg are listening.

Resistance is futile.

18 posted on 10/16/2007 3:11:14 AM PDT by PeteB570 (Guns, what real men want for Christmas)
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To: damondonion

So, how’s all that ansible research going?


19 posted on 10/16/2007 3:23:16 AM PDT by Eepsy (The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.)
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To: Jedi Master Pikachu
If humans met a people with whom humanity was not related, and a people who were genetically beneath the human race, it is pretty clear what would probably happen.

The Democrats would grant them immunity and invite them to join their party?

20 posted on 10/16/2007 3:28:31 AM PDT by listenhillary (millions crippled by the war on poverty....but we won't pull out)
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