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Rao_Tzu t1_it8hpw3 wrote

Reply to comment by thruster_fuel69 in Scientists Are Gaming Out What Humanity Will Do If Aliens Make Contact by EricFromOuterSpace

Potential alien contact is possible just as nuclear war is possible. We should try to model and game both scenarios instead of sticking our heads in our shallow terrestrial sand out of fear, no matter how well justified.

Anyone with a minimal understanding of biology and astronomy should take both subjects seriously. I mean, just look up and do the math…

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thruster_fuel69 t1_it8hx4r wrote

Ok sure, just don't be shocked when these plans are absolutely useless. At least planning for nukes is based on known variables.

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Rao_Tzu t1_it8m9wv wrote

Gotta start somewhere, bro. Besides NOT knowing all the Nuclear War variables, on the First Contact scenario we do have some data already. In the last decade space telescopes have cracked open the galaxy and exoplanets are pouring out like piñata candy. We know a lot about the evolution of life on Earth, and the snowballing speed of technological development. If we went from Kitty Hawk to the Sea of Tranquility in just sixty-six (count ‘em, 66) years, what could another civilization accomplish with a million year head start?

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thruster_fuel69 t1_it8mkbb wrote

Ok, so do we start planning for a wormhole attack? Multi dimensional space time folding? Pure magic, from our point of view if they make it all this way to see us.

The only plan should be to learn about the aliens, when we see them. Making up solvable fantasies now is a fools game.

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Rao_Tzu t1_it8n9a7 wrote

I’m thinking we can and should game our own reactions to multiple scenarios better than the granular details on said scenarios themselves.

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thruster_fuel69 t1_it8nci3 wrote

We can't imagine the scenarios dude. It's pointless. What are you practicing exactly.

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Rao_Tzu t1_it8nypa wrote

Never heard of Sociology?

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thruster_fuel69 t1_it8oge7 wrote

Lmao sure. How will people react to mini wormholes warping soldiers into their homes? Or how will they feel when the 3rd dimension is removed and we're all suddenly squashed. There's a massive amount of very different possibilities that we can't imagine. Planning for them is stupid, but maybe it's just right for sociology 🤭

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Rao_Tzu t1_it90hmq wrote

You scared, bro?

You sound scared.

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thruster_fuel69 t1_it90pyf wrote

I'm scared for all of us. Humanity is going to be focus locked on their known science when aliens come. Going to get sucker punched looking down at our hands.

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Rao_Tzu t1_it9lq0s wrote

I saw an interview with some professor who agreed with you on the futility of speculating about our response to the arrival of an interstellar civilization. He compared it to iguanas discussing how to greet the first human explorers in the Galapagos:

“Of course they like to eat flies, right? Should we offer them live flies or dead flies? Should we line the flies up?”

We’ve had a good run. It was fun while it lasted, with the ice cream and reggae and football and belly dancing and shit.

Ima go pour myself a stiff one now.

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thruster_fuel69 t1_it9m1n3 wrote

Thank you, yes exactly. Beyond some rudimentary emergency plans to get the smartest people finding solutions based on what the threat is actually, I don't see any point. Better off focusing on what we can do now to improve before they get here.

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