ETI exists. How will it change the world?

[SiberianTiger]

Let's suppose that existence of an extra terrestrial intelligence is proven scientifically, say, before 2030. There is no direct contact established so far, and it's not yet known if such a contact is possible altogether. But we know that they are out there and they are sentient. How do you think this will affect the humanity and the world we inhabit?

Typo fix: Read the 2nd option as "That would make many things worse in this world". It's too bad that a poll questions can't be fixed once the polling run.

 

[ryan]

I will rekon it will effect both, one you will get the religon people then the science people going riot, drunks turning to religion, religion people turning to drinking. If you ever seen the movie Contact it will probaply something like that.

 

[garyw]

How would it be proven?

 

[Urwumpe]

How would it be proven?

Depends on who writes our history later

 

[GregBurch]

It's hard to answer this without knowing what the evidence of ETI would be, especially how much information about the nature of the ETI is available. I think it would energize scientifically-minded people, regardless of what the evidence was. And, based on what I know of the religious people in my life, I think it wouldn't have a negative impact on most of them. After all, the discovry of the New World didn't, by itself, cause a crisis of faith in European Christianity, even though it was inconsistent -- or at least "orthogonal" -- to the world-view of most people in Europe at the time.

One thing we could know for sure is that it would likely spur a huge outpouring of creativity and cultural and philosophical projection, as the discovery of the New World did in Europe. One of the things I've been fascinated with over the years is the way in which Europeans approached the New World as a canvas upon which to project their own ideas and values: Religious people saw a continent of souls to be "saved," others saw "noble savages" who embodied the ideals of secular,civil society they were developing, others saw markets ... I'd expect something similar in the case of ETI.

 

[pete.dakota]

It would improve things (i.e, Atheism, Dr. Frank Drake's sense of purpose).

It would worsen things (i.e, Creationists, Evangelicals, Internet folly, End-of-the-World-ers)

It wouldn't change things (i.e, anything important).

Another 'all of the above' poll. I wish people would pose questions prompting comprehensive answers more. Rather than assuming a poll is paramount. Most of the time the answers provided are never sufficient, and I always wind up choosing 'other, elaborate'.

 

[garyw]

It wouldn't change things (i.e, anything important).

That would be the case for 99% of people.

 

[SiberianTiger]

It wouldn't change things (i.e, anything important).

Another 'all of the above' poll. I wish people would pose questions prompting comprehensive answers more. Rather than assuming a poll is paramount. Most of the time the answers provided are never sufficient, and I always wind up choosing 'other, elaborate'.

So you don't agree that such an event would grant the entire Humanity the feeling of purpose, a determination to move on to perfect itself? We all have different stereotypes in our minds. Uncovering them is fun. That's why 'other, elaborate' is there.

 

[garyw]

So you don't agree that such an event would grant the entire Humanity the feeling of purpose, a determination to move on to perfect itself? We all have different stereotypes in our minds. Uncovering them is fun. That's why 'other, elaborate' is there.

Nope.

Sorry but the world doesn't work like that.

Some people will be trying to work out how to make money out of the discovery (Buy your Alien doll here!!!)

Others will not care because they have immediate problems at home. Something like an eighth of the worlds population has a single determination of working out how to get fresh water for that day.

And, of course, some people will simply see it as a hoax.

I'd say that 2-3 weeks after the big page-1 news story "ET FOUND" itll go back to who is divorcing who and just how badly the next new war is going.

Humanity has a short attention span.

 

[Urwumpe]

Did it change anything that we discovered other humans on another continent? We quickly identified them as illegal owners of our resources, which we had just discovered there. Did it change anything to the people, even when "savages" had been shown in human zoos?

 

[pete.dakota]

So you don't agree that such an event would grant the entire Humanity the feeling of purpose, a determination to move on to perfect itself? We all have different stereotypes in our minds. Uncovering them is fun. That's why 'other, elaborate' is there.

It would grant some of humanity a feeling of purpose etc., of course. It would also grant a lot of people a deluded sense of doom; which would be exacerbated by various scaremongering websites and reporting. I'm not sceptical; finding ETI, for me, would be incredible. I hope it happens in my life time. However being aware of intelligent life with which we can't contact or portend peace toward would scare a LOT of people. Probably to the point that the fear held by many of Earth's population would outweigh the significance of the discovery in terms of purpose and determination.

For the rational folk, however, it would be a triumph to our own existence; finding another cognisent life-form in our Universe. But I don't expect it be a ceremonius day around the whole World. People will be lining up to discredit the discovery.

 

[GregBurch]

Nope.

Sorry but the world doesn't work like that.

Some people will be trying to work out how to make money out of the discovery (Buy your Alien doll here!!!)

Others will not care because they have immediate problems at home. Something like an eighth of the worlds population has a single determination of working out how to get fresh water for that day.

And, of course, some people will simply see it as a hoax.

I'd say that 2-3 weeks after the big page-1 news story "ET FOUND" itll go back to who is divorcing who and just how badly the next new war is going.

Humanity has a short attention span.

All true -- but the discovery of the New World charged the imagination of many people in Europe and served as a powerful spur to creativity, innovation, adventure and expansion. Perhaps the majority of people ended up returning to their "pre-discovery" lives without much change in their way of life. but an important and significant minority were charged by the discovery to do great things.

Oh, wait, no ... that's not it. Bad white men did bad things. Forget about it.

 

[Eagle]

If we had proof of an intelligent alien civilization, the results would be understated. Lots of mouth flapping and new experts regarding the aliens.

The true change would be an impetus for human expansion into the stars to a state at least as complex as the observed aliens. Humans are competitive, being the bottom species on the totem pole is not an option.

 

[Andy44]

They will be here to serve man.

 

[Kaito]

I personally feel that it will make things worse in the short run.

The country that PROVED it exists will become a target for everyone else who wants that technology, and people will still believe its a hoax, and...i just believe that it could make things bad.

 

[movieman]

All true -- but the discovery of the New World charged the imagination of many people in Europe and served as a powerful spur to creativity, innovation, adventure and expansion.

But in this case, we'd be the savages, with the aliens as the 'white men from Europe'. The end result would be pretty much the same; human culture could not survive contact with a race thousands of years more advanced... what would be the point of struggling along with the old ways when everything you might achieve has already been done? The smarter humans would abandon their culture for that of the aliens, while the rest would be left to drink themselves stupid on human reservations while dreaming about the 'good old days'.

On the plus side, maybe Earth could do a roaring trade in casinos for aliens.

 

[Talon1]

This is the way I see it:

If they cracked the secret of space travel and they come in peace, then many things will change.

If they cracked the secret of space travel and they are evil, then were screwed.

 

[jedidia]

Other than Creationists starting to wine around about that it can't be because it's not writen in the bible, I couldn't really imagine that it would change ANYTHING...

Ok, it maybe would unleash some kind of technology race because every superpower on earth wants to get in contact first to get the Aliens "on their side". But if they don't have any means traveling here, I don't really think that it would change much.

If they cracked the secret of space travel and they come in peace, then many things will change.

Or maybe they consider us Evil, and we're screwed... interstellar ethics sure would be an interesting topic!

 

[SiberianTiger]

Quite interesting, how this voting goes! We are a bunch of pessimists, aren't we?

My reason for picking the "No Change" was that we are already culturally prepared by all that sci-fi books and films for the existence of aliens in many imaginable forms. We would be much more disappointed by the absolute lack of their existence, if it was firmly proven.

 

[Aleinikov]

Other than Creationists starting to wine around about that it can't be because it's not writen in the bible....

Well, it is not written in the bible that we will make contact with aliens, but it is written that we already had:
1st Book of Moses Chap 6:4
"The Nephilim where on Earth these days and the days after, as the sons of the true God had contuined realationsships with the daughters of mankind and their sons were born, they where the strong, from old ages, man of hounour."

It is also written in the Quran (Koran, holy book of the muslims):
Sura Al-Ma'arig (70) (The ladder to space):
70.2 ...it is from Allah, who has the ladder to space. 70.3 The angels and the angel Gabriel climb up to Him in ONE day, that last for 50.000 years 70.4 So stay patience 70.5 They say He is far away; 70.6 but we see He is near 70.7 at the day when the sky will be like molten metal... 70.10 they will be brought together in reach of their sight... (sounds to me like a discribtion of what EINSTEIN said about the relativness of time)

(english translation of me may be wrong, so read there for yourself)

If that is prooven to be right, it will sure end the leadership in the churches, because everybody now sees that they lied to us for 2000 years or more. I mean here: the leaders of churches lied not the holy books. (again: read for yourself)

And the impact on mankind depends on the kind of contact we make. If its only a radio message or something we discover with telescopes or so, than I think it would not have an big impact, because it like the news on TV. Noone has the real proof if it is true, faked or misused for propaganda.
The other thing would be a real physic contact...it is a difference of looking at a picture of a shark or tiger, or standing half a meter in front of those animals.
But maybe such sort of direct contact could help us to let loose our killer-instincs and shoot at someone else, than at ourselfes... (are you go to hell after killing an alien? Is it a diffence to killing a pig or chicken?)