Friday, August 18, 2006





Chris Wren shares some sobering -- and exhilarating -- thoughts on SETI, the Drake Equation, and the prospects of intelligent alien life.
Posted by Mac at 1:04 AM

4 comments:

Paul Kimball said...

Mac:

Thanks for the link.

As you say, an interesting article, and a sobering one - especially for those who are 100% convinced that aliens are visiting us.

Paul

1:36 AM
W.M. Bear said...

I don't subscribe to the "rare Earth" hypoethsis although I actually WISH it were true. If we really are "the First," that gives us a LOT more developmental leeway than we might otherwise have.

Personally, I believe (or think I believe) in Arthur C. Clarke-style aliens who are SO advanced that not only is their technology indistinguishable from magic, to all intents and purposes, it IS magic. In fact, in my view, it really doesn't even make sense to call them "aliens" or "ETIs" since they are, in essence, gods and (their "technology" being "indistingushable from magic") we might as well view them in that light. I believe that these gods "cultivate" intelligences like ours for the pleasure of seeing them develop into...what? Who knows? Possibly ultimately into godlike beings also. It's for them to know and us to find out evidently. However, they cultivate with a light hand and prefer largely to remain "behind the scenes."

Even so, searches like SETI may not prove wholly in vain, since other intelligences, in the process of THEIR cultivated development, may have "left behind" transmitters like Sagan's "Encyclopedia Galatica" that broadcast their stream of ultimate knowledge for any and all sufficiently technological species to pick up on IF THEY CAN. It is my belief that this is the kind of thing we should be searching for.

11:59 PM
Mac said...

It is my belief that this is the kind of thing we should be searching for.

On the surfaces of planetary bodies as well as encoded in EM transmissions.

12:29 AM
W.M. Bear said...

On the surfaces of planetary bodies as well as encoded in EM transmissions.

I wonder. What would be the advantage to doing this? If the idea is just to have an EMR beacon of some sort automatically transmitting a repeating "stream of knowledge" to any and all species capable of recieving it, what WOULD be the logical placement of such a device?

Also, BTW, I think it's entirely possible that other sentient species have passed through a stage similar to the one we're going through now -- for example, possibly our old friends the ancient Martians. It's just not very likely that any other species in our galaxy is CURRENTLY at the same level (or even close) to where we are. The Cultivators (as I like to call them) are likely to scatter their seed widely. It's also possible that the Cultivators use advanced species as "contacts" for less advanced species, so that, in fact, at least a few UFO encounters may represent an authentic connection with these godlike beings.

10:43 PM