What would it mean to humanity to make contact with other civilizations and discover that they are like us?

Question

Most scientists agree that it would be highly unlikely to find life outside this planet that remotely resembles ours. I also personally believe that the UFO phenomena can be explained (so far) without involving the proverbial "little green men", or any alien being for that matter. Nevertheless, I wonder what could happen if we begin to discover signals from different planetary systems, spreaded through the galaxy, carrying greeting messages that clearly shows that our neighbors are anatomically almost identical to us. How this knowledge could affect our science and our beliefs?

Answer 1

For one thing, it would show that life isn't unique to our own planet, that given the chance, life can and will evolve to intelligent beings that are capable of communication over vast distances. Scientifically it would give us great insight into the evolution of life in the universe; we are not "alone" or particularly special. I think it will have a tremendous impact on religion, particularly Christianity. Unless the beings looked exactly like us, Christians will have to rethink the whole "we were made in God's image" thing.

Answer 2

There are lots of good and bad effects. They have discovered 10,000 year old caves where the inhabitants made charcoal drawings on the walls showing men in flying machines. They have to be more advanced than us because they have the technology to get to us (we can't get to them). They probably would have good insight as far as alternative fuels, medicine, etc, etc. The bad side is that it's a threat to religious belief. What if they say that they have visited our planet many times in the past few thousands of years and long ago when they first visited the prople would worship them and gave them the name God. There are a number of Bible passages that start, "A great noise came out of the sky" or something similar. I was a youngster in the early '50's and W.W. 2 was still fresh on peoples minds. There were a number of documenties in TV dealing with the War with lots of repeats. They showed the story of how near the close of the war the British had occupied an island (don't remember the name) in the Pacific for strategic reasons. This was the first time the primitive inhabitants had seen, "Civilized Man". Soon after the War ended and the British left. When they returned years later they show the films of how the people had built wooden replicas of airplanes and were worshiping them. Actual films of people praying to airplane replicas made from branches and twigs. They stopped showing those films. This is perhaps how our God concept got started. I've always wondered how the ancient Egyptians aquired the technology to build the Pyramids but still had to struggle to produce a flame. Advances in technology are always broad, never isolated. Imagine if we had the technology to go to the moon, but still had to churn our own butter. World Governments use religion to control the masses especially in 3rd world countries. Take Iran, the government is not going to give the people social programs they give them an Islamic State where the solution to a problem is praying 5 times a day. According to the Science Channel, every year World Governments receive approx. 1000 reports of unidentified flying objects from reliable military and airline pilots. I'm sure that some can be explained but not all. Since Roswell in 1947 there have been no more reports of unidentified flying objects on the news. Our planet is tucked away in on the edge of a vast universe with over 1 billion suns, many with planets going around them. For our planet to be the only one with intelligent life is far fetched.

Answer 3

It would mean that we're all living in a movie. The chances that life elsewhere in the universe would evolve the same way we did are "astronomical" to say the least. If this did actually happen, it would prove that the human race came from somewhere else, which is unlikely. There are too many similarities between humans and other life here on Earth for us to have been dumped here by aliens.

Answer 4

I can't answer your questions, but here are some alien examples I read from different resources. I doubt some of them but some definitely happened. Here are them:

An UFO fell over British soil in 1983 and the first dissections of the dead green men were performed. They don't have blood but the organs are similar to ours.

A woman was picked up from a spaceship, questioned. When came down from the sky, there were two police witnessing this.

In Taiwan 2002, a shape in a form of a spaceship was spotted by a camera.

An old man was picked up by an UFO, questioned kindly by an alien in human form.

I have more examples, but right now I have to do my homework. Sorry

Answer 5

It would certainly affect our Christian beliefs! In so much as the Adam & Eve theory would be extended to encompass the whole Universe! But more inportantly! Man would have a hard time coming to except there were others who were mentally superior to him! Good lord! you've only to look around at all the strife in the world today to realise that man cannot even live with his own species in peace, let alone another alien life form! even if it did look like us! Man is a savage! no mind what he think's he is! The tribal instinct to hate and distrust others of another tribe is deeply inbedded in all of us! Just walk into a room late, and see the wary stares you attract! That is tribal instinct at work!! So when that first spaceship lowers itself down on the White House grounds! watch the fear and distrust in people faces! Tribal instinct!!!!

Answer 6

Actually, as far as the threat to religion, it would ask more questions than it answers. For example, how do we know that Christ wouldnt appear to the aliens as well? I mean if he created us, then it would also be safe to assume that he created them as well. And if that is true then wouldnt it also be safe to assume that they would have as much right as we do to be saved if they choose it, wouldnt he also appear to them in their image and offer them salvation. I think it is daft, foolish, and arrogant to think that Christianity can only be applied to us. Because if he were a true God, then he would appear to all races and civilizations and offer them salvation. Otherwise, he wouldnt be worth beliving in. But I think that other than the religious side, it would be definitive that we arent alone and that religion and life is not specific to Earth. It would truely be fascinating! But imagine the converse, we come across a civilization younger and less developed than we are. What would that pose. Would we have the right to interfere with their society or their government? But, I feel that it would raise more questions than answers inasmuch as religion, and definitely advance our knowledge of science and physics.

Answer 7

perhaps. there is an rather distant danger of existence on Mars - regrettably, the further we come across out about Mars, the a lot less likely that looks, yet perhaps an more advantageous danger on the moon's of the gas giants - Titan or Europa etc. yet smart existence - that would want to must be exta-image voltaic, so what we are speaking about the following is radio contact. that is an rather, very slender danger, yet not 0, so that is easily worth listening out!

Answer 8

it would be very exciting to have a contact with intelligent life on other planets, a lot of data exchange will occur (hopefully).
if it was found that intelligent life on other planets is similar physically to us, that would indicate that somehow our physical makeup is a key for intelligence.

Answer 9

It would answer the big question "what are we doing here"