If we found intelligent space aliens, at what stage of development should we have 1st contact & how should we?

Question

My thinking is how should we measure when another alien species is ready for 1st contact? Should it be technological advancement, their zenophobic views and aggression, or their interaction with each other and the 'unexpected'? Also how should we contact them? Their government and/or hierarchy, individuals, broadcast across the whole planet at once, with what radio, tv, a landing craft (ignoring the issues of distance in space)?

Answer 1

"The Fermi paradox is the apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations and the lack of evidence for or contact with such civilizations.

According to some observers, the extreme age of the universe and its vast number of stars suggest that extraterrestrial life should be common. Discussing this proposition with colleagues over lunch in 1950, the physicist Enrico Fermi is said to have asked: "Where are they?" Fermi questioned why, if a multitude of advanced extraterrestrial civilizations exist in the Milky Way galaxy, evidence such as probes, spacecraft, or radio transmissions has not been found. The simple question "Where are they?" (alternatively, "Where is everybody?") is possibly apocryphal, but Fermi is widely credited with simplifying the problem of the probability of extraterrestrial life. Wider examination of the implications of the topic began with Michael Hart in 1975, and it is sometimes referred to as the Fermi-Hart paradox.

There have been attempts to resolve the Fermi Paradox by locating evidence of extraterrestrial civilizations, along with proposals that such life could exist without human knowledge. Counterarguments suggest that intelligent extraterrestrial life does not exist or occurs so rarely that humans will never make contact with it.

A great deal of effort has gone into developing scientific theories and possible models of extraterrestrial life and the Fermi paradox has become a theoretical reference point in much of this work. The problem has spawned numerous scholarly works addressing it directly, while various questions that relate to it have been addressed in fields as diverse as astronomy, biology, ecology and philosophy. The emerging field of astrobiology has brought an interdisciplinary approach to the Fermi paradox and the question of extraterrestrial life."--wikipedia

To the objective (or open minded ) person there are several possibliities:

1. Earth is unique-- Earth is the only planet capable of supporting life as we know it.
2. Earth is not unique in that there is life elsewhere but there are no other advanced civilizations in the universe.
3. Earthlike planets are extremely rare therefore any advanced civilizations are to far away for us to contact.
3. Earthlike planets are not rare, there are many civilizations out there but they are so far ahead of us technologically that they do not wish to be contacted.
4. Earthlike planets are not rare, there are many civilizations out there but their form of life may be so different than ours that communication may be impossible.
5. The Zoo hypothesis--we are being deliberately isolated by some advanced race wishing to protect us or cultivate us technologically.
6. We have been contacted but our governments feel that the general public is not "ready" for such a discovery and the aliens have respected that viewpoint.
7. They are already amoung us but we cannot see them (deliberate hiding or so differnet that our eyes can't see them)and our government doesn't know.

you can probably add to this list.

Answer 2

Ideally Star Trek's Prime Directive sounds like a good rule of thumb to me. They are ready for contact when they are advanced enough to travel to another star system on their own.

Realistically, I think when we first meet aliens the odds of any such policy being followed is slim. Whatever level of development they're at people will be curious about them and want us to contact them. Also, depending on how many habitable worlds we've already discovered, the planet they're living on may represent prime real estate, and if they're primitive people will probably want to exploit it (hate to say it, but human nature doesn't really change all that much over the centuries).

Humans were hunter-gatherers for most of our history so in all likelyhood the first alien species we find will be primitive hunter-gatherers. We'd probably just establish bases and introduce ourselves to the local tribes.

Answer 3

It's probably more likely that they'll contact us 1st. Whether they'll come in peace or not is another thing.

Generally when make contact you wanna come in peace. Unless we establish some form of good/decent dialogue (which is unlikely) it'll be best just to observe & studing the planet's reserves for awhile then move on.

Answer 4

I believe that even if somebody is out there the possibility of us meeting equals near zero because we live in different times, most of the light in the sky is from the times when dinosaurs ruled the earth (some later some earlier depending on the distance), so if somebody could travel at the speed of light it would take them millions of years to reach our planet. To travel from one side of our milky way galaxy to another would take about 80,000 to 100,000 light-years traveling at the speed of light.1999 the Hubble Space Telescope estimated that there were 125 billion galaxies in the universe. I trully believe that there's somebody out there far far away.

Answer 5

Ever hear of undertaking Blue e book? Or area fifty one in Nevada? of direction they have stumbled on us however the federal government retains the data of our being visited by capacity of "area aliens" secret because of the fact they have no rational rationalization, or a minimum of no longer one they could agree on, or evaluate rational. The "aliens" are waiting for us to get smart sufficient to touch them and this starts off with accepting their existance. .

Answer 6

I can't think of one good reason for us to contact them before we are sufficiently advanced to defend ourselves from any interstellar travelers who might happen to eavesdrop on the exchange.

We need to be more conserned about whether they are already here and asking your questions about us. Are they manipulating us into a vulnerable position?

Answer 7

You are assuming a civilization like ours with government and similarities to us and things like radio and the ability to communicate with us. Perhaps they communicate with each other through chemistry. They may so foreign to us that we have absolutely nothing in common. Remember star trek was science fiction.

Answer 8

Gene is right. While there are other life forms in the universe I am pretty sure they aren't going to be sitting around watching their NFL Ticket.

Answer 9

Right when they are developed enough to be useful, but before they are organized enough to fight us taking their planet over and feasting on their women.

Answer 10

You seem to be assuming somehow that we would be more advanced than they.

They would likely tell us how it works.