All you have to do is examine the historical record.

Contact between a relatively primitive people and an advanced technological civilization is always and uniformly disastrous for the primitives. That disaster is only eventually mitigated when their culture and way of life have been destroyed and the survivors are partially assimilated, albeit at the lowest socio-economic level of the dominant society.

Every time.

I defy anyone to name even a single exception.

by RedPossum on 07/09/2010 10:20:27 AM EST

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The argument to this is if ET exists and can actually get here, they have probably survived millions of years.  Therefore, they have made it without destroying themselves and understand how to keep the peace.  AND they are so technically savvy that there isn't really anything they need from us, so why would they even bother?

Just thought I'd offer a counterpoint although it's a strong argument that ET is war like.  That's what Hawking thinks as well.

by reba on 07/09/2010 11:28:55 AM EST

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