Is Stephen Hawking ****ing with us?

~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ · 04-25-2010, 10:18 PM

Please don't start debating passionately about aliens.

Now if we were talking about mole people I'd say go hog wild.

Freebase Dali · 04-25-2010, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laurent Quinn Proper

If this were the case, the civilization would still be doomed. Either because of the tremendous amount of time needed to establish a connection to another planet or because of the tremendous amount of time need to travel to said planet.

Even if the civilization had some kind of "new" space travel method, the distance and time would still be immense. It isn't like cutting a few hours off of a road trip. Instead, it would be like cutting a few million years off of a billion year travel time.

So you just sit and die on your dying planet, or do you build a ship capable of traveling fast enough and sustaining life long enough to hopefully bump into another suitable planet?
If your species is going to end anyway, I think an intelligent life form would choose the latter based solely on a higher probability of survival for the long term.
And that's assuming they'd spent millions of years as an advanced civilization and somehow didn't have any knowledge of the probability of sustainable planets outside their own galaxy...

**Janszoon** · 04-25-2010, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Conan

Now if we were talking about mole people I'd say go hog wild.

Damn mole people stole my lunch.

LoathsomePete · 04-25-2010, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

Damn mole people stole my lunch.

The seagull people of Quantom 5 stole my lunch as well and in doing so made an enemy of me.

~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ · 04-25-2010, 10:30 PM

I still believe the biggest threat to humanity is Mechagodzilla.

**Janszoon** · 04-25-2010, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoathsomePete

The seagull people of Quantom 5 stole my lunch as well and in doing so made an enemy of me.

I hear you. The seagull people of Quantom 5 crapped on my new hat.

~~CAPTAIN CAVEMAN~~ · 04-25-2010, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laurent Quinn Proper

Saying an alien would just set out on an adventure to discover new territory a la Christopher Columbus is completely laughable. Have you no sense of the distances and time involved in just randomly setting out on an intergalactic voyage without a fixed point of destination? You'd have to be a complete moron to say, "I feel like discovering new land in this endless universe!" Not only is it stupid but it would cost you the rest of your life. Secondly, the expenses would be in the trillions upon trillions for intergalactic space travel and so setting out for a random "voyage" would be out of the question without first establishing contact with another intelligent civilization. Even then, it would seems almost unlikely.

so what, you think it's more likely that they'd be looking at earth with a giant telescope and intergalactic telephone and planning a big trip to show up and be friends? truth be told i know fuck all really about current or potential space travel but i suppose it does make more sense to have a specific destination. regardless, this does not mean that they will be friendly. even if they have a station on the moon, say, how are they to know that there are humans on earth? who knows specifically what technology they may or may not have. it is impossible to tell how they will react to us based on what their level of technological advancement is...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laurent Quinn Proper

Did we not develop a sense of morality from our prehistoric days? And with such development of the brain came the knowledge to comprehend that violence does not equal success. If anything, it often means the contrary. A la Adolf Hitler, he may have arose to power but fell because of his brutish policies. Usually technological advances come through studies and not brute strength. There is no reason to believe another civilization able to progress into the "genius" would still use violence to "protect" our planet. If you think about, violence often correlates to the weak.

last time i checked hitler fell because his empire was being attacked and destroyed (see: violence) by people that had a problem with being invaded/mass exterminations/etc etc nazi crimes ad nausea... there are countless empires and regimes that can attribute their success to violence. you will discount them as failures because they failed eventually - but so too does everything else. what do you expect? everything comes to an end eventually and it is perhaps not simply because they employed violence that they failed.

you seem to think morality and intelligence are tied inherently and measured as if there is one end to the spectrum - say "violent, dumb caveman" and another, "kind, rational scientist." morality and intelligence are not so simple. there is no reason to believe the intelligent can not be violent. i don't know where you're getting this from. violence is not intrinsically an exhibition of the weak or the strong, there are many cases in which both use it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laurent Quinn Proper

This paragraph may be the truest. Yes, killing someone in a war doesn't necessarily mean the person is unfit. However a person who has been in a war often comes out of war unfit or traumatize. And basically only proves that violence isn't the key to ensure the nourishment of a civilization. Killing another human being isn't beneficial to anybody regardless of situation. The best way to reassure your existence isn't limited isn't by violence but by using one's brain.

so because some soldiers suffer PTSD in battle to ensure the safety of their country, that proves violence is good for no one...? you're living in a fantasy world if you think that killing is never beneficial to anyone. the best way to ensure your existence is completely situational. if you have a gun and there's an alien with a sharp object coming at you you'd better shut your brain up and get violent.

LoathsomePete · 04-25-2010, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

I hear you. The seagull people of Quantom 5 crapped on my new hat.

Their guerrilla tactics cannot be tolerated for any greater length of time. How much longer do we have to endure their raids on our sustenance or poo bomb attacks on our hats and cars? I say we take the fight to them! For today will not just be any other day, today will be our Independence Day!

~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ · 04-25-2010, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoathsomePete

Their guerrilla tactics cannot be tolerated for any greater length of time. How much longer do we have to endure their raids on our sustenance or poo bomb attacks on our hats and cars? I say we take the fight to them! For today will not just be any other day, today will be our Independence Day!

How long will Bill Pullman sit in the White House and do nothing about this?

LoathsomePete · 04-25-2010, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Conan

How long will Bill Pullman sit in the White House and do nothing about this?

How long did it take Bush to declare Katrina a state of emergency?

04-25-2010, 10:18 PM	#31 (permalink)
~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 4,538	Please don't start debating passionately about aliens. Now if we were talking about mole people I'd say go hog wild.

04-25-2010, 10:30 PM	#35 (permalink)
~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 4,538	I still believe the biggest threat to humanity is Mechagodzilla.