So, there're are probably hundreds, maybe even thousands of sci-fi stories where aliens come to this planet, be they hostile or not. Or that we've already made contact with them. But the big question here is, what would really happen?
This isn't about if the aliens are hostile or not, that doesn't matter right now. One of the questions is, what would humans do when aliens came?
Obviously these aliens would be superior to us in many ways if they can do interstellar travel. They can survive in space, probably can fly their ships at FTL speed and are more intelligent than us. Humans are the supreme force on this planet, we could wipe out all the life on Earth if we wanted to. We are at the top of the food chain. So, what would humans do, when a being superior to us came to this planet?
Humans put animals in zoos, we pay to see them, laugh at them, keep animals at pets, kill them for food. But why is that? Is it because humans are more intelligent? Is it because we just are humans, a superior race to other animals, that we can do what we want? We're obviously also animals, but what makes us better? Is it because we can use tools? Well, so do animals. For example, otters use rocks to open up clams that they keep on their stomach. Beavers can build big dams where they live.
Is it communication? Of course we can't understand them, but neither can they no matter how much you yell at your dog that barks. But, we can learn from each other. If you give your dog a name Jack for example, you repeat that name to him and he starts to understand what you say. So, doesn't this make dogs more intelligent than humans, they can learn what other species is saying. I'd say that is impressive. Also we humans can learn what dogs think, but not what they say. If the dog is whining and seems to want something, you start to understand that now he wants food, now he wants to go out and so on. We learn from each other so the difference between humans and other animals isn't communication either.
What about intelligence? Humans obviously are more intelligent than other animals, we can build things, massive things, we can use tools and so forth. But so do animals like I said before. And(I'm not trying to insult any specific group of humans here, just giving an example) what about disabled people? Some might have some kind of brain damage or some other fault that makes them not be able to all the things majority of us can. Some might not be nearly as intelligent as average people, or some accident might have put people in coma and so forth. Are these people inferior as humans? Does the lower intelligence, or the fact that they can't even think at all, give us the rights to put these people in zoos to laugh at them, or to keep as pets? Of course not, but also, what gives us the right to put animals in cages, keep them as pets etc.?
So, this brings us to the other thing. These aliens are superior to us in intelligence, maybe in power too, they have more weapons than we etc. Does this give them the right to put us in cages and keep as pets? And if they're superior, can we even say no to it? Of course we can resist it, but so are other animals resisting us when we try to kill them for food, but we still kill them. No one wants to die, but if aliens would be superior and almost human like, humans wouldn't survive long. They would control how we breed, what we eat, when we eat, when we're allowed to go to toilet etc. There's too many of us, they shoot some of us. There's too little of us, they give us partners to mate with. They're hungry, they cut us open and eat us. They want some entertainment to their kids, they buy a baby human to keep and raise as pet. This is what humans do to other animals, and this is what aliens might really do if they came.
Now to the question at the beginning, what would humans do? Average human might panic easily, we're scared of many things, we have phobias and some of us fear what future might bring. In the past there was terror of nuclear war. Humans also are made to lead, we are at the top of food chain, we control everything on this planet, even each other. We control what we and animals eat. We are made to control, to lead. Now, this superior species comes to us, and they don't want to be lower than us. They want to decide what they want to do, where they want to live, they have their own laws, own culture, own ways of life, own food. What would we do when we can't control them? They start populating this planet because it's their right as a superior species, humans don't own earth, no one does. We only have bits of land that we own only in name, natural disaster could always happen and wipe your land, everything you own, to dust. But when this superior species wants it, do you say no and risk your life? Maybe, it's up to the people. But at some point, maybe even right at the moment they arrive or we understand that we're no longer at the top of food chain, we start to retaliate. And where does this lead? To our extinction.
Note, I'm not talking about any movie, but what would happen in real life. There are no magical things, no plot important characters that survive anything, no terminators to send in the past to fix the future, no big resistance groups that actually could handle aliens that can travel between stars.
Bottom line, if aliens came to this planet tomorrow, we humans, the way we are now, would destroy ourselves if aliens don't do that first. If there really is life out there, we're screwed big time if we don't become superior to them first, or entirely change the way we handle this world.
This isn't about if the aliens are hostile or not, that doesn't matter right now. One of the questions is, what would humans do when aliens came?
Obviously these aliens would be superior to us in many ways if they can do interstellar travel. They can survive in space, probably can fly their ships at FTL speed and are more intelligent than us. Humans are the supreme force on this planet, we could wipe out all the life on Earth if we wanted to. We are at the top of the food chain. So, what would humans do, when a being superior to us came to this planet?
Humans put animals in zoos, we pay to see them, laugh at them, keep animals at pets, kill them for food. But why is that? Is it because humans are more intelligent? Is it because we just are humans, a superior race to other animals, that we can do what we want? We're obviously also animals, but what makes us better? Is it because we can use tools? Well, so do animals. For example, otters use rocks to open up clams that they keep on their stomach. Beavers can build big dams where they live.
Is it communication? Of course we can't understand them, but neither can they no matter how much you yell at your dog that barks. But, we can learn from each other. If you give your dog a name Jack for example, you repeat that name to him and he starts to understand what you say. So, doesn't this make dogs more intelligent than humans, they can learn what other species is saying. I'd say that is impressive. Also we humans can learn what dogs think, but not what they say. If the dog is whining and seems to want something, you start to understand that now he wants food, now he wants to go out and so on. We learn from each other so the difference between humans and other animals isn't communication either.
What about intelligence? Humans obviously are more intelligent than other animals, we can build things, massive things, we can use tools and so forth. But so do animals like I said before. And(I'm not trying to insult any specific group of humans here, just giving an example) what about disabled people? Some might have some kind of brain damage or some other fault that makes them not be able to all the things majority of us can. Some might not be nearly as intelligent as average people, or some accident might have put people in coma and so forth. Are these people inferior as humans? Does the lower intelligence, or the fact that they can't even think at all, give us the rights to put these people in zoos to laugh at them, or to keep as pets? Of course not, but also, what gives us the right to put animals in cages, keep them as pets etc.?
So, this brings us to the other thing. These aliens are superior to us in intelligence, maybe in power too, they have more weapons than we etc. Does this give them the right to put us in cages and keep as pets? And if they're superior, can we even say no to it? Of course we can resist it, but so are other animals resisting us when we try to kill them for food, but we still kill them. No one wants to die, but if aliens would be superior and almost human like, humans wouldn't survive long. They would control how we breed, what we eat, when we eat, when we're allowed to go to toilet etc. There's too many of us, they shoot some of us. There's too little of us, they give us partners to mate with. They're hungry, they cut us open and eat us. They want some entertainment to their kids, they buy a baby human to keep and raise as pet. This is what humans do to other animals, and this is what aliens might really do if they came.
Now to the question at the beginning, what would humans do? Average human might panic easily, we're scared of many things, we have phobias and some of us fear what future might bring. In the past there was terror of nuclear war. Humans also are made to lead, we are at the top of food chain, we control everything on this planet, even each other. We control what we and animals eat. We are made to control, to lead. Now, this superior species comes to us, and they don't want to be lower than us. They want to decide what they want to do, where they want to live, they have their own laws, own culture, own ways of life, own food. What would we do when we can't control them? They start populating this planet because it's their right as a superior species, humans don't own earth, no one does. We only have bits of land that we own only in name, natural disaster could always happen and wipe your land, everything you own, to dust. But when this superior species wants it, do you say no and risk your life? Maybe, it's up to the people. But at some point, maybe even right at the moment they arrive or we understand that we're no longer at the top of food chain, we start to retaliate. And where does this lead? To our extinction.
Note, I'm not talking about any movie, but what would happen in real life. There are no magical things, no plot important characters that survive anything, no terminators to send in the past to fix the future, no big resistance groups that actually could handle aliens that can travel between stars.
Bottom line, if aliens came to this planet tomorrow, we humans, the way we are now, would destroy ourselves if aliens don't do that first. If there really is life out there, we're screwed big time if we don't become superior to them first, or entirely change the way we handle this world.
