OT: A question about the Human Ability to Cope

[El_Phil]

Thermodyne said:
And this brings us to the big questions. If the major world governments found out that there were advanced aliens out there, would they tell us? What would the impact of telling us be? What would people do if they found out that their god was just an advanced alien who on a whim decided to mess with some primitives? What if SETI found a signal? Who would decide if we would reply and what we would say?

Fascinating read. On the first of those questions I'm not sure it would be the goverments choice. Everything leaks, nothing is kept secret anymore. The number of people who would know would be large and one of them would spill the beans. If anyone believed them is of course a different question.

Religous types would carry on as usual and dismiss the aliens 'claims' to being their god as nothing more than devils/evil spirit/etc claims to tempt them.

If it was proved aliens existed and were coming I'd expect unruly mobs and riots. I have no idea why I think this I just do. That and a few "I would like to be the first to welcome our new alien overlords."

[Kamog]

The human mind is quite flexible and is able to adapt to new situations. We'll even adapt to outside context problems after the initial shock and surprise has worn off. Young children experience new things completely unfamiliar to them all the time while they grow up and they learn and cope with new situations; adults can do so too.

[Starhawk]

Fascinating read. On the first of those questions I'm not sure it would be the goverments choice. Everything leaks, nothing is kept secret anymore. The number of people who would know would be large and one of them would spill the beans. If anyone believed them is of course a different question.

Religous types would carry on as usual and dismiss the aliens 'claims' to being their god as nothing more than devils/evil spirit/etc claims to tempt them.

If it was proved aliens existed and were coming I'd expect unruly mobs and riots. I have no idea why I think this I just do. That and a few "I would like to be the first to welcome our new alien overlords."

Uh speaking as one of those "Religious Types" that you mention I would not assume it was devils or any crap like that so please don't act like we are all dumbasses that would go "oooh it's the devil" if anything I'd just say "Oh please get over your ego" to an alien that said "I am your god" ala Jack O'Niel

Well actually the less religious or the cultists would be more likely to beleive the god/devil crap because they are pretty frail minded already as has been shown by cults like the Branch Dividians or however that's spelled and the Raelians (sp) who think "Elohim" is plural and describes an alien species when in fact Elohim means something like "God of Light" and is singuluar in hebrew lol.

As far as why we would be valuable well precisely BECAUSE we are a violent species that is used to making war, let's face it if you're an inter galactic Empire humans would be an excellent source for a cheap-effective pool of soldiers give us an advanced rifle some body armor and a way to get somewhere and we would kick *** for you

As has been done by Empires throughout history when they either hire mercs or recruit specialized regional forces, if some Intergalactic Empire came by Earth and told us "Hey your now part of our empire" if they treat humans well and give us basic rights and the ability to leave our home planet I doubt they'd have much problems getting human soldiers into their military, and after a generation or so Humans would probobly be used to working with aliens and I'm sure we'd see all human units fighting on alien worlds for our new Empire.

Let's face it Humans don't much care what we are fighting if we are fighting for what we see as right, and if an Intergalactic Empire that was a decent lot and nice to us we'd probobly have no problem as a species becoming part of their Empire-unless we are considered food/expendable/inferior- in which case we'd probobly turn around and attack them hehe.

[Kevin_Raven]

everyone keeps saying that humans are remarkably resilient and have a good ability to adapt to new situations, but really, we don't have any benchmarks to compare the human race to, making it hard to describe any defining characteristics of the human race. Perhaps our adaptability, or some other trait that seems unremarkable to us would be a useful resource for an alien species, or perhaps humans are a thoroughly dull and useless race... at any rate, I'd imagine that it would be a lot easier and more effective for alien civilizations to simply establish trading bases on earth and use it as a resupply area than to wipe out the entire planet and start over. When you consider hideous invading alien monster-race, it's hard to imagine a good motivation for wanting to destroy the earth.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

@El_Phil: I am well aware of the difference between an alien and a demon.

[Starhawk]

Kevin_Raven said:
everyone keeps saying that humans are remarkably resilient and have a good ability to adapt to new situations, but really, we don't have any benchmarks to compare the human race to, making it hard to describe any defining characteristics of the human race. Perhaps our adaptability, or some other trait that seems unremarkable to us would be a useful resource for an alien species, or perhaps humans are a thoroughly dull and useless race... at any rate, I'd imagine that it would be a lot easier and more effective for alien civilizations to simply establish trading bases on earth and use it as a resupply area than to wipe out the entire planet and start over. When you consider hideous invading alien monster-race, it's hard to imagine a good motivation for wanting to destroy the earth.

Meh I'll post the more polite version- craps and giggles-

Seriously though the reasons you would invade Earth could by myriad afterall we humans don't often have reasons for attacking one another look at WWII and Nam did Hitler have a good reason for starting WWII other then he was an ***........no did we have a good reason to go to Nam........uh not really unless you listen to the line about "Communists outnumber us and we have to limit that" but they still outnumber us anyway and the idiot politicians ran the war and screwed it up lol (AND NO FREAKIN comments about "Don't Forget Bush" because that's damn irritating people act like he did it alone heh when in fact the president can't take a crap without a hundred people giving permission lol)

Anyway it is easy to note the abilities of the human race afterall we are HUMAN and we watch our own history just study history and you'll found out humans are adaptable and resiliant and able to cope with a LOT of things that we never thought we'd be able to until the situation hits us

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

Sheer numbers indeed. With enough bodies to throw into the breach, you could win if you were centuries behind in technology respective to your enemy. Also, I believe that the main reason the French conquered Europe lies in the army's leadership. Non-French leadership.



*****

Hey, it also seems like SETI's site is gone.

[Starhawk]

So what was Napoleon again I always forget? I mean he's always called a "French" hero but what was he really?

Anyway BTW the USA is not as bad as the EU lol or what the EU will be in ten years hehe

Seriously though I think aliens may have a harder time coping with US then we would with them, afterall we are a rather confusing lot go from one country to another in some cases and it's like going to an alien planet imagine how confusing that would be for an alien, unless of course that alien planet was just as screwed up as we humans are.

And that brings up another point why do we always assume any alien race we meet would be superior and unified I mean for all we know their tech just evolved along totally different lines, for example maybe their oceans are so destructive to materials or they have no oceans and went streight to designing "flying ships" which then evolved into space ships or something, for all we know they'd still use slug throwers or low power energy weapons that don't compare to "death rays" like seen in the movies.

And what if they are not unified but we ran into say a spaceship from Planet Goo's country A? Perhaps making a peace treaty with that would mean we'd be hostile to Nation B or C or they may have a NATO or UN (hope to God not the UN) style thing on their planet?

I mean advanced tech in one area does not by default mean all areas and does not mean Superior species.

[ToddT]

Hmm Two interesting scenarios of pop , interesting i have read a short on the second and a series of books on the first and a short story.
Short story aliens have already invaded earth as a oupost/resupply base, stories point main character trying convince underground the futility of trying over throw the alien invaders (tech so advanced it was like magic)
book series was (Dan Foster)Earth was discovered by a alien probe, fortunately the benign variety. they sent a small recon group to check earth out. after their 1st and second probes were shot down. From the aliens point of view this was highly irregular, most civilized worlds did not have means to readily shot down probes on sight. the normal behavior of most races was non aggressive unless given no other choice. currently at war with a psychic race that had the same view point, but had a twisted way of looking at it (the could manipulate other races minds, so violence wasn't only used when resisting race failed to se reason).
Any way the alien recon group was amazed/stunned at humans raw strength and tendency towards violence. We turned out to be the perfect weapon against the psychic race. We where from the aliens point over unussualy armed to the teeth and un to psychic manipulation, some part of our minds didn't repond well to mental intrusion, fatal to aliens.

now as to aliens tech, status short story, not sure by who, can't find the correct issue of " Analog" ascience fiction pulp type magazine back in 1985. We are about 20 years more advanced in some areas than we are today and have a ship out bound to somewhere beyond the asteroid belt, currently in the belt. They dectect some ships appearing out of no where, and head straight for earth. turns out the ships are a raidng force.
the kicker other than faster than light travel and anti-grave type propulsion, they where no more advanced then earth was in the middle ages. Turned out in the story faster than light travel and gravity control was absurdly simple and we had missed it, and had taken the other fork in the road. So after earth rounded up the invadeing teddy bears (the aliens looked liked small bipedal bears) tot'n cannons and muskets, one of the invaders came to this conclusion, what have we done.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Series 'The Damned', Alan Dean Foster, for the overly violent humans, I think.