Pretty good read, right? It got you thinking about stuff and maybe you even felt that it backed up your feeling that the Earth is being visited by intelligent life. The great thing about this article is that it only offers possibilities and comes to no conclusions. The only conclusion it really puts forth is the author's fear that if we are not alone in the universe, then we are doomed.
I don't think that the question about intelligent life on other planets is a simple yes or no answer. The only simple answer to me is that there is no intelligent life on any other planet in our solar system but our own. I know, I know - there isn't any intelligent life on this planet either. Hardy har har. But the truth is that while there may be simple life forms on Mars or some other planet, there is no other intelligent life in our solar system.
That leads us to my explanation as to what I think is going on out in the vast reaches of space and why I think the likelihood that we will be visited by space aliens is unlikely. You may agree with me, you may disagree with me. Either option is just fine. If you want to discuss this subject, then meet me on Facebook or Twitter. If you want to argue about this by taking the side that your opinion is right and my opinion is wrong, then don't bother.
A Bit Of A Disclaimer
I am not a scientist. I read stuff, I think about stuff and I imagine stuff. The purpose of this discussion is to spur discussions that may be a bit more logical than other discussions I have been a part of on this subject. I will use facts here, and I will use my opinions. If I am wrong about the facts, just let me know and I will see what I can do about that. If you think my opinion is wrong, then you are right. The catch is that your opinion is wrong too. They are opinions. They should be the basis of a good conversation, but not an expression of fact. A good discussion is what I am hoping for with this.
Have Space Aliens Ever Visited Our Planet?
This may shock people who know me, but I do allow for the possibility that space aliens have visited Earth in the past. But the only way I see that working is in the distant, distant past. I am talking the past before humans were here. A past that saw dinosaurs stomping on space aliens that didn't watch where they were going.
Yes, it is possible that space aliens visited us at some point in the past. Our planet is relatively new compared to many other planets in the universe. It is possible that some intelligent form of life visited Earth during the reign of the dinosaurs and then that intelligent form of life went back to its planet and never came back or disappeared.
No, I do not think that any space aliens visited this planet after man had appeared because if that was the case, then our planet would still be a colony. Why is that? Allow me to explain.
The "Superior Societies Are Jerks" Theory
Most of what I am about to talk about in this section is based on my own observations and opinions. Do with that what you will.
The only real frame of reference we have to work with when we talk about space aliens is the one we already know. Scientists insist that carbon-based life is the only kind of life that can exist. As a science fiction writer, I do not accept that idea. I think that life...uh...finds a way when it wants to. Especially on a whole different planet.
Everything we are looking for in terms of life on other planets is based on everything we know. It is based on the need for water, the need for cells and all of the other things that make human life possible. Scientists seem pretty confident that life on other planets must be like it is here on Earth to be considered life. The fact that I do not subscribe to that idea is not really important here. What is important is that our scientists are looking for Earth-like life on other planets. If that is the case, then let us use humans as the basis for a discussion of life on other planets.
Every single human "society" (I can't think of a better word to describe groups of people, so I will use society) throughout our history that considered itself superior to others has conquered and colonized. For humans, advanced intelligence usually conquered over brute force.When human societies are able to mix brute force with superior intelligence, then you get the societies that find themselves at the top of the global scheme of things.
If superior human societies constantly felt the need to be jerks to everyone else, then I am going to have to assume that alien societies would operate the same way. Since it would have taken a significantly advanced society to be able to master inter-planetary travel to visit Earth in prehistoric days, it is safe to say that those alien societies would have felt superior to any humans they would have found. If humans had been on Earth when superior aliens showed up, the aliens would have colonized Earth (just as human societies colonized the foreign lands they found) and we would probably still be under alien rule today.
While I am fully prepared to accept the possibility that space aliens could have visited Earth, I will never accept that they visited when the Earth was full of vegetation and teeming with potential human slaves.
Why Space Aliens Don't Visit Us Now
I don't believe that space aliens have ever visited the Earth in modern times. I believe there is a human explanation to every UFO sighting ever recorded, mostly because I believe that all governments hide a lot of stuff from their populations. I don't believe that people are seeing space alien ships in the sky, I don't believe that people have ever been abducted by aliens and I don't believe that people are having meaningful conversations with space aliens.
That being said, I have to admit that I am fascinated with the idea of space aliens and I love writing about it. My lack of belief in the existence of space aliens has not in any way hindered my ability to write books about them. I think that is kind of neat. But the fact that I can write stories about space aliens does not change my beliefs at all. Here are some of the reasons why I don't believe space aliens are making regular trips to Earth.
The "Stopped By Just To Say Hi" Theory
Since I do not believe that there is any other intelligent life in our solar system (and I think most people would agree with that), then we would have to assume that any space aliens that are supposedly visiting us are from another solar system. They may even be from another galaxy.
Since humans have barely developed the ability to travel to our own moon, you would have to believe that any space alien culture that could travel to Earth is far more intelligent and advanced than we are. This would be a culture that has mastered space travel and can pop around from galaxy to galaxy at will. These would be some pretty smart aliens.
With that in mind, I do not believe that very smart aliens are going to go to all of the trouble to fly around the skies of Earth and never bother to land in a populated area to talk to humans. Even if a superior race of aliens came to conquer Earth, they would know that they would be unable to conquer Earth by taking over a farm in Alabama. Smart aliens would want to either immediately initiate an attack on populated areas, or at least attempt to make contact with large groups of people.
Actually, very smart aliens would gather intelligence by using scout ships to look around and get the information necessary for an attack. Since no supposed alien UFO sighting has ever resulted in an all-out alien assault, then the only other alternative is to believe that the aliens just stopped by to say "hi" and then flew all the way back to their planet.
Think about it this way. Would you learn how to build an airplane, fuel it up, fill it with supplies and then fly over the ocean to France just to wave to the people from a couple of thousand feet in the air and then come back home? No, you wouldn't. If you went to all of that trouble, you would at least land and talk to someone. You may not have any intentions on conquering France, but you would certainly not go to all of that trouble to just fly over and wave.
The "Tornado Alley" Conundrum
Stories that deal with aliens actually landing in space ships and making contact with humans always seem to come from these desolate farms and other far off places where there are no witnesses and, conveniently, no pictures. People claim to see alien UFOs over big cities, but it seems like these aliens are scared off by the lights and the commotion and never land. Doesn't that sound just a little ludicrous?
As long as the stories about actual contact with space aliens continue to come from Tornado Alley and desolate parts of the country, then I will find them impossible to believe. A space alien that just traveled a few million miles to a new planet is going to make substantial contact with humans in some noticeable way. So far, that has never happened.
The "Yeah, That Could Happen" Theories
Whenever I talk to people about space aliens, there are usually some theories put forth that I could almost get on board with. I have to first explain that I do not dismiss the possibility that there is other intelligent life somewhere in this universe. If you read the Fermi Paradox article, then you saw the numbers and those numbers are kind of hard to ignore.
My theory is that significantly advanced societies have no need to leave their home planets because they have created their own Utopias (as the article suggested). I mean, think about it. If Earth were a perfect place to live, would we really care about life on other planets? Some curious people may wonder about it, but why would we care about the rest of the universe when we would be living in a real Utopia? I mean a real Utopia. Not Arthur C. Clarke's version of a Utopia.
Alien societies that are billions of years ahead of us in their development may have traveled the galaxy a long time ago (see my explanation about dinosaurs stomping on aliens earlier in this article), but they would have stopped all of that when they created their own versions of paradise. The problems for us would come if any of those versions of paradise ever turned sour for a society of advanced space aliens that have the capacity to travel to different galaxies. If they screw up their planet bad enough, then they may want ours. Which leads me to my first "Yeah, that could happen" theory.
These UFOs ARE Scout Ships
It has been shown that mankind has been seeing strange things in the skies for thousands of years. It IS conceivably possible that the unexplained cases of UFOs that people are seeing are actually those scout ships I talked about earlier. They are scouting mankind and looking for the best ways to conquer our planet.
But at the same time, if we have been seeing scout ships for thousands of years, then I have to believe that there is something those ships are seeing that they do not like. If there hasn't been a concentrated attempt to make real contact by space aliens or launch a real attack in thousands of years, then I find it difficult to put a real endorsement on the alien scout ship theory. It could be possible, but it is highly unlikely.
We Are Seeing Drones And The Real Ships Are On The Way
I agree with Carl Sagan when he says that sending radio greetings into deep space when we have no idea what could be receiving those messages is a huge mistake. Some people I have talked to have suggested that advanced cultures are receiving those messages and what we are seeing in the skies are unmanned drones checking out our planet.
Once again, that is a nice theory that I may be able to accept, but the lack of any further contact tells me that either we are safe, or those ain't alien drones. I find it funny that the drones seem to get more advanced in technology as our own technology advances. That, right there, should tell you all you need to know about the alien drones in the sky and help you realize why I dismiss this theory as a real possibility. Once again, it may be happening, but I doubt it.
The Bottom Line
There is so much more I could say about this, but I think I have made my point. Is it possible that there is intelligent life on other planets? Yes, to me that seems possible. Is that intelligent life visiting our planet? No, that to me seems impossible. There is no logical evidence to suggest that advanced alien societies are visiting our planet. None at all.
Is it possible that the ant hill analogy in the Fermi Paradox article is true? Yes, it is. The article suggests that other alien races are so advanced that Earth is like an ant hill and we are the ants. When you walk through the park with your pet, you pay no attention to the ant hills. It could very well be that super advanced aliens in other galaxies are ignoring us because we are too insignificant to show up on their radar. If we ever become significant enough to show up on the radar of an advanced alien race, it could be for the wrong reasons and that would be the end of us.
No matter how you slice it, the chances of us being visited by space aliens are slim to none. But if you do believe that there are alien cultures out there capable of inter-planetary travel, then our chances of being conquered are pretty high.
No comments:
Post a Comment