If aliens existed/visted earth

[compl3x]

This is a pretty commonly asked question: If intelligent alien life existed and visited earth, should the wider population be informed or would it be more prudent to keep it a secret?

Some things you might consider before answering:

1. Are the aliens hostile or friendly?

2. Do the aliens want their existence to be widely acknowledged? If not, do we have a right to disclose that they do anyway?

3. What is their purpose of arriving, e.g. In need of asylum, refugees, resources, trade technology, simple exploration etc.

If you're wondering why I put this in the conspiracy area instead of somewhere else, it's simply because some people already believe there is a conspiracy to cover up the fact that aliens have already visited, regularly visit or are on their way.

I added a rough poll just to stimulate discussion, feel free to elaborate in a reply. :alien:

[capr]

we are way to stupid and irrational and have wide opinions when it comes to the best tooth brush let alone alien visits... it wouldn't turn out well if we all found out tomorrow morning that aliens have visited us.

[Ci7]

i get the feeling people would be aggressive toward aliens

think about it , we have been killing each other since the beginning of time.

you would think those "Aliens" would fair better from humanity attitude ?

so i believe it would anarchistic

"Let Nuke those unholy monsters!!!!!"

[j4c3]

I'd say the wider public should be transitioned into knowing it, but honestly I don't see how knowing aliens excist and becoming an anarchist are connected.

[Doli]

"Earthians" would be a derogatory term the aliens would use on others after visiting our planet. Our Planet is crazy

[j4c3]

i get the feeling people would be aggressive toward aliens

think about it , we have been killing each other since the beginning of time.

you would think those "Aliens" would fair better from humanity attitude ?

so i believe it would anarchistic

"Let Nuke those unholy monsters!!!!!"

Again, I think it would be the opposite of anarchy, humans might start seeing themselves as a species united against aliens (if they're hostile) instead of smaller factions and countries all fighting eachother.

[compl3x]

I'd say the wider public should be transitioned into knowing it, but honestly I don't see how knowing aliens excist and becoming an anarchist are connected.

I don't mean people would become political anarchists, I just meant panic would set in, order would try to be maintained, people would riot and disagree on what to do or how to handle it and the situation would deteriorate.

"Earthians" would be a derogatory term the aliens would use on others after visiting our planet. Our Planet is crazy

Nah, dude. It would be "earthicans".

[bogas04]

Just like we would be amazed , the alien which we would find or who would find us , will be amazed too. They will observe , inspect , just like we would. Its same as going to a jungle and finding a new animal , you both would observe , yet stay vigilant

[j4c3]

I don't mean people would become political anarchists, I just meant panic would set in, order would try to be maintained, people would riot and disagree on what to do or how to handle it and the situation would deteriorate.

I didn't mean politicaly really, I just meant I could see people freaking out for a while, but I don't think it would go much farther than all the supermarkets being emptied for a few weeks. I'd see it as similiat to a natural disaster setting.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

I don't see any logical reasons why any alien species would be hostile, although there are illogical reasons (That's one part I liked about Halo, it was a fervent religious belief driving the genocide). Our planet isn't special, anything that's on our planet exists readily in other parts of the universe (Why invade Earth for water when you can get it for free elsewhere?)

And I think most humans already accept that we're not alone in the universe, and parts of the population already think they're here.

As for any reasons, I think it'd be plain exploration. There's enough planets that you don't need to mingle with another species, there's enough resources around that they wouldn't need anything we have, any refugees of a war or such wouldn't stick around, since if they could get here so could perusers, etc. And I doubt any form of technology trade would be acceptable, it'd be like trading a plane to a monkey for a twig.

[Dan~]

Can anyone remember this.

hahah :D

[GreenMartian]

1. Yes

2. The crazies would lose it. The rest of us would be welcoming. The governments would try to take advantage of their presence (either by declaring war on them, or sucking up to them).

I don't see any logical reasons why any alien species would be hostile.

Ask the Neanderthals, Native Americans, and Australian Aborigines. Oh and the Tasmanian Tigers :rofl:

Why invade Earth for water when you can get it for free elsewhere?

Considering we haven't found any, they might have run into the same issue..

[Dinggus]

I'm sure if aliens did vist, are visiting, or coming to visit, and it's is being covered up, it would have slipped up by now.

[compl3x]

I'm sure if aliens did vist, are visiting, or coming to visit, and it's is being covered up, it would have slipped up by now.

I agree. Trying to cover up something like this would be impossible. However, some people are adamant that they have visited and some say they do regularly :p

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

I don't see any logical reasons why any alien species would be hostile, although there are illogical reasons (That's one part I liked about Halo, it was a fervent religious belief driving the genocide). Our planet isn't special, anything that's on our planet exists readily in other parts of the universe (Why invade Earth for water when you can get it for free elsewhere?)

And I think most humans already accept that we're not alone in the universe, and parts of the population already think they're here.

As for any reasons, I think it'd be plain exploration. There's enough planets that you don't need to mingle with another species, there's enough resources around that they wouldn't need anything we have, any refugees of a war or such wouldn't stick around, since if they could get here so could perusers, etc. And I doubt any form of technology trade would be acceptable, it'd be like trading a plane to a monkey for a twig.

What if the aliens didn't come for our inorganic resources but instead, wanted to sample the different species that most likely only exist on our planet? I think that would be the most logical explanation for any hostility on their part.

As for the rest of us, if it were up to me I'd keep it a secret regardless of the aliens' intentions. The knowledge that aliens exist and have visited our planet could do a lot of harm than good. It would break down a lot of societies and cause people to act irrationally.

[Phouchg]

They most definitely exist and are well apart for us to visit each other.

But if, then it would depend on the place and time of the supposed visit. Some might welcome them as new alien overlords, gravely misinterpret them and **** everything up (there's a short story "Ritual" by Robert Sheckley about that, with reversed roles; recommended). Then there's governments and their agendas, a banal topic altogether.

Oh hell, just watch or remember "Mars Attacks"... we come in peace. Dove released in the air *z-zap*... uh-oh

And some, like me, would not believe it before seeing with own eyes.

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

Considering the possibility that the aliens exist, I think, it's a fallacy to group them all together and debate whether they are hostile or friendly. Because if they do exist out there, there are probably the good AND the bad ones.

If there are competing forces (good vs. evil) among them, is there any form of mediation or justice in the Galaxy, a Supreme Galactic Court, or a Galactic Police?

Is our Solar System part of a Galactic Empire or a Republic?

Do Earth's civilizations compete for who's gonna represent us in the Galactic Senate? Do we all have to unite first to elect our representative? (One World Government, One World Religion Conspiracies).

I'm highly captivated by these questions.

One thing is certain is that the Aliens are way more intelligent than us. They should have a history and the breadth of experience of dealing with primitive civilizations like our own. They know all the pros and cons of trying to bring species out of the dark ages to civilization.

They know the cycles and developmental stages a civilization can go through. They know when a civilization is mostly likely to self-destruct. If they observe us, they must know that presently there's a great danger of us misusing our technologies and wiping the whole planet out. So, they may as well just stay out, sit back, and watch us until we make it to Type I civilization. A transition from Type 0 to Type 1 is precisely this critical point of possible self-destruction.

[Crisp]

Look in on our planet from an out siders point of view.

It's scary. We eat nearly every moving thing that lives and we kill each other, also we over breed.

We are a Virus.

Why would anyone want to visit? If I was to visit or speculate, I would think this place was hostile.

[Joey S]

If we can't even tolerate different races within our own species, can you imagine how we'd treat a completely alien species? Some would want to exploit them for financial gain, some would want to kill them, and others would be extremely xenophobic.

[Joey S]

Look in on our planet from an out siders point of view.

It's scary. We eat nearly every moving thing that lives and we kill each other, also we over breed.

We are a Virus.

Why would anyone want to visit? If I was to visit or speculate, I would think this place was hostile.

This!

If I was an alien, I wouldn't want anything to do with this planet. We're uncivilised, barbaric, belligerent, cruel, greedy, xenophobic wretches when you get down to it. Though it could be argued that our current social and economic dystopia makes us that way from birth. The only way to improve things involves a complete restructuring of society and our economic model.

[compl3x]

What if the aliens recognized all of our flaws and because they were benevolent wanted to help us improve our planet and our relationship with one another?

Also, another point: how do you think the existence of aliens would affect religion. The larger religions talk about man being created in God's image, what would happen if we encountered a species that looks nothing like us. And, of course, had never heard of any of our terrestrial religious figures? Plus no religious texts I know of speaks about alien life.

[McKay]

Until Mankind can abandon religion completely. I think they'd find any notion of intelligence with us laughable. How long before religious zealots would declare the idea of life on other planets an affront to God or Allah, because the Bible or the Qu'ran doesn't mention Aliens.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

...

Ask the Neanderthals, Native Americans, and Australian Aborigines. Oh and the Tasmanian Tigers :rofl:

Considering we haven't found any, they might have run into the same issue..

That goes into the problem of limited space, two different races wanting to co-exist in the same place with the same resources. When you bring interstellar travel into it, it makes much more sense to just go somewhere else.

And we have found water else where, it seems to be quite plentiful in the universe (The rings of Saturn are ice crystals, the moon and mars both have polar ice caps, or you can make it by combining hydrogen and oxygen together)

What if the aliens didn't come for our inorganic resources but instead, wanted to sample the different species that most likely only exist on our planet? I think that would be the most logical explanation for any hostility on their part.

...

All that's required in that situation is a blood or skin sample, if we can clone animals then an advanced alien race would certainly be able to (and if they couldn't for some reason, we'd have something to trade)

...

Also, another point: how do you think the existence of aliens would affect religion. The larger religions talk about man being created in God's image, what would happen if we encountered a species that looks nothing like us. And, of course, had never heard of any of our terrestrial religious figures? Plus no religious texts I know of speaks about alien life.

One point I saw raised is that any alien species would be exempt from the original sin.

[Hum]

Aliens do exist, have and are visiting Earth.

Mostly to observe -- not to make a mass, open landing, and not to solve our problems. ;)

And there are aliens who recognize a Creator -- tho not with the ritual mumbo-jumbo we tend to have.

[j4c3]

Aliens do exist, have and are visiting Earth.

I'd say pics or it didn't happen? but I still wouldn't believe you :|

;)