Do you dream about flying into space? Do science-fiction flights of fancy take you to strange, alien worlds, seeking out new life and new civilizations? Well you can forget that nonsense, because one of the most brilliant minds on the planet says we’re nothing short of doomed, doomed, doomed. According to Professor Stephen Hawking, if aliens exist, they are likely to be hostile, and will kill us all and strip the planet of its resources.
Hawking’s argument on the possible existence of alien life has been around for a long time, and is perfectly rational: The universe is far too big for life to have evolved on Earth alone. And it’s true that hundreds of planets have been discovered in the last 15 years (though mostly gas giants, because our telescopes aren’t yet good enough to detect smaller, rocky worlds), so who knows? Maybe there is life out there.
However, according to Hawking, said life isn’t likely to be friendly, if it has in fact evolved to the point of being able to travel through space. Were aliens to visit us, we would be at a supreme disadvantage, with far inferior technology. They could conquer us with little effort. And they would have likely used up all the resources on their own planet, and could see Earth as a fresh, spinning blue-and-green ball of supplies.
So… that’s just great. Since I was a kid, my mind has spun itself silly with imaginative and friendly tales of outer space and aliens. And now they want to kill us. Thanks, Professor Hawking. Thanks a lot. Stupid reality. Or potential reality, if highly advanced, hostile spacefaring alien life exists.
I do wonder, though: Hawking is a theoretical physicist. Is the realm of alien life and its social interaction with humans really his field of expertise? I mean, really, doesn’t this sound like the plot of Mars Attacks!? Or V? I would like to think that we wouldn’t let Professor Hawking’s warning, dire though it may be, put a damper on any efforts to contact life outside of this planet. Sure, the aliens might find us, kill us, colonize us, eat up the rest of our resources, and they may have no clue at all as to what we consider morally correct, but what the hell, they might not. Bring ’em on.
“And I, for one, welcome our new [alien] overlords…”
For an interesting counter-argument, go here.
Comments
Brian
May 1st, 2010 - 12:20:24 PM
Natural selection does not seem to trend toward intelligence; were that the case, a dominant, intelligent animal would have likely surfaced in the Triassic age. I like to believe that human intelligence is an anomaly, and not something the universe will spit out again.
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John
May 1st, 2010 - 2:14:51 PM
Actually if you look around natural selection does seem to trend towards intelligence. The most successful birds are all highly intelligent, (Heck, there even tool-making birds) the sea abounds with intelligent animals and not just the dolphins and whales who came in from the land, octopus, squid and cuttlefish are all very intelligent and capable of problem solving (you've probably seen them open jars for example). Animals you might not consider being intelligent can surprise you, six out of every eight pigs can recognize themselves in a mirror. It's not just mammals like monkeys or elephants that are capable of intelligence, you find respectable levels of it in everything from birds to mollusks. As for the Triassic, that might have been a bit early. During the cretaceous though a dinosaur about the size of a man called the Troodon was evolving higher intelligence at an alarming rate, about six times more intelligent than any other dinosaur at the time of the mass extinction, it is the subject of a lot of speculation and scientific debate. The fact that it's eyes were moving from the sides of it's head to the front has not helped the matter. In any event there's a relationship between the development of intelligence and diet depending on the extent to which intelligence is helpful in finding that sort of food. If you're a hunter then you will be more intelligent than your prey. If memorizing where fruit is in season gives you an advantage in finding it then you will memorize seasonal patterns and food locations. If intelligence can help you eat more often you will develop some intelligence. I don't know if human level intelligence is an anomaly, but I do take issue with the idea that natural selection does not trend towards intelligence. It's unavoidable as the ultimate weapon in any dietary arms race. Now the thing that makes me think Hawking might be right isn't the lack of intelligence in the animal kingdom, but the fact that natural selection does not seem to trend towards compassion. When a gang of ants attacks a caterpillar they do not stop to ask if that caterpillar had somewhere it wanted to go today.
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mr blahblah
May 2nd, 2010 - 4:34:38 AM
Morality? I'm no tree-hugger but we humans exploit our surrounding all the time. Its not like we treat primates any better because we evolved from them. We justify this behavior using reasons ranging from religion to economics. To a hyper advanced race we would appear nothing more than monkeys using straws to fish termites from holes in the ground. They would be perfectly justified in attempting to colonize our planet and exploit its resources. But why would a race that can eclipse a star and create a wormhole using its energy come to earth for conquest? Maybe for unobtanium?
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nik
May 2nd, 2010 - 5:09:07 AM
I can't disagree with him but we all know us humans as a race we are one of the most intelligent species looking for life out side if we found it we aren't hostile towards it yes the odd one may dissagree and frown upon it but out of the entire universe we only know of us that are looking. The fact is he has based it upon assumption nothing more based it on our activities and what we do. And assumed they are going to be hostile mineral hunters like us. The world is turning towards kinder energy resources renewable sources did he take that into consideration mabye they have seen what it can do they are intelligent after all and have renewable sources. They will have to travel billions of miles does he think they use petrol and that ET has come to siphon your gas tank. Point being here lets see what will be if we ever see it. "Assumption is the mother of all **** ups"
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Bob Mitchell
May 2nd, 2010 - 12:25:00 PM
From 1981 to 1984., Maj.Gen Albert N. Stubblebine, Commanding General of U.S. Army Intelligence, headed the research into psi phenomena. (Star Gate). A reporter asked General Stubblebine about the “Martian Machinery” - he replied: “It’s moving, the machinery is moving, so I don’t know, if its from a leftover civilization - its got a long-live battery, its better than any of the dolls we put out on Christmas, I tell you, OK?” When asked for more details, he added: “Yeah, its a structure, that’s what I say, there are structures on the surface, (Mars) and incidentally I don’t want to take thunder away from anyone tomorrow, because you are going to get a chit-chat about that tomorrow and I don’t want to trail on somebody else’s toes, all I that I am saying is that there are structures on top, there are structures underneath, there are machines on top.” As Nostradamus said: “Beware of Mars!”
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