I would be thrilled to actually find proof of intelligent alien life

[TZ]

I was reading elsewhere that some people think "fundamental scientists" would be as aghast as fundie religious people if proof of alien life was found. I think maybe thats up there in the top 5 stupidest things I've ever heard about scientists. First of all, I can't tell you how many skeptics/science geeks I know that LOVE sci-fi and fantasy and love the idea of their being intelligent life out there. Secondly, I have yet to meet very few scientists who won't change their opinion on something given the right type of data and evidence. How in the world can anyone think that learning and practicing the scientific method would make someone NOT learn how to accept new ideas given the proof?
For the record, I love sci-fi, x-files stuff about astronomy and possible alien worlds. I also love reading fantasy about dragons and unicorns, ESP etc. I just don't see any proof of this stuff actually existing at this point.
What say you my fellow skeptics, would you "not know what to do" if aliens did show up on our doorstep?;)

[LeftishBrit]

1. There are times when I would be thrilled to find proof of any sort of intelligent life!

Especially on days when it looks like the Tories will win our next election.

Seriously, I would love to get to know some aliens. Actually, I think that the chances are that there *is* life somewhere out there, though whether it is of a sort that would be able to communicate in any way with humans, even if we were in proximity, is another matter.


I'm reminded of the song 'Space Girl':

'They told me I should never go among the asteroids
But I did, I did, I did.
They said I'd make those Class 3 mutants frightfully annoyed,
And I did, I did, I did...

They said to find a man out there and try to settle down,
And I did, I did, I did.
They said my kids might grow up one-eyed, green, and bald, and round,
And they did, they did, they did!...'

I'm sure that alien life, if it exists, won't be exactly like that anyway!!!

[semillama]

2. How silly

Think of all the new avenues for research and grants!

[Codeine]

3. I'd be fucking thrilled.

Ain't gonna happen, but still -- THRILLED!

[Orrex]

4. Well, I can tell you where we *WON'T* find intelligent life

[onager]

5. Nobody expects the Intergalactic Inquistion...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090924100514AArtDyv

[TZ]

6. OMG....

Was that you posting that question? Or some other fundie atheist/scientist...:rofl:

[onager]

8. Nope, wasn't me.

But from the comments, I filled my Atheist Bingo card in about 10 nanoseconds. Mao! Stalin! Hitler!

And that wowser who accused atheists of "historical revisionism." That's like being accused of hypocrisy by Newt Gingrich.

In response to the OP, I have to join those who would be thrilled if we made contact with an alien species.

As long as they don't bring anal probes.

I think all of us have ranted about this in GD one time or another. But the "aliens have already visited" crowd are in the same quandary as the psychic/ESP bunch. They casually describe events that would completely transform our current knowledge of science and the universe. Then ask us to accept their twaddle with no evidence.

OK, back to admiring my new Gundam U.C. Hardgraph scale model. Zeons vs. the Machine Suits...

[trotsky]

7. Me too. I would probably shit my pants with joy.

The problem with the woos' thinking on that is that they believe "fundie scientists" are afraid of ANYTHING that challenges the status quo. (Never mind, for the moment, that they give out yearly awards and lots of grants to scientists who overturn long-held theories.)

The woo also cannot process how someone can simultaneously reject the idea that UFOs are full of aliens who are visiting us, yet accept the notion that somewhere in the universe there is intelligent life. To a woo, those are intertwined beliefs.

[Orrex]

9. The Guv'mint is also in a no-win situation

"Release the documents!" cry the belivers.

So the government releases all of the requested documents, which show no evidence--much less proof--of alien contact.

"These forgeries are part of the coverup!" cry the believers.


No document short of an unambiguous admission of alien contact--complete with an 8x10 of JFK shaking the Gray's hand--will satisfy the true believers. Anything less is a lie.

[onager]

11. Yep. The govt. should just STFU about UFOs.

They can't win.

Though I have to admit, the SHOCKING expose from a former fighter pilot last year had tons of entertainment value.

That was Milton Torres, who claimed he was ordered to shoot down a UFO.

His story had everything...right down to a Man In Black who told him to never mention the incident.

The pilot, Milton Torres, now 77 and living in Miami, said (the UFO) spent periods motionless in the sky before reaching estimated speeds of more than 7,600 mph (12,000 kph).

So this thing was flying about Mach 10. And he was supposed to chase it and shoot at it? I wonder how. The F-86D would only hit Mach 1 in a very steep dive.

'The order came to fire a salvo of rockets at the UFO. The authentication was valid and I selected 24 rockets.'

That's 24 unguided (and notoriously inaccurate) rockets fired from pods. The F-86 also had 6 .50-caliber machine guns. Fired at something, according to Torres, that "had the proportions of a flying aircraft carrier."

I wonder how many times Mr. Torres has seen Independence Day...

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/World/Story/A1Story20081020-95063.html

[uriel1972]

10. on our doorstep or my doorstep

If the former yes if the latter probably no. Other people freak the bejeesus out of me let alone aliens from outer space.

[mr blur]

12. Well, I would "not know what to do" if aliens appeared,

but I don't think of it as something to be feared.

It would be good to know why they've wasted so much time in the past mutilating cows, carrying off halfwits and loonies and putting down all those fucking crop circles, but I can't imagine why they'd waste their time coming here.

[trotsky]

13. Imagine the exploding woo heads...

if aliens DID land and make themselves known, but ALSO said that everything woo was bogus. Visualizing, "healing light," astrology, homeopathy, you name it. What would they do? LOL

[realisticphish]

14. even better

when we ask why they've been visiting here, they just frown and say, "this is the first time we've even NOTICED you, let alone visited here. We're only here because we got lost"

[SemiCharmedQuark]

15. For a lot of people, "scientist" evokes the image of the pointy headed elitist who ends up

destroying the world.

[Deep13]

16. Yes, I would hate knowing the greatest single discovery in history.

That would really suck.

:sarcasm:

[Warpy]

17. We can't communicate with other intelligent life here

from primates to cetaceans and we share a planetary reference point. We're totally unready to confront off planet intelligence.

Either we wouldn't recognize another species as intelligent or we would but be completely unable to figure out how to communicate with it. Some species would probably communicate chemically or visually or in some manner none of us has considered yet.

If an off planet intelligence did visit here, it would likely conclude we were too dumb to bother with and move on.

[charlie]

18. Konnegut wrote a story about extraterrestrial miscommunication

An alien came to earth bearing the secret to world peace and cures for diseases. He discovered his contact's house was on fire and ran upstairs to warn him, in his native language.

The homeowner awoke to find a critter tapdancing and farting by his bed, and clobbered it with a golf club.

[Warpy]

19. I hadn't read that one

but yeah, it sounds about right to me.

[TZ]

20. Thats why I always enjoyed Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

The idea of an alien race coming to speak to a non-human sapient species (Humpback Whales) was a novel idea to me at the time...:)

[trotsky]

21. Cheesy acting and time travel silliness aside, that movie was an outstanding piece of Sci-Fi.

Great fun.