Rapidly (maximally) expansive civilizations may have a tendency to destroy other civilizations in the process, just as humanity has already destroyed many species on Earth. ETI that place intrinsic value on civilizations may ideally wish that our civilization changes its ways, so we can survive along with all the other civilizations. But if ETI doubt that our course can be changed, then they may seek to preemptively destroy our civilization in order to protect other civilizations from us. A preemptive strike would be particularly likely in the early phases of our expansion because a civilization may become increasingly difficult to destroy as it continues to expand. Humanity may just now be entering the period in which its rapid civilizational expansion could be detected by an ETI because our expansion is changing the composition of Earth’s atmosphere (e.g. via greenhouse gas emissions), which therefore changes the spectral signature of Earth. While it is difficult to estimate the likelihood of this scenario, it should at a minimum give us pause as we evaluate our expansive tendencies.In other words, carbon emissions increase the risk of alien attacks.
Add it to the list--is there anything global warming can't do?
(via Volokh Conspiracy)
2 comments:
OK, let's see.
a) Presume that they have interstellar, FTL travel (without it, there's no possible way to make war, nor need to - You can't make war with generation ships, it's both pointless and stupid.)
b) Their understanding of physics is therefore massively higher than ours, and it's a fair bet they have enormously better sources of energy than we do.
So, postulating these two, it's easier to make ***interstellar*** war and destroy us than to... uh... help us develop better energy sources than burning fossil fuels?
Uhhhhh...Huh?
Cranio-Rectal Insertion Syndrome... So bad it's coming back out the top again.
Rarely does one encounter a mass of people in more dire need of a recto-craniotomy than the AGW crowd.
P.S., Their hair. It's not brown.
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