Alien invasion

smellslikeshoes

I personally think it's a little arrogant to think space faring civilisations would be bothered coming here to be hostile.

The argument that hostile aliens would come here to conquer us for our resources is silly. If an alien civilisation was advanced enough to have mastered interstellar space travel what resources could they get here that wouldn't be easily available to them elsewhere?

I also think the same can be said for conquering us to colonise earth, even with our limited technology and the short time we have been able to detect planets, a lot have been discovered with a small but increasing number of planets being found in the goldilocks zone. I just don't see why a civilisation with the technology to travel 1000s of light years would bother to conquer us when they would easily be advanced enough to terraform a planet, and that's assuming an earth like planet is actually in any way out of the ordinary.

I just think any space fairing alien civilisation that notices us would just think "meh" and carry on doing what they are doing.

Fozzydog3

A few points I'd like to make , not hugely devoted to the subject so dont treat t as gospel ,

1. The enslaving idea : Its far cheaper and easier to maintain a combine harvester than it is 100 humans . to quote the Dead Kennedys " Machines can do a better job than you " skip forward a few million years in technological advancement

2. The taking resources : Our civilization is already trying (albeit badly) to phase out fossil fuels completely and I doubt they would have any machines compatible with it so I cant think of anything we've to offer them

3. War : again we've nothing really to offer them, They're intelligent which I assume includes emotions they've a whole universe of gold,water,food, land you name it and the blowing up the world idea wouldn't really do them any favours


POSSIBILITIES:

1: A la Telly Savalas in The Dirty Dozen or that machine gunner in Full Metal Jacket: some sort of mutiny happens or an alien with a mental illness comes along and kills us all for the craic .

2: A civilization only slightly , lets say a thousand years more technologically advanced but with all the problems (overpopulation , pollution , food shortages , energy shortages etc.) comes along for our resources A La Independence Day

3: Like District 9 a sort of alien "lifeboat" crash lands on earth causing problems

Boo Radley

Just to play devil's advocate here, the only reason I could see a super advanced extraterrestrial race being interested in Earth would be to use it as a planet scale lab.

Maybe life sustaining planets are rare (I'm aware of the raging debate on this) and Earth might be useful to them for research purposes. Unless they've advanced enough to terraform 'dead' planets.

All working on the assumption that there is sufficiently advanced life beyond Earth or course...

Kadongy

Lots of people are aliens since WW2.
-Psychologically I mean, not in a lizard-man shapeshifter sense. Though really the only practical differences are that they're not coordinated, and are harder to detect

Fozzydog3

Kadongy wrote: »

Lots of people are aliens since WW2.
-Psychologically I mean, not in a lizard-man shapeshifter sense. Though really the only practical differences are that they're not coordinated, and are harder to detect

explain ?

hooradiation

nyarlothothep wrote: »

SETI is a terrible idea, we're advertising our vulnerability and technological inferiority simultaneously.

To whom?

Kadongy

Fozzydog3 wrote: »

explain ?

Same line of thought as in this thread:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056377815

My personal opinion is that a lot of people don't have a solid sense of self. I think that this results in a lack of morals and empathy. I think that they project an image to suit their environment, like the lizardman conspiracy idea. I think that they really think is genuinely alien to most people, and difficult to conceive - again mirroring the alien invasion idea.

Jonny7

Boo Radley wrote: »

Just to play devil's advocate here, the only reason I could see a super advanced extraterrestrial race being interested in Earth would be to use it as a planet scale lab.

Maybe life sustaining planets are rare (I'm aware of the raging debate on this) and Earth might be useful to them for research purposes. Unless they've advanced enough to terraform 'dead' planets.

All working on the assumption that there is sufficiently advanced life beyond Earth or course...

Just to hypothesise..

I mean we study the tiniest most insignificant bacteria here on our planet

Perhaps we feature in alien nature documentaries - maybe that's what all the visits are about

I mean if we found basic life on Mars we wouldn't feel compelled to destroy it, we'd study it.

jargon buster

and if the aliens have anything in common with humans they will kill everyone they come across who stand in there way, enslave the rest and plant a flag on the beach and claim it as theres.

Oh and if they are not like us we will most likely kill them.

Yitzhak Rabin

Jonny7 wrote: »

Just to hypothesise..

I mean we study the tiniest most insignificant bacteria here on our planet

Perhaps we feature in alien nature documentaries - maybe that's what all the visits are about

I mean if we found basic life on Mars we wouldn't feel compelled to destroy it, we'd study it.

Exactly. They would study us like we would study bacteria - i.e see what we can learn and exploit from it, without regard for them, because they are just bacteria/humans. They would be so far advanced from us, that I'm sure they would see us as unworthy of empathy.

Jeboa Safari

yekahS wrote: »

Exactly. They would study us like we would study bacteria - i.e see what we can learn and exploit from it, without regard for them, because they are just bacteria/humans. They would be so far advanced from us, that I'm sure they would see us as unworthy of empathy.

I think they'd see us as more than bacteria, seeing as we'd have the potential to become highly advanced within thousands(?) of years, which wouldn't be that long on a universal timescale.

The Skulls

The basic premise of the the book is that IF an advanced extra terrestrial civilisation were to turn up that it is possible to defend earth though exactly how will depend on how advanced such an invasion force is,their weapons, tactics, overall strategy, numbers etc. The likelihood of an invasion is discussed in some detail (scientifically), Drakes equation is discussed, Fermi's paradox, Kardashev scale amongst others. Physics are discussed in great detail & while i remember some from school i'm not a scientist but the arguments are clear & the conclusions logical. The authors contend that at some point humankind will be visited in the future & that humanity should start preparing for this now.
It is also contended that warfare is warfare no matter what & that mankind has shown himself to be very innovative & adaptive when it comes to warfare throughout history. Existing doctrine can be modified though it is ineviteable that we will be defeated in the short term; our best chance will be asymmetric warfare over a longer period of time i.e. years. Just think the Soviet Union & the Afghan invasion; huge military force, superior weapons, training etc & yet they had to withdraw. Think of the present day insurgencies the United States military has had to contend with. Nuclear weapons will be ineffective simply because if an invader can cross interstellar distances then our most powerful bombs wouldn't even dent them.
An alien civilisations motivations for contact (peaceful) & invasion (hostile) are hypothesised also e.g. desire to help mankind or invasion for 'resources' or new territory etc. Also someone mentioned SETI which interestingly enough is mentioned in the book from the point of view that they should stop broadcasting immediately & devote ALL of their resources to listening/surveillance of space. As a previous poster said "why advertise our weakness?" or words to that effect. The public 'need to know' is also discussed & it is concluded that secrecy is absolutely imperative, if ET has begun infiltration of earth as another poster said they may then all information on the search for & possible defence against an invasion must be kept from the general public at all costs. I have to admit personally that makes sense;after all the more people know a secret the less chance of it staying that way.
In short i found the book quite interesting in its subject matter, i've never read a book like this before. The authors are not quacks, both are quite well known in the academic & scientific communities respectively (think their bio's are available online). I doubt this will appeal to the tin foil hat community but overall i found it a stimulating & thought provoking read. I just hope that if ET turns up in my lifetime hes either friendly or he decides we're not worth the effort & passes us by.

Wibbs

Chances are they will have passed their "singularity" and gone beyond the purely biological stage. What such a society would want from us is anyones guess. I suspect curiousity, observation, maybe instruction in how to meet them as equals would be on the cards. If they were hostile(maybe even as a side effect), our resistance would likely be futile as the sci fi scripts put it. Faced with individual IQs in the 1000's and all linked into a massive gestalt mind that could probably work out almost infinite future variables in ways we can only begin to grasp. We'd be boned.

Sparticle

Wibbs wrote: »

Chances are they will have passed their "singularity" and gone beyond the purely biological stage. What such a society would want from us is anyones guess. I suspect curiousity, observation, maybe instruction in how to meet them as equals would be on the cards. If they were hostile(maybe even as a side effect), our resistance would likely be futile as the sci fi scripts put it. Faced with individual IQs in the 1000's and all linked into a massive gestalt mind that could probably work out almost infinite future variables in ways we can only begin to grasp. We'd be boned.

But... but the aliens will always have a glaring weakness easily accessed and exploited by 21st century technology!

Obelisk

It's like this!

Torakx wrote: »

Theres also the possibility there are aliens who are inter-dimensional.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVWvI803uNk

It's like that!

hooradiation

Obelisk wrote: »

It's like this!

"Today Americans would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order; tomorrow they will be grateful! This is especially true if they were told there was an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will plead with world leaders to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well being granted to them by their world government."

It's like that! - Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, address to the Bilderberger organization meeting in Evian, France (May 21st 1992

Come on now, we've been through this already. That is a widely misattributed quote - purportedly recorded by a Swiss diplomat, but no such recording of Mr Kissinger saying this has ever been produced.

Obelisk

Hahaha, I knew someone (like you) would say that. Removed :pac:

catch me if you can

Maybe aliens are already here. Maybe we are all aliens that settled here milleniums ago after our planet died out . din din din

hooradiation

Obelisk wrote: »

Hahaha, I knew someone (like you) would say that. Removed :pac:

I am more shocked that i recognised it straight away.

I'm hanging out here far too much....

okeanes

if there was aliens or alien sightings on the earth the aliens are more advanced . we have been constantly looking out the hubble space scope and found no proof of a civilised race and that was looking far out of our reach the fact that there so advanced to travel millions of miles to get here says theyre more advanced as us .seem as there was reports of alien sightings dating back to more than a hundred years ago must prove that there more advanced and wont wipe out are race as if they wanted to we would be gone by now .more alien sightings are iminite . they will eventually come to try and communicate with us or if not they will take are natural resources peacefully . as we would do if there was a couple of apes living in a mine full of coal get them out get the coal and leave no violence nessasary if there as advanced as are race thell know that to whats the story with area 51 and if it is there how was it kept secret so long .

jargon buster

Heres an idea
In the future man is on the verge of extinction and has developed time travel, we go back in time to give manipulate the DNA of apes to create humans and also give them science in order to develop.
All the ancient sightings depicted in caves of aliens are actually people from the future.
So we as a race are on a perpetual loop living the same lives over and over for eternity.
Also explains deja vu

tallaghtmick

jargon buster wrote: »

Heres an idea
In the future man is on the verge of extinction and has developed time travel, we go back in time to give manipulate the DNA of apes to create humans and also give them science in order to develop.
All the ancient sightings depicted in caves of aliens are actually people from the future.
So we as a race are on a perpetual loop living the same lives over and over for eternity.
Also explains deja vu

Its a good idea there but physics dictate time travel is impossible but then again it says the same for faster than light travel which i think would be more achieveable so you never know

hooradiation

jargon buster wrote: »

Heres an idea
In the future man is on the verge of extinction and has developed time travel, we go back in time to give manipulate the DNA of apes to create humans and also give them science in order to develop.
All the ancient sightings depicted in caves of aliens are actually people from the future.
So we as a race are on a perpetual loop living the same lives over and over for eternity.
Also explains deja vu

Something like this?

okeanes

tallaghtmick wrote: »

Its a good idea there but physics dictate time travel is impossible but then again it says the same for faster than light travel which i think would be more achieveable so you never know

time travels not impossible. its so far impossible to travel back in time , but scientists prove thats not the case with travelling into the future as thats already possible .

but maybe in a few hundred years time travel to the past will be more common . but that could impact our world today by someone in the future say 100 years later that found a way to time travel could go back and change the world and could alter/delete my and your (posibbly) assinstance .

past time travel can be very benificial for the humen race as we could be as advanced as we are today 1000 years ago .but such dangers accompanies these posibilities .

tallaghtmick

okeanes wrote: »

time travels not impossible. its so far impossible to travel back in time , but scientists prove thats not the case with travelling into the future as thats already possible .

but maybe in a few hundred years time travel to the past will be more common . but that could impact our world today by someone in the future say 100 years later that found a way to time travel could go back and change the world and could alter/delete my and your (posibbly) assinstance .

past time travel can be very benificial for the humen race as we could be as advanced as we are today 1000 years ago .but such dangers accompanies these posibilities .

Id say theres more of a chance of breaching light speed than time travel,but thats my opinion please dont ask for proof :pac:

Yitzhak Rabin

If it was possible to travel back through time. Shouldn't we have already met some time-travellers. Unless they are really careful not to let people know they're travelling through time.

jargon buster

Impossible, not in my idiotic theory, they know going back in time will affect the future, so they only go back the once :rolleyes:

okeanes

tallaghtmick wrote: »

Id say theres more of a chance of breaching light speed than time travel,but thats my opinion please dont ask for proof :pac:

the speed of light is a very high goal = 299 792 458 m / s

cosidering the a sonic boom (breaking the sound barrier by going faster than sound ) that some advanced jets can bearly accomplish is only 340.29 m / s

light speed u must apply the breaks very gentally or youll certainly die with the bruth pressure of stopping . and bye the time you see the planet you would like to stop at if you havent already done the statistics of accelaration time and braking time and distance you could pass the planet by a few galaxies

hooradiation

tallaghtmick wrote: »

Id say theres more of a chance of breaching light speed than time travel,but thats my opinion please dont ask for proof :pac:

Well given it'd require infinite energy for anything with mass to travel at the speed of light it's a pretty reasonable bet.

okeanes

we can travel into the future and already have we just cant prove it yet as we will have to meet them in the future first . all we need is a giant train or a space craft to travel around a planet just outside our galaxie for say 100 years and in that time our world would of only advanced say 70 .

for the average size of a humen and our weight i dought we will ever reach the speed of light but we definatly will get closer .