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A comment on Post-Detection SETI Protocols and METI: The Time Has Come to Regulate Them Both. Parent comment

Re:Post-Detection SETI Protocols and METI: The Time Has Come... by dogma1138 on Saturday February 11, 2017 @06:00PM (#13625367)
It's not the same thing. Even without any intention of malice Columbus would not have ended well for the natives.

Any sufficiently advanced civilization would supercede lesser ones. Even if contact would be limited to prevent any cultural leakage the knowledge of the existence of intelligent life will lead to collapse of at least 3 major religions and their cultural frameworks.

Aliens might know we exist but they might have rules against visitation unless being invited first. Individuals that send powerful invitations can be seen as putting the earth and human civilization as we know it at risk.

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Re:Post-Detection SETI Protocols and METI: The Time Has Come... by Animats on Saturday February 11, 2017 @06:29PM (#13625501)
"Even if contact would be limited to prevent any cultural leakage the knowledge of the existence of intelligent life will lead to collapse of at least 3 major religions and their cultural frameworks."

Religion isn't that vulnerable to rationality. Christianity has survived Copernicus, Martin Luther, evolution, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and 2000 years of Jesus Christ failing to show up as promised.

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Re:Post-Detection SETI Protocols and METI: The Time Has Come... by throwanem on Saturday February 11, 2017 @10:14PM (#13626451)
I don't really know of anything in Christianity, at least, that's incompatible with the idea of life elsewhere in the universe. Biblical literalists would take it hard, probably, but those guys have a lot more problems than space aliens.
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Re:Post-Detection SETI Protocols and METI: The Time Has Come... by molmalo on Sunday February 12, 2017 @01:31AM (#13627108)
Nope, The Vatican has been saying for a couple years now, that the existence of extraterrestrial life, even intelligent life, does not contradict the Bible. They accept the possibility, because after all, "In the beginning God created the sky and the earth."
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Re:Post-Detection SETI Protocols and METI: The Time Has Come... by pdonis on Saturday February 11, 2017 @06:30PM (#13625511)
> Even without any intention of malice Columbus would not have ended well for the natives.

I think that's true, but it doesn't change anything I was saying.

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Re:Post-Detection SETI Protocols and METI: The Time Has Come... by dogma1138 on Saturday February 11, 2017 @07:49PM (#13625883)
Invitation is different than just being aware of ones existence.
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Re:Post-Detection SETI Protocols and METI: The Time Has Come... by BrailleHunting on Saturday February 11, 2017 @09:05PM (#13626193)
The weak are meat and the strong do eat.
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