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Re:Why extraterrestrial life may not seem alien by ivoras on Tuesday August 03, 2021 @03:34PM (#28053151)
Yeah but we're not really talking about bronze ages or if a species can achieve comparable technology, but whether we can correctly detect intelligence, or even life, around us.

I don't think we should label dolphins as un-intelligent just because their physical environment doesn't allow them to smelt metal.

My point is - I'd like to avoid judging something as (not) alive or intelligent just because it is (or isn't) similar to our daily life.

Re:Why extraterrestrial life may not seem alien by godelski on Tuesday August 03, 2021 @03:47PM (#28053276)
> My point is - I'd like to avoid judging something as (not) alive or intelligent just because it is (or isn't) similar to our daily life.

I think this is fair, but I also think when people say "detect intelligent alien life" it is shorthand for "intelligent and technologically capable life that would also be able to develop things like radio and interstellar travel." The latter is pretty cumbersome. I don't think dolphins are unintelligent, I don't think an ant is either. But in this context that's not what we're talking about. Language has limits and we use shortcuts like this all the time. Let's just be clear what page we're on and let's try not to inject another page just because the same word is used to mean multiple things.