The Face of God?

[Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by Huntn

Are there any guarantees that highly advanced civilizations have to be friendly ones?

Are there any guarantees that any civilizations we encounter will even be "highly advanced?" Or that they'll even be civilizations? Or that they'll even be sentient?

[Huntn]

Originally Posted by Tomorrow

Are there any guarantees that any civilizations we encounter will even be "highly advanced?" Or that they'll even be civilizations? Or that they'll even be sentient?

No, there's not, but usually in a discussion like this is the fear that a tech advanced society would appear with hostile intent.

[Arran]

Originally Posted by iBlue

You may like this video as well.

Awesome perspective. Thanks.

[mudslag]

Originally Posted by Huntn

Newsweek/Daily Beast: Planets, Planets Everywhere

Interesting read. The author does not seem to think that aliens will come visit us because the nearest stars would take a Saturn rocket 70,000 years to reach. And he thinks any aliens would be peaceful. Hmm. So how do you explain all the UFO sightings? Some kind of warp or worm technology would answer that. And as far as being friendly, I'd say that's 50-50. Are there any guarantees that highly advanced civilizations have to be friendly ones?

Why do you assume UFO equates alien?

[splitpea]

Originally Posted by Renzatic

Yup. Something as seemingly basic and primitive as spite and revenge is actually quite an advanced response only a thinking creature would be capable of. It serves no real survival purposes. You're not doing it to protect a food supply, your offspring, or your territory. It actually works in opposition of any real survival instincts, as you're potentially putting yourself in harms way to go out to antagonize and humiliate someone over any myriad number of issues. And all for what? For the satisfaction of

FWIW, game theory demonstrates that for cooperative situations where cheating is a possibility (particularly those in whic the "payoffs" resemble those for the classic Prisoners Dilemma with repeated iterations), a modified "tit for tat" strategy where you repay cooperation with cooperation and cheating with cheating is extremely successful.

Like any other behavior it could have evolved from evolutionary pressure if those with brain pathways that support a tit for tat strategy were more likely to get the resources they needed to survive and reproduce than those whose brains didn't. Especially given the frequency of cooperative interactions (with potential for cheating) in a human or even lower primate group of any size.

Originally Posted by Sydde

I find the concept of the vast void to be more awesome and beautiful than that of some quasi-benevolent bearded man in a white robe. That things do what they do because, without any provocation, management or cunning plan is all the more impressive. Who needs god? It only gets in the way.

Agreed with this. It is fascinating and awe inspiring to think of the simple rules of nature creating such fascinating and beautiful complexity -- whether it's the spirals of a galaxy or the Fibonacci and fractal mathematics of a leaf. Without any agency - simply the way atoms and molecules interact.

[Huntn]

Originally Posted by mudslag

Why do you assume UFO equates alien?

Don't read more into it than you need to. If you can believe the sightings as described, there are aliens out there. That's a big if, but we have no vehicles capable of traveling at high speed and make pin-point 90° turns. I've always wanted to see a UFO and know that assumptions get me into trouble.

[Jackintosh]

Originally Posted by Huntn

Don't read more into it than you need to. If you can believe the sightings as described, there are aliens out there. That's a big if, but we have no vehicles capable of traveling at high speed and make pin-point 90° turns. I've always wanted to see a UFO and know that assumptions get me into trouble.

Doesn't UFO stand for unidentified? Which means we just don't know what it is. So every time we see something we're not sure of, how does that translate into aliens?

[Huntn]

Originally Posted by niuniu

Free online course on the search for ET life from Edinburgh Uni.

https://www.coursera.org/course/astrobio

You've missed a lesson, but still 5 weeks of it to go. You even get a certificate at the end of it

Is the 3-4 hours a week, listening to the info and taking a quiz?

Originally Posted by Jackintosh

Doesn't UFO stand for unidentified? Which means we just don't know what it is. So every time we see something we're not sure of, how does that translate into aliens?

I'm digressing from the main intent of this thread, but don't mind talking UFOs.
It doesn't, but things have been observed that as far as we know don't occur naturally. And if UFO means unidentified, why is the UFO movement based on aliens? Don't mistake me for a die hard UFO/alien fan. I'm open to the notion, but realize all the obstacles that say it's highly unlikely. And as far as reports, a lot depends upon if you believe the reports or think they are just made up.

Currently, I can't believe because as with everything presented in the media, you have no idea if it is being honestly portrayed or someone looking for publicity. One of my favorites is the Rendlesham Forest Incident (Dec 1980) observed by dozens of English citizens and USAF personnel. It's highly unlikely that the incident was faked. It even has an official web site.

An unidentified object was tracked on radar in the vicinity of the bases and a state of full alert was declared. After awhile however it became clear that the object, whatever it was, posed no direct threat to the bases yet continued to cause the most intense excitement. Witnesses spoke of bright revolving lights circling in the sky as the object hovered over a nearby pine plantation called Rendlesham Forest.

source

One of the servicemen, Sgt. Jim Penniston, later claimed to have encountered a "craft of unknown origin" and to have made detailed notes of its features, touched its "warm" surface, and copied the numerous symbols on its body.[8] The object allegedly flew away after their brief encounter. Penniston also claimed to have seen triangular landing gear on the object, leaving three impressions in the ground that were visible the next day. While undergoing regression hypnosis in 1994 Penniston subsequently claimed that the "craft" he encountered had come from our future, and was occupied by time travelers, not extraterrestrials.[9] Sgt. Penniston's report made shortly after the incident contains no mention of physically encountering an unknown craft, nor of interacting with it. This report and associated sketches are neither signed nor dated, nor are they representative of AF Form 1169, Statement of Witness.[10]

This taped by USAF personnel (source):

Lt. Colonel Halt: We just bumped into the first light that we’ve seen. We’re about a 150-200 yards from the site. Everything else is just deathly calm. There’s no doubt about it, there’...s some kind of strange flashing red light ahead.
Sgt. Nevels: Yeah, It’s yellow.
Lt. Colonel Halt: I saw a yellow tinge in it too. Weird. It appears to be making a little bit this way?
Sgt. Nevels: Yes sir
Lt. Colonel Halt: It’s brighter than it has been…It’s coming this way. It’s definitely coming this way.
Sgt. Ball: Pieces are shooting off!
Lt. Colonel Halt: Pieces of it are shooting off.
Sgt. Ball: at about 11 oclock (12 oclock being directly up, 3 oclock being to the right etc.)
Lt. Colonel Halt: There’s no doubt about it – this is weird!
Sgt. Ball: Look to the left!
Sgt. Nevels: There’s two lights. One light to the right and one light to the left.
Lt. Colonel Halt: Keep your flash light off. There’s something very, very strange. Check the headset out see if it gets any stronger. Give us…
Sgt. Nevels: OK, I have an indication that this is a vague reading too
Lt. Colonel Halt: A vague reading?
Sgt. Nevels: The ? has been removed

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Real, fake, man created, naturally created, extraterrestrial? Unknown.
link.

Aug 2011 KINGMAN Arizona - A sighting in the skies over Kingman Thursday night is drawing comparisons to the Phoenix Lights.

For more than an hour beginning sometime around 8 p.m., a Kingman man said he photographed a series of lights that danced their way from the east near the Kingman Airport to the southern horizon, creating oval and rectangular formations as they crossed the sky.