This is a thought experiment that came up just now

Historically, global powers have meddled with the internal affairs of smaller countries and regions, hurting their chances for peace and stability. Sometimes it was for profit, sometimes it was to maintain or shift the balance of power in their favour.

What if that applies even further out, and part of the reason why we can’t work towards something collectively is because it threatens those same incentives above? Alternatively, if it hasn’t happened yet, it could still be something to keep in mind as a future possibility.

Now before they realize we’re onto them and decide to pay us a visit:

  1. If the reason for the meddling is that a united humanity could pose a threat, it doesn’t have to. As smaller regions on earth achieved peace and understanding, they could then start working on that with larger regions. So progress doesn’t have to end with a united humanity.
  2. Please don’t.
  • Pons_Aelius@kbin.social
    211·
    11 months ago

    When ever one human culture fucked over another it was because they has something the invaders wanted.

    Aliens haven’t visited earth for the simple reason that if there are civs advanced enough to travel interstellar distances, something that is impossible with our current understanding of physics, there is nothing we naked apes have that they would want or need.

    • Otter@lemmy.caOPEnglish
      2·
      11 months ago

      Good point

      The meddling usually doesn’t happen from an entity the smaller group doesn’t know about. The meddling might be done secretly, but the incentive to meddle was something everyone knew about

      I guess I can wash this shower thought down now

      • Pons_Aelius@kbin.social
        7·
        11 months ago

        Yep. Basically every alien invasion story is a retelling of human colonialism but replacing the less advanced people with Earth and the more advanced with Aliens.

        There is nothing on earth, resource wise, that cannot be found in every star with a planetary system in the galaxy.

        • Spacehooks@reddthat.comEnglish
          23·
          11 months ago

          People always talk abour raw resouces but forget the other things. Like maybe they do it to watch the Drama.

          Also story of babel tells us we can make space elevators if we can work together. Can’t have that.

          Could also be this is imperial “feral” world and need the conflict on going for recruits.

          Another alternative was just free range biomass like in Jupiter ascending.

          • Pons_Aelius@kbin.social
            51·
            11 months ago

            Also story of babel tells us we can make space elevators

            Relying on the bible for science info…

            Do you think the world flooded as well?

            With everything we currently know about material science, space elevators are impossible on earth.

            The moon with 1/6th G Sure.

            Mars with 1/3 G possible.

            Earth at 1G sorry but no.

            All the rest is thinking aliens are like humans or that SF has anything to do with actual science.

            • Spacehooks@reddthat.comEnglish
              15·
              11 months ago

              Babel is fugitive. We can reach the heavens if we work together.

              More importantly is thinking aliens are like humans really an issue?

              • Pons_Aelius@kbin.social
                2·
                11 months ago

                Babel is fugitive. We can reach the heavens if we work together.

                Are you talking about the christian heaven or actual space?

                The answer for both, via a space elevator, is no.

                More importantly is thinking aliens are like humans really an issue?

                Of you are talking about fiction? No.

                If you are talking about reality? Yes.

                Humans are a fluke of random evolution on one planet, that is all.

                • Spacehooks@reddthat.comEnglish
                  15·
                  11 months ago

                  Why no for actual space? We actually are going, like right now.

                  So humans are fluke and aliens not fluke? If the great filter happened for us then maybe it filters out beings that are not like us. I mean unless you know an alien Any argument anyone can make is just limited by imagination.

    • umbrella@lemmy.ml
      1·
      11 months ago

      at best they are studiying this primitive race and laughing at our dumb shenanigans

  • foyrkopp@lemmy.world
    20·
    11 months ago

    Alien intelligence is not required to follow human reasoning.

    The Lords of Alpha Centauri could run a long-term social engineering program on Earth because they believe capitalism, conflict and social darwinism are objectively Good for You and we need to be purged of the folly of humanistic ideology before we can be allowed to join the galactic civilization market.

    Or because they find our struggles entertaining.

    What I can tell you is that no rational spacefaring civilization would need to resort to social engineering if they just want to kill us. Just toss a bit (or a lot) of spare delta v on a sufficiently large asteroid (or five) and humanity goes the way of the dinosaur.

    (Different story if they want us dead, but want to make it look like suicide because of the space police.)

  • Chickenstalker@lemmy.world
    171·
    11 months ago

    1. There are literally billions of stars in our galaxy alone

    2. Most stars have planets

    3. An interstellar civilization capable of routine interstellar travel will have literally NO REASON to bother with wars or invasions. They can simply go to another star system for practically limitless resources.

  • fritata_fritato@lemmy.nz
    5·
    11 months ago

    Conquest has often been religiously inspired, not just resources driven. Maybe a united humanity is the prophesied dooms day for the nasty greys

  • Otter@lemmy.caOPEnglish
    3·
    11 months ago

    If nothing else, when people hear “Oh well THEY don’t want you to have X”, they tend to want “X”

  • trackindakraken@lemmy.whynotdrs.orgEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Back when the Alcubierre drive was in the news, and it was revealed that the drive might be used as a very effective planet killer, I had a thought.

    Suppose one or more civilizations in our galaxy developed this already eons ago. Suppose they peppered probes throughout the galaxy to report back when any such drive was detected in use. Suppose they were fearful and paranoid. They could send an automated ship to destroy any system where drive use was newly detected. This is why we see no signs of civilization in the rest of the galaxy.

    We build the Alcubierre drive (which apparently is not possible because anti-matter falls the wrong way?), and minutes after the first time we fire it up, the entire system is destroyed. If there were anyone left to place blame, we’d blame ourselves.