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seeingeyefrog t1_j92vf4j wrote

Reply to comment by Supreme_Primate in Webb telescope sees once invisible structures inside spiral galaxies | CNN by donutloop

A perceived common enemy even if not actually an enemy might help unite at least a portion of humanity. The rest will behave like ill-mannered children regardless.

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MostPerturbatory t1_j9329sn wrote

How about space friends? Why would they become our enemies? We could swap science, music, art, comedy, maybe even food too would be compatible if they are also carbon based life forms. If they aren't carbon based lifeforms, imagine the differences in perceptions that would lead to differences in scientific methods, theories. Maybe they would see things we simply cannot and vise versa, we could trade perceptions, growing each other's understandings. It would be magical and only the first of many as their existence would imply the existence of many others too.

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skillywilly56 t1_j93dfrt wrote

They wouldn’t be our enemies, they would be our competitors and given how we have treated our own species, let alone the other species which inhabit this planet alongside us (we ate or killed the majority of them) the likely scenario is WE would either eat, kill or enslave them.

This scenario is guaranteed if contact is made by Americans first

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FleetingSentience t1_j93jqc3 wrote

If we make contact with aliens its because they're able to contact us, which means they're way more technologically advanced than us.

They probably also went through some sort of an evolution process and are probably all too familiar with predation and violent power struggles, whether or not that it's in their distant past.

So they're likely equipped to cope with human hostilities and not niave enough to be caught off guard by it. We're not enslaving any extraterrestrials.

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skillywilly56 t1_j93l2yl wrote

We would give it the good ol college try though!

“Fire photon torpedos! Not a full spread though, we are trying to keep costs low and get maximum ROI. For the investors Number 1!”

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MostPerturbatory t1_j93gmh8 wrote

Plenty of resources out there for everyone, zero reason to compete.

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Xaqv t1_j952ro0 wrote

You can never have enough monopoly. The infinite is 75% finite, just to begin with!

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MostPerturbatory t1_j95cnam wrote

There's no way humanity is using up all available resources in space, our species will be long extinct before we scratch 0.00000000000000000001% of the surface resources out there.

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Xaqv t1_j95ofto wrote

1 x 10 to the minus 20th (100 quintillionth) power? Aren’t you the optimist? Or pessimist?

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MostPerturbatory t1_j95ppb9 wrote

Either way, there is no lack of resources out there.

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Xaqv t1_j95py6o wrote

But what if the school yard bully doesn’t want to share? Oh! That’s why you have a space force?

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MostPerturbatory t1_j95r0bt wrote

A very human concept.

I don't have a space force. Do you have one?

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Xaqv t1_j962zma wrote

My country is working on one, but needs to resolve some economic issues by going off of the coconut standard and basing economy on gold reserves, IMF indebtature or something else.

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bzzhuh t1_j9394c8 wrote

If we can find a way to make being space friends profitable then it's possible I guess. But otherwise I think it's more likely they're declared as enemies.

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NovelStyleCode t1_j94vq60 wrote

That only works if leaders don't manipulate things for petty political gain, covid really shattered that illusion

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