# If aliens became aware of us, would they conquer/enslave/exploit/displace/exterminate us? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 12, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-aliens-became-aware-of-us-would-they-conquer-enslave-exploit-displace-exterminate-us/539124 "2010-05-12T00:52:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-aliens-became-aware-of-us-would-they-conquer-enslave-exploit-displace-exterminate-us/539124/61 "2010-05-18T03:22:53Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > If I understand Hawking correctly, he’s saying that since interstellar travel _is_ so difficult, any species that could do it would almost have to be specialized as an interstellar horde or swarm, looting the resources of entire systems to build and fuel their next move. I doubt this, as it was in reference to whether we should attempt to contact extraterrestrial species. If they’re looting entire systems, why would it matter whether we contacted them or not? If they’re specifically looting biosphere planets…why? Jupiter has thousands of earth masses of hydrogen. Surely this would be a better planet to refuel at. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-aliens-became-aware-of-us-would-they-conquer-enslave-exploit-displace-exterminate-us/539124/62 "2010-05-18T03:23:02Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > If I understand Hawking correctly, he’s saying that since interstellar travel _is_ so difficult, any species that could do it would almost have to be specialized as an interstellar horde or swarm, looting the resources of entire systems to build and fuel their next move. Watch the skies for the [Yacatisma!](http://www.poee.org/documents/Other_Religions/Church_of_the_SubGenius/Dictionary_of_the_Gods.htm#y) ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-aliens-became-aware-of-us-would-they-conquer-enslave-exploit-displace-exterminate-us/539124/63 "2010-05-18T20:13:16Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Then there’s Niven’s Sphere of Potential Awareness, which I just made up the name and probably the idea wasn’t original with Larry Niven but who cares? > > And that is a sphere defined by how far radio/television/etc. waves emanating from Earth have reached. Being, of course, dependent on when you think sufficiently powerful radiation began to get out into space from here. Say, what? 1930? 1940? Well, then, ok, you got a sphere 140 light years in diameter. And even a half-assed technology is likely to notice an unnatural amount of radio waves coming out of a second rate planet circling a mediocre yellow star. SETI hasn’t noticed anything so either we aren’t looking hard enough or we live ina quiet universe and life is much rarer than we think. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-aliens-became-aware-of-us-would-they-conquer-enslave-exploit-displace-exterminate-us/539124/64 "2010-05-18T20:15:17Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Enslave, but in a way that we don’t realize it, they would draw off our ‘life force energy’ or whatever term you wish to use. Ohh space vampires. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-aliens-became-aware-of-us-would-they-conquer-enslave-exploit-displace-exterminate-us/539124/65 "2010-05-18T20:25:53Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I really don’t buy the argument, since most of the arguments for this don’t sound plausible Agreed. Illnesses have trouble going from human to horse, i don’t see how it goes from human to martian very easily. We hardly seem worth the effort of enslavement. If you can travel light years to gather resources I don’t see why you need to gather contested resources. Self replicating robots. the universe is filled with self replicating robots from extinct civilizations. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-aliens-became-aware-of-us-would-they-conquer-enslave-exploit-displace-exterminate-us/539124/66 "2010-05-18T20:59:35Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > SETI hasn’t noticed anything so either we aren’t looking hard enough or we live ina quiet universe and life is much rarer than we think. I could be that life is very common, but **intelligent** life is rare. Consider: If we visit another life-bearing planet, we are seeing only a momentary snapshot of its biosphere’s evolutionary history. In Earth’s case, that history goes back at least 2 billion years; and there were no intelligent lifeforms here at all, as far as we know, until the first hominids emerged a geological eyeblink ago. It could be that a life-bearing planet orbiting Tau Ceti is all set to produce intelligent beings a geological eyeblink from now, which is still a longer period than the entire existence of _Homo sapiens_ to date. It could also be that planet had intelligent beings a geological eyeblink ago, but they went extinct while our ancestors were still knuckle-walking; the potential lifespan of an intelligent species is something for which we have not a single data point. That is why the [Drake equation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_equation) is at present all but useless – too many imponderable variables. SF generally ignores this, of course, because having your heroes explore a planet with life at something analogous to a Precambrian stage just is not as much fun. See the TVTropes page [Sci Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale) – which is mainly about space but also applies to time. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-aliens-became-aware-of-us-would-they-conquer-enslave-exploit-displace-exterminate-us/539124/67 "2010-05-18T21:07:17Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Ohh space vampires. [Indeed.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Vampires) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-aliens-became-aware-of-us-would-they-conquer-enslave-exploit-displace-exterminate-us/539124/68 "2010-05-18T21:09:53Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I really don’t buy the argument, since most of the arguments for this don’t sound plausible > > 1. Either we or the aliens will all die due to some cross infection. > > I don’t believe that because any species advanced enough to traverse the galaxy will have the medical knowledge to avoid germs. Humans aren’t anywhere near the point of interstellar travel, but we have pretty much conquered all microbial infections (assuming people practice scientific knowledge like good sanitation, clean water, vaccinations, antibiotics, hand washing, etc). In _The War of the Worlds,_ Wells stated clearly that the Martians were not prepared for the possibility of infection by Earth’s microorganisms because there **is** no microbial life on Mars. Not Wells’ finest moment. How could any biosphere include macroorganisms but no microorganisms?! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-aliens-became-aware-of-us-would-they-conquer-enslave-exploit-displace-exterminate-us/539124/69 "2010-05-18T21:10:56Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Self replicating robots. the universe is filled with self replicating robots from extinct civilizations. Again, the Yacatisma! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-aliens-became-aware-of-us-would-they-conquer-enslave-exploit-displace-exterminate-us/539124/70 "2010-05-18T21:13:03Z")
Sometimes I think sufficiently advanced aliens exist, and Ancient Astronauts gene-engineered _Homo sapiens_ just to fight for their amusement. That would explain a lot. Some SF writers have come up with [ideas far sillier.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirens_of_titan) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-aliens-became-aware-of-us-would-they-conquer-enslave-exploit-displace-exterminate-us/539124.md?page=3)