# Ok, Lets just \[i\]suppose\[/i\] there is such a thing as extra terrestrials... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 20, 2002, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-just-i-suppose-i-there-is-such-a-thing-as-extra-terrestrials/137736 "2002-11-20T13:56:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![welby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@welby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/welby)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-just-i-suppose-i-there-is-such-a-thing-as-extra-terrestrials/137736/21 "2002-11-21T14:22:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Paul in Saudi \* > \*\*From a military point of view they would certainly be gathering intelligence on us. They would need to make sure would not be a threat to their homeworld. \*\* Please, Paul, look around you. If an alien civilization traveled multiple light years to earth and took a look around, saw the state of humanity, and listened to the dribble that is spouted by the vast majority of people on the planet, I imagine they’d be far too busy laughing to estimate our threat credibility. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-just-i-suppose-i-there-is-such-a-thing-as-extra-terrestrials/137736/22 "2002-11-21T14:27:50Z")
Estimating the likelihood of life evolving? ---
**Author:** ![guitarmax\_99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f19dbf/32.png) [@guitarmax\_99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guitarmax_99)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-just-i-suppose-i-there-is-such-a-thing-as-extra-terrestrials/137736/23 "2002-11-21T15:49:04Z")
It is extremely likely that intelligent life has evolved in other parts of the universe. If you would like a good representation of the odds, then check out “Extraterrestrial Life” by Isaac Asimov. He does a brilliant job of defining the odds, and very convincingly argues that intelligent life has probably evolved on thousands of other worlds. Of course, if this is true, one is left to wonder why they haven’t contacted us. The immense distance between worlds offers the most simple explanation, as travel and communication simply may be impossible across such vast distances. The most disturbing prospect Asimov presents is probably the most likely - the processes of evolution that shape intelligent life invaribaly instill a large amount of contentiousness that ultimately contributes to that species’ own demise. In other words, they most likely nuke themselves before they can ever get around to travelling amongst the stars. Of course, if any of them have managed to travel to earth, I highly suspect that they enjoy a good brain smoothie now and again. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-just-i-suppose-i-there-is-such-a-thing-as-extra-terrestrials/137736/24 "2002-11-21T17:25:47Z")
They do exist. Haven`t you ever seen the documentary television program "Saturday Night Live". In the past they had live film crews record the goings on of an ET family known as The Coneheads. I can`t believe you forgot about this!!! ---
**Author:** ![Swampwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Swampwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swampwolf)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-just-i-suppose-i-there-is-such-a-thing-as-extra-terrestrials/137736/25 "2002-11-21T17:43:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by guitarmax\_99 \* > \*\*It is extremely likely that intelligent life has evolved in other parts of the universe. _\_ Of course, if this is true, one is left to wonder why they haven’t contacted us. \*\* Because they’re _ **intelligent** _ ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-just-i-suppose-i-there-is-such-a-thing-as-extra-terrestrials/137736/26 "2002-11-21T18:03:27Z")
> [@](#): > > from **guitarmax\_99** > He does a brilliant job of defining the odds, and very convincingly argues that intelligent life has probably evolved on thousands of other worlds. Of course, if this is true, one is left to wonder why they haven’t contacted us. Maybe they are sitting around wondering why we haven’t contacted them…? ---
**Author:** ![OldBroad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@OldBroad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldBroad)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-just-i-suppose-i-there-is-such-a-thing-as-extra-terrestrials/137736/27 "2002-11-21T18:17:34Z")
I, too, believe that there’s intelligent life elsewhere. If ETs do live among us I’d love to be able to read their reports/letters back home. Imagine any ocean exploration documentary but with earth as the place being explored. Or an edutainment program such as Croc Hunter or the Jeff Corwin Experience but with us as the topics. Makes me think of some episodes of 3rd Rock From the Sun ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-just-i-suppose-i-there-is-such-a-thing-as-extra-terrestrials/137736/28 "2002-11-21T18:25:48Z")
I think about it this way…initially, they’re explorers. Their exploration team is so far removed from their home, they no longer become attached to their origins and develop their own agenda. They follow the clues, track quasar pulses, radio waves, etc and find _us_. At first they think they’ve got Earth all to themselves, and make discreet explorations. Test soils, trap a human or two and see what makes them tick, and so on. In the meantime, they send bogus messages back to their home world: “Nope, ain’t found nothin’ yet.” Then, their own crew starts becoming fragmented. The grand design is replaced by petty politics and internal squabbling. One thinks, hey, let’s make friends with these people. Another thinks, why? They’re savages. All they got is glad beads and trinkets. Another thinks Hmmmm, I could capture a few a make good genetic alterations out of them. The last one’s the snitch. He got rejected by the hot babe astrophysicist on board, so he decides to get even by sending a message to homeworld: WE MADE CONTACT! Homeworld sends a fleet Several in fact, because other nations or factions or megacorporations caught wind of this and want to be the first on the block to exploit this new resource. This happned a thousand years ago, and the journey takes 1020 years. The original crew has sinced passed on, either through old age, accident, or wandering around on Earth and getting shot by Cooter the old crazy mountain inbredneck. Thus, there’s been no contact with homeworld. The incoming fleets are clueless, but they eventually discover what the original exploration team had been keeping under wraps. Don’t you think they’d want _something_ after coming all this way? ---
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-just-i-suppose-i-there-is-such-a-thing-as-extra-terrestrials/137736/29 "2002-11-21T19:00:51Z")
\*\*Knowed Out \*\* wrote > [@](#): > > Don’t you think they’d want _something_ after coming all this way? That is my point, what could that _something_ be? (Gosh, I hope it’s not brains) ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-just-i-suppose-i-there-is-such-a-thing-as-extra-terrestrials/137736/30 "2002-11-21T19:43:24Z")
Well, **Janx** , the value of a commodity is usually a function of its rarity. So _of course_ they’d want our brains. Assuming they could find any. ---
**Author:** ![CthulhuSpawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@CthulhuSpawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CthulhuSpawn)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-just-i-suppose-i-there-is-such-a-thing-as-extra-terrestrials/137736/31 "2002-11-22T02:27:27Z")
Why should they care about us even after coming all that way? When I went to Europe I sure wasn’t interested in the ants crawling along the sidewalks… Maybe they do just want to eat our brains, study our culture, or use the place as a rest area. However, who is to say that an alien won’t be truly _alien_ with motivations, emotions, and thoughts that we are completely unable to understand? ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-just-i-suppose-i-there-is-such-a-thing-as-extra-terrestrials/137736/32 "2002-11-22T05:10:58Z")
Maybe for the same reason people from wealthy developed nations visit third world countries? Out of curiosity for a different lifestyle? ---
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-just-i-suppose-i-there-is-such-a-thing-as-extra-terrestrials/137736/33 "2002-11-22T14:05:48Z")
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