So this month’s National Geographic has a cover story about uncontacted jungle tribes in the Amazon, and pretty clearly endorses the view that they should be left uncontacted.
This is, it seems to me, a considerably complicated question. Yes, obviously, there are downsides to contact … the real possibility of the population being decimated through infection from new viruses and the inevitable massive changes (if not outright obliteration) the contact would bring to the native population just for starters.
But on the other hand, modern science and medicine bring benefits as well, and in a more abstract sense, there seems to be something to be said for what I will vaguely call the “family of man.” We are all globalized now, sharing ideas, beliefs, tools … is it right to intentionally exclude some people from that family? Is our species’ self-image so bad that we think we’ve not progressed since the stone age, and that people still there are better off as is?
(For purposes of this debate, let’s leave out one of the eu-functions the article points out – isolated and hostile uncontacted people serve as functional guardians of natural preerves.)
As a hypothetical: there is a interstellar civilization that is capable of doing for and to humanity more or less what contact with the 21st century would do to these people, but they have chosen not to contact us because the Earth is a fascinating anthropological study, a unique biosphere, or something similar. Do you wish they leave us alone, or would you want the ships to land and bring us into the galactic community?
Ummm… no. The OP posited substantial loss of population (let’s say 50%), massive changes to our culture/values/religion as well as immense increases in science and technology and a chance to join the rest of the sentient universe.
On the other hand, the Amazonian tribes in question are not animals or laboratory specimens to be kept in test tubes. They’re human beings, every bit as human as I am. Who am I to say that they should be segregated from the rest of the human race?
Probably destruction in the form of cultural beliefs and what not , actual physical destruction i doubt.
I would think that the western world would be culturally in tune with the new kids on the block , almost right off the bat ,the rest of the world, who knows.
What would be more interesting , is a group of colonists that left several thousand years ago in a generation slowboat ,and were told this was empty real estate, now they get here and 6 billion humans are asking if elvis is aboard.
So they have a choice , either they can settle australia ,or africa, pretty much their choice, and what happens then.
To be honest, I think it’s somewhat arrogant to imagine that we’re someone depriving these people by denying them the joy and glory of our presence.
Let 'em be. If they meet someone, fine. If not, fine.
(Although, perhaps it would be a good idea to initiate contact merely to offer them protection from diseases they might develop if they make unplanned contact elsewhere. Hmmm…)
It is certainly arrogant to state that by not contacting them they “miss” something.
What exactly? Surely if they managed to survive until now without “contact” with “civilisation” (lol) they are able to go on doing just that.
On the other hand it is just as arrogant to state that “we must leave them alone” as if they are some sort of curious wild species who must be preserved for humanity in order to study on.
So I agree that if they seek contact with others then their own civilisation, that is then out of their own free will. Of course it can also happen accidentally. Which brings the danger of diseases unknown by these people.
The (hypothetical) solution for this:
All medical staff in the region where those people could come in contact with the outside world, should be constantly provided with the needed vaccinations.
To find out what aliens might do when they first contact us, reverse the situation and imagine that humanity were in the position of discovering a less advanced alien race in a distant solar system.
I would recommend a two- layered approach to first contact;
Observation; leave the society to its own devices while observing from a distance in as much detail as possible without the society becoming aware of the human presence;
satellite sensors will be able to pick up a lot of data using various techniques- no doubt remarkable sensitive sensors by the time we we can actually reach other inhabited stars.
Augmentation- rather than interfere with the course of history on that planet, I recommend individuals be removed from the society and brought into contact with the interstellar human society.
In fact, assuming the techniques of planetary engineering are sufficiently developed (as I expect they would be) I would suggest a planet be prepared with as authentic an environment as possible be prepared for these individuals; now the removed individuals can be allowed to interact with human interstellar society as far as they are capable of doing so.
The undisturbed society will perhaps develop in a totally new and idiosyncratic fashion, eventually no doubt discovering the observers in orbit and initiating contact themselves;
Meanwhile the individuals already intoduced to high tech will discover the benefits of interstellar society rather more rapidly.
eventually the first full contact with the society on the planet could be made by sophisticated individuals of their own species from the high tech population.
The problem with ANY action, or inaction, is that times and tastes change. The Spaniards who brought Christ to the New World heathen in the 16th century, and who also brought disease and social disruption, believed they were doing the best thing–they believed that the most important thing was saving the poor savages’ souls and anything else was minor.
Now it appears that popular sentiment is to do nothing–to let them live the life they know.
Isn’t it possible, or even likely, that our age will be castigated by those in the future because we…
a) wasted the time we could have been using those resources (land, vegetation, slaves?) -or-
b) let those poor people live in poverty and disease when we could have helped them -or-
c) some other “what were they thinking?” sort of thing that I can’t even imagine right now
As far as the aliens who are out there watching us right now–they’re trying to figure out what the heck the “free speech right to sell tarot card readings” might be and why anyone would discuss the rantings of someone named “The Amazing Randi.”
Come to think about it, why in the universe WOULD they contact us?
Interesting, but not what I’m looking for in the OP … (an ethical debate, not a technical one) in my hypothetical, the advanced culture can make only small efforts to minimize the damage. It is basically all or nothing.
Hopefully the superior race of aliens will have all contingency plans for first contact worked out in advance; it won’t be up to us to make ethical decisions, the ball will be in their court.
of course they could easily get it all wrong and wipe us out carelessly like so many victims of human colonialism…
if the advanced culture is helpless to prevent the damage that contact might cause, so that it is all or nothing, the only sensible course would be to hope for nothing…
no contact.
however if we are not contacted we will develop by ourselves spontaneously until we set off in our own spacecraft and contact happens anyway-
and then, finding that interstellar space is already occupied by secretive aliens we will probably find it necessary to have a war.
Your point presumes that any alien culture is by nature alien, and that we would have no baseline with how to deal with say a race of hive mind insectisoids, other than getting out cans of raid.
Mine was that I believe that there are only so many variations on culture that should exist, thus we would be able to intergrate these new folks into mainstream western culture.
Thats not exactly the most desirable occurence to come to mind.
of course they could easily get it all wrong and wipe us out carelessly like so many victims of human colonialism…
Well we can safely say that disease will not be a factor , or so the medical folks tell us , there should be no way any type of pathogen from an alien race should cross polinate.
We have a bigger population base , than the old colonial days, I seriously doubt that there would be unchecked trading or that manhattan would be sold for peanuts again. Personally I do think that you are overestimating the reaction of people in a negative way, regarding the general population.
Alpha Centauri is the closest star to us at 4 lightyears away , i believe. Assuming that , that particular star system is not empty and we find some one there ,then well and good , but I am gonna guess that there will be some protocol for first contact.
A war ? , technology would have to come alot farther than what we are going to have in the next 50 years , to make a useful prediction on that.
You see, the culture of these hypothetical aliens might demand that they encourage cannibalism in any race that they encounter, and hey, they might be pretty persuasive;
they could set Long Pig TM franchises in every main street, and decrease the surplus population.
We should not assume that the cultures of aliens are compatible with Western eclecticism,
or that they will be in our best interests to adopt them.
oh yes- and if it comes to a fight my money would be on the experienced alien explorers
would make you think that?