From: Mark Walker (mark@permanentend.org)
Date: Sat Aug 02 2003 - 11:06:26 MDT
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lee Corbin"
> So the big mystery to me is, why do we always assume the
> aliens to be such mean dudes?
>
> YES! For sure there would be WARNING SIGNS in huge capital
> letters from the galactic club saying "STAY HOME". But all
> we hear is total silence.
>
>
Your right we don't have to assume they are mean, and some versions in the
literature don't. I suggested a while back a possible mechanism for this
under the subject heading "Invasion of the meme snatchers". The idea is that
advanced aliens could have nanobots running around on earth whose sole
mission is to destroy any evidence of the galactic civilization. For
example, if SETI researchers were to pick up a signal from some distant
planet it would be the mission of the meme snatching nanobots to destroy the
information. They would wipe the computer memories and get inside of the
researcher's heads and destroy the appropriate engrams. We can even imagine
junkets of space travelers visiting earth all the time. Perhaps we have all
met aliens at one time or another as they walk down our streets led by some
alien tour guide, but then--of course--the nanobots keep wiping out our
memories. Perhaps even some human scientists have discovered evidence of
these nanobots at work but then--of course--have had their memories
completely erased. Everything we know is consistent with this possibility,
surely the nanobots assigned to this task would think they had a relatively
cushy assignment. Possible? Yes. Probable? No. Or at least that is what the
aliens would like you to believe. ; )
Mark Walker, PhD
Research Associate, Philosophy, Trinity College
University of Toronto
Room 214 Gerald Larkin Building
15 Devonshire Place
Toronto
M5S 1H8
www.permanentend.org
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