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Originally Posted by WalrusLike
Your right... we cant assume their physiology... or for that matter, their motives, their drives, their technology or their behaviours. In other words, we have no idea what they might be like. There are gazillions of possibilities.
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Sure we can. We have to if we are to speak on the subject intelligently.
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For instance you speak of internal fractions... that again is an example of anthropomorphising.... they may be a monolithic society with no internal factions... they may be a hive... who knows.
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Nope. Anthropes are not the only known animals to have factional activity.
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The point is that what you refer to as an educated guess is, in fact, our uneducated guess based on a sample size of one. In no way is that a basis to form a policy... apart from... lets be cautious.
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There are more than one species of life on earth; species that have evolved to live in variations of our atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.
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Some folk like to talk about evolutionary pressure and behaviours as though we have enough of an idea from earth-life what broad sorts of behaviours we will see in aliens.(if they exist). I would suggest that most of us (especially me) don't even know the tiniest fraction of the different sorts of behaviours available (and used by) even earth life-forms.
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Chemistry is as chemistry does.
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I will bet it is built into your subconscious views of alien morphology.
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You'd be wrong.
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Often we are like English gentry of the 19th century considering that all the 'natives' of the world are uncivilised... our world view is way too constrained.
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Maybe you are like that. So far as I can tell, the discussions are about alien civilizations, not alien uncivilizations.
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My point in all this is lets be cautious... lets stop astronomers from periodically shouting out to the universe... 'Come on by and stop in for dinner....'
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Then go talk to the movers and shakers. Most of the people here are hobbyists. If you're really that worried then go talk to people who can make a difference. Just don't assasinate any scientists or blow up any radio telescopes, please.