Reply to article by: "Kavik Kang" <Kavik_Kang@hotmail.com>
Date written: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 23:52:08 GMT
MsgID:<IOm6d.12592$gG4.3808@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>

I'm certain that intelligent life exists somewhere else other than Earth, and I
am just as certain, based on the available evidence, that none of that
intelligent life has ever visited us. This is based on objective demonstrable
evidence and known facts, not mere reports of evidence and unknown facts.

I'm not a "saucerhead", in fact we seem to share a lot of views such as
those you expressed later in this post.  I am also not defending the
previous poster, so there's no need to challenge me with what he said.  You
drew me back in here because you appear to be an honest sceptic rather than
"Raving Lunatic Debunker", I thought your kind was extinct in this
newsgroup:-)

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that, after reviewing the evidence
available, you do not believe that any alien species have ever visited us?

Correct.

Don't you think that claiming that you are "certain" that such an event has
not occurred is just as dogmatic a position as the most rabid "saucerhead"?
After all, while there is certainly no conclusive evidence of such
visitations, there is evidence. The only way it can be claimed that there
is "not one shred of evidence" (the age old cliche) is to adopt a standard
of evidence for which no evidence at all can be shown for many things that
are known to exist, such as the Great Wall of China. I can certainly
appreciate and respect the opinion of anyone who believes, based on a
preponderance of the evidence, that no alien species have ever visited this
planet. That is a more than reasonable and rational conclusion based on the
evidence that is available. But to say that you are "certain" that such an
event has never occured seems too me to be every bit as dogmatic,
unscientific, and biased a position as that held be the most hopeless of
"saucerheads".

That is a strawman and not something I ever claimed or implied. What I really
said was that no one has ever demonstrated any such evidence that any ETs have
ever visited us -- and that includes you now too. Based on what we actually do
know and what we can actually objectively observe about the world around us,
there is no evidence that there is evidence that any ETs have ever visited us.
That is not dogma, that is a blatent fact.

I would be very interested in knowing if intelligent life from other solar
systems was or would like to visit us but I doubt a species intelligent enough
to know how to solve the problem of interstellar travel would be interested in
interacting with a barbaric species such as ourselves.

Imagine that it is the year 2204 and Earth has just discovered it's first
planet supporting animal life. On that planet is a species similar to an
Earth gorilla, only much more violent. Do you believe that we, a species
then-capable of interstellar travel, would have no interest in that barbaric
species? Wasn't it, in fact, one of our primary motivations for becoming a
species capable of interstellar travel?

You are asking me if a barbaric species would be interested in another barbaric
species, and yes, barbaric species tend to be interested in other barbaric
speices. But you are assuming that our species will forever remain barbaric
rather than evolve as it has been and that is just not a reasonable unspoken
assumption. I am reminded in this instance of a famous quote...

   "I would like to share a revelation that I've had, during my time here. It 
   came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're 
   not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet, instinctively develops an 
   equilibrium with it's surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You 
   move to an area and you multiply and multiply, until every natural resource 
   is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There
   is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know
   what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet; you
   are a plague and we are the cure" (Agent Smith, THE MATRIX, Warner Brothers, 
   1999)

Obviously, a species intelligent enough to traverse light years of space would
be a species that learned to not destroy itself and it's environment; a species
that would not want to spread to another part of the galaxy like a plague --
those are things WE humans would do if we could travel through space today, but
that doesn't imply everyone else in the universe thinks like we do.

I could fantasize about
being an exception to the rule but I know that me and my species are primitive
and barbaric and it is in my nature to be that way. Could I control my fear?
Could I accept much different cultures and food? I would welcome any such
strangers to our planet, but I'm not sure if most of humanity shares my
feelings.

I think most people feel the same way. Unless they start shooting at us, or
moving into our neighborhoods and taking our jobs, they probably would face
more of an uneasyness from most humans than any kind of racial hatred.  Of
course, I could be completely wrong:-)

I disagree considering just how intolerant we are, or at least as us Americans
are.

I've spent all my life looking for anything odd and while I have found many
things that were odd, none of them were in the category of being paranormal.
There is no such thing as the paranormal, it is all wishful thinking.

But there is nothing what-so-ever "paranormal" about aliens. They would be
entirely normal. Simply another real, tangible species that had developed
on another world. There isn't anything paranormal about that.

That is only your opinion but it does not reflect the judgement of the rest of
the world which has deemed UFO stories as paranormal tales.

The Sage

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My Home Page      :           http://members.cox.net/the.sage

"The men that American people admire most extravagantly are
most daring liars; the men they detest the most violently are
those who try to tell them the truth" -- H. L. Mencken
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