Whistle blower says non-human bodies recovered from crash

[Sacrosanct]

Emphasis mine.

Exactly. A reason. That reason can't be exploitation. It's completely nonsensical.

Why is it nonsensical? I mean, it's the #1 reason humans use.

So it has to be something else. And the only unique thing Earth offers is human culture and civilization. (I mean, sure, maybe they are here for the whales or octopodes or whatever, but that's even more farfetched).

Also, it is reductive and inaccurate to paint all cross cultural human contact as exploitative and violent.

Technically probably not all. OK. How about 99%?

 

[ichabod]

I believe that aliens have already found us and enslaved us. They call themselves Supreme Beings, Great Ones, Those Who Must Be Obeyed. We call them cats.

 

[Reynard]

Why is it nonsensical? I mean, it's the #1 reason humans use.

There is nothing here that a civilization capable of interstellar travel could possibly need to exploit. The pure energetic and technological requirements for such travel demands it.

 

[ichabod]

There is nothing here that a civilization capable of interstellar travel could possibly need to exploit. The pure energetic and technological requirements for such travel demands it.

Under our current scientific understanding. A more advanced civilization necessarily understands more than we do. They may have found a cheaper way to do the interstellar travel, in which case it might be worth coming here to get another habitable planet. I don't think it's likely, but I'm not willing to say it's not possible.

 

[Morrus]

Why is it nonsensical? I mean, it's the #1 reason humans use.

It's not about the nature of humanity/alienity. It's because to exploit something you need to have something to exploit. What do we have that isn't abundant in the universe and very easily obtained? Water? Nope. Minerals? Nope. Oxygen? Nope! Episodes of Seinfeld?

 

[MarkB]

It's not about the nature of humanity/alienity. It's because to exploit something you need to have something to exploit. What do we have that isn't abundant in the universe and very easily obtained?

Life. It's very rare in the universe, and a complex and abundant ecosystem could be exploited by anyone with a sufficiently deep understanding of biology and biochemistry. Most or all of the possible ways in which it might be exploited would be deeply unpleasant for us.

 

[Morrus]

It's very rare in the universe,

Is it?

and a complex and abundant ecosystem could be exploited by anyone with a sufficiently deep understanding of biology and biochemistry. Most or all of the possible ways in which it might be exploited would be deeply unpleasant for us.

Such as? What does 'life' have that the aliens need?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Such as? What does 'life' have that the aliens need?

It's what you make delicious salads out of.

 

[MarkB]

Such as? What does 'life' have that the aliens need?

Complex biochemicals for one thing. Program a living population's DNA and they can produce all sorts of specialised materials at scales that artificial production would struggle to match. We've done it more crudely since prehistoric times, from when we first started breeding domestic livestock and crops. These days we can tailor crops to make complex pharmaceuticals, and animals to grow replacement organs.

Now imagine being able to do it far more precisely, for a far wider selection of products, through genetic tailoring. Then imagine gaining access to a whole new ecosystem that you don't have to worry about messing up because you don't live in it, and which is different enough from your own that you can use it to build all new products.

 

[Reynard]

Life. It's very rare in the universe,

There is absolutely no evidence this is true.