Aliens are Coming to Steal our Slood

As much as I admire Stephen Hawking for his work in theoretical physics and popular science, I’ve got to say that his current thoughts on extraterrestrial beings are slightly mental.

Part of what he says, I agree with. This is what he told the Times in London:

“To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational,” he said. “The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like.”

To think that the only scrap of life in this universe is on Earth is not only scientifically ludicrous, but also flies in the face of what is taught in (whisper) scripture, if you read it – and you don’t even have to read it carefully to come to the conclusion that life, and indeed intelligent life, is not unique to this planet. So yes, there is life elsewhere in the universe, and some of that life is intelligent.

Then he flies off into mental territory:

[A] Such scenes are speculative, but Hawking uses them to lead on to a serious point: that a few life forms could be intelligent and pose a threat. Hawking believes that contact with such a species could be devastating for humanity.

He suggests that aliens might simply raid Earth for its resources and then move on: “We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn’t want to meet. I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonise whatever planets they can reach.”

He concludes that trying to make contact with alien races is “a little too risky”. He said: “If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans.”

A few life forms could be intelligent and pose a threat. Hawking believes that contact with such a species could be devastating for humanity.

He suggests that aliens might simply raid Earth for its resources and then move on: “We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn’t want to meet. I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonise whatever planets they can reach.”

He concludes that trying to make contact with alien races is “a little too risky”. He said: “If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans.”

All we’re hearing, of course, is that ALIENS ARE COMING TO STEAL OUR SLOOD! when in actuality Mr. Hawking says that “a few” alien species might be like that.

I have to disagree with him slightly, not on the motivations, but on the targets. Because we already know that looking into motivation, whether alien or terrestrial, is like looking into an empty room. (In my own poinion, however, I've got to say that I'm a bit shocked at Hawking latching onto the tired "hostile alien" theory. I also cringe at his use of the Columbus metaphor -- even though it't apt -- because it's going to be misinterpreted as "arrival in order to steal resources and push out the natives" rather than "first contact that leads to unintended consequences, such as the introduction of new diseases" which is the reality of Columbus' visit.)

Unless I’m grossly mistaken, there’s a lot of raw material out there in space that isn’t currently claimed or occupied. Even in our own tiny solar system, you can find such things as organic compounds – perhaps even crude oil – in places like Io and Titan. You can find water and other lighter elements and molecules on Europa, the Moon, in the Oort Cloud or any other number of locations. And if you’re interested in minerals or metals, it sure seems a lot simpler to mine the asteroid belt or any other local rocky body, rather than descending upon earth, wipe out the aborigines with some kind of space measles and then claim what’s left.

And forget scenarios such as unobtainium. That’s all science fiction hooey.

Is there risk in seeking contact with extraterrestrials? Maybe. Are they likely to come storming in as if the Earth were suddenly the center of the universe as in all those Star Trek shows? Highly unlikely. There are, to speak in the parlance of the old west, richer seams, better claims, greener grass and bigger watering holes out there than our humble little Earth. To think otherwise is to be guilty of once again over-emphasizing the importance of Earth in the context of the galaxy.