Monday, June 4, 2018

Extraterrestrial Contact: Six Questions for the First Communication


If we make First Contact with members of an extraterrestrial civilization someday, it would be good to remember the basics of journalism: who, what, where, why, when and how. That handy reminder has been drilled into the brains of reporters for generations. And it could be the start of a conversation with aliens, whether it be through signal based communication with a far-off civilization or a meeting closer to Earth.

Who: Who are you? Are you an artificial intelligence or a biological being?

Why: Why are you making contact with humans?

Where: Where are you from and where are you located now? Are there any members of your civilization in our solar system and if so, where?

What: What do you represent: a nation, civilization or federation of civilizations?

When: Is this the first time you have contacted humans? If not, when was the first time and what was your purpose then?

How: How do you hope this contact with humans will proceed? What do you think should happen next?

These are, of course, quite simplified questions for what would likely be a complicated conversation. But it could be a starting point. It would be easy to get lost in the enormity of such a situation. Starting with the basics could help.

Most of these questions are self-explanatory. The last two, however, are more nuanced than they may appear. The question about when human contact was first made will be important for context. If the aliens claim that this is the First Contact with humans, we could set aside (for a while) the questions of what they have done on Earth previously. I don’t believe in alien conspiracies, but given the number of people reporting abductions over the years it would be important to get aliens on the record immediately, especially if they are visiting our solar system. The question goes to issues of trust and fear. Humans will feel some threat with the revelation of an alien civilization. That concern would grow if the aliens are in our solar system. Of course, aliens could lie, just as humans do. No matter what the initial answer given we would have to be cautious moving forward.

What do you think should happen next? It seems like a conciliatory question for aliens and one that puts us in a position of subservience. But the wording is important: What do you think should happen next?? It doesn’t say that we will agree to what aliens would like to happen. It does explore the intentions of aliens on a long-term scale. The answer to why could be quite simple: we are here to say hello. The how question gets at their long term interest. Would they like to have a relationship with humans? Are they inviting us to be part of a federation? Are they warning us to stay in our solar system?

It would be easy to get excited and focus solely on who they are and where they come from. If First Contact comes via communication with a far-off civilization that focus would be fine. There is much less threat to humans from a far-off civilization. However, in the event of First Contact in our solar system, safety and security would be of primary importance. We would need to establish ground rules for further contact, and communicate our intention to protect our autonomy. Once a set of procedures for contact was agreed upon we could have some breathing room to explore the rest of the questions in depth. Oh, and don't forget to snap a few pictures. People always forget to do that when they're chatting with aliens.

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