The Individual versus the Collective After First Contact

We humans grow closer by the minute thanks to technology. The ability to tweet a message in Egypt and read it instantly in Detroit may be routine, but it can be seen as the development of humans from the individual to the collective. The question to ponder: are we part of an inevitable move toward a collective consciousness? What might that mean for First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization?

Let’s start with the technology. The trend of interconnectedness between humans took off with the invention of the printing press, continued with the invention of the telegraph and telephone, moved forward with the formation of the mass media and has blossomed with the development of the Internet. What does all this mean for humans? Adam Gopnik has an interesting take on the matter in a recent New Yorker magazine review of books. The article focuses on the Internet as part of a larger cultural shift. Gopnik points to recent works by Andy Clark, “Supersizing the Mind”, and Robert K. Logan “The Sixth Language.” Their claim is that our technology is not only changing the way we think, but is rapidly becoming part of how we think. One of the more provocative lines by Gopnik:

“…the Internet produces the global psyche: everyone keyed in like a neuron, so that to the eyes of a watching Martian we are really part of a single planetary brain.”

The idea of a single planetary brain is a believable concept given the rise of smart phones. We are joined into the global information network by a device in our pocket. As smart phones decrease in cost and increase in number it seems likely they will become the norm. Great numbers of us will be joined together pocket to pocket. At what point do we decide that the clumsy little boxes get in the way, and we seek out brain interfaces for smart devices in our head?

Michael Chorost understands the concept perhaps better than most. He already has a chip installed in his head: the engine that runs his cochlear hearing implant. It’s a personal perspective on the larger issue of collective consciousness that is the topic of his new book “World Wide Mind.”

“If human minds could work directly with the Internet, two grand unifications would happen at once,” Chorost said. “First, humans would become more closely connected with each other…we would have entirely new ways to sense each other’s presence, moods and needs. A person with a suitably wired brain could be aware of other people as if they were part of her own body, the same way she knows where her own fingers are. Second, humanity and its tool, the Internet, would become a single organism with entirely new powers. Not just a mere hybrid, but a new species in its own right.”

What Chorost proposes is a profound change in humanity and perhaps one that could help us understand an extraterrestrial civilization. It is, of course, dependent on the nature of extraterrestrials, if they exist at all. Is collectivism a natural part of the development of intelligent beings? Would an extraterrestrial society, many years advanced from us in technology, be more collective and less driven by the individual?

It’s an important question, because it could determine how the relationship between an extraterrestrial civilization and humans would progress. If they are very different from us, perhaps not recognizing the individual at all, it may be tough for us to relate to them.

That essential difference could produce fear here on Earth and create a bitter debate. We are currently a society that celebrates the individual, while forming the collective frameworks necessary to survive and grow. There is already a growing battle between the individual and the collective that can be witnessed in U.S. politics. One could argue that democrat and republican differences come down to a question of the self versus the collective. Conservatives want less government and more individual control. Liberals want stronger government and a collective benefit. I know this is an extremely simplistic view of the much larger political debate, but it does hold some indication of how the future might go After First Contact. If an extraterrestrial civilization was collective in nature there could be significant dissent from human individualists. It might even impact the nature of our relationship with such a civilization. The individualists would argue that interaction with alien collectivists could turn humans into bee-hive like creatures, and thus away from our very humanity. It seems likely that no matter what the differences between us and them, those differences are likely to be of great concern to many on the planet, and perhaps rightfully so. Preserving who we are as humans would be of considerable importance After First Contact, especially if our new friends are much more technologically and socially advanced. The pressure to follow in alien footsteps and take on their characteristics could be immense.

Much of human development is currently driven by individual acts of genius and then a corresponding response within the framework of society. Facebook was created by one bright guy in a Harvard dorm room. But Facebook grows today thanks to the thousands of Facebook employees working together.  Facebook became what it is because of the millions of relationships that join human beings together: family, friends, co-workers and hobbyists. Are we prepared to give up that individual, spark producing, genius? Could the movement toward a collective consciousness actually impede our development? Perhaps there is a natural progression of individual led achievement building to a more collective model, with increasing technology and the rise of artificial intelligence?

What we are becoming here on Earth could be of great interest to the visiting extraterrestrial. Are we developing the types of tools that will allow us to better understand who they are, and our place in the wider universe? Our fragile state of affairs, both socially and politically, might also be of interest. Are we really ready to cope with the impact of First Contact and the question of what we might become After First Contact?

The After First Contact To-Do List

For the sake of argument let’s set up a First Contact scenario. It goes like this: Through one method or another we are contacted by, or perhaps manage to contact ourselves, an extraterrestrial civilization. We have a conversation that occurs without a great lapse of time in between comments (and I know this is unlikely given our current understanding of physics, unless they are in the neighborhood). The extraterrestrial civilization is willing to share what it has learned about science, life and the universe. They are advanced enough, and different enough, for us to acquire some revolutionary new ideas and perspectives.

How might such a thing change who we are as human beings?

What might we have to do as individuals to handle the challenges that such a relationship would create?

How we could change as human beings is a tough one to consider, primarily because we are dealing entirely in speculation. If we don’t know what types of things we might learn, or what would happen in this new relationship, how could we possibly consider how that information, or the situation, might change us?

The actions we would need to take in responding to the situation are a bit more specific. We have no idea what we might learn from an extraterrestrial civilization, but we can imagine what types of choices and decisions we would have to make After First Contact. Here are a few:

-We would need to allow for world representation on a scale not experienced thus far. A relationship with an extraterrestrial civilization requires that we hold the resulting conversation as one planet. Think about what that really means: We would have to be joined together with one voice, something that has never occurred in human history. Okay, so you point to the United Nations. Does the United Nations currently represent the entire planet, or is it rather a meeting place for discussions involving many countries on the planet? The United Nations is a body of nations. It is not a singular voice or the sole representation for the planet. In a First Contact event the United Nations would have to act as the primary representation for planet Earth. Humans would need to view the United Nations in an entirely new light. There would likely be many people not happy with such a situation. The resulting unrest could be significant.

-We would be forced to confront our religious beliefs and find a new perspective for old faiths. Recent surveys have shown that a majority of people are comfortable with incorporating the concept of extraterrestrials into their religion. However, like all things speculative, what people say now in a pure environment of thought, could be quite different from the reaction to something real and present. It would seem likely that there would be many people, especially those with strong or extremist religious views, who would not accept the concept of extraterrestrial life so easily, let alone approve of a human relationship with an extraterrestrial civilization.

-We would have to learn many new things. Information shared with us, of any sort, would have a dramatic impact on specific fields and the many subsets throughout human civilization that operate in those arenas. Let’s take physics as an example. We would assume that academics and researchers would have quite a bit of work to do in processing any alien knowledge in regards to physics. But what about the multitude of private companies that are science based? Revelations in physics would create a tidal wave of impact, first through the sciences, then into private industry and further out into the rest of society. Perhaps the impact, much like a wave, would not be as great for those further out from the primary field of academic and research physics, but it would be profound enough to change how millions of people do their jobs. Learning would take on a much greater importance. Those who could not keep up with the change would be left behind professionally. Professors would not be able to rely on well-worn lectures. Researchers in private industry would search for ways the new alien information could be exploited. On the flip side, those same companies would also be extremely worried about what the competition might be doing with that information. This could create a volatile environment for higher education, research and private industry.

-We would need to overcome fear. This could be the big one. We have worked ourselves into a near-frenzy of mass market movie fiction about aliens marauding across the planet or secretly manipulating us behind the scenes. The number of movies and TV shows with such plots is growing. We have told ourselves too many scary stories. There will be fear inherent in any First Contact scenario. The level of fear would probably depend on the amount of interaction we have with extraterrestrials, and of course the physical ability, if any, that they would have to actually travel to Earth. Direct First Contact, an extraterrestrial civilization arriving in person or via mechanical emissaries, would create the greatest fear, because it would have the greatest risk.

-We would need to learn how to maintain a balance between our old world and the dramatic new universe. Most things on Earth would not change after First Contact of any type, even the most dramatic. We would still need to go to work, feed the family, participate in human social occasions and even mow the lawn. The basic elements of our lives would stay the same. On the other hand, for some people their entire profession, or religious faith, or world perspective, could undergo dramatic change. Keeping a balance between the old world and the new world could be a major challenge. Once again, the level of impact would depend on the type of First Contact. The higher the degree of interaction, and the more information shared, the higher the possibility of significant disruption in the lives of humans. The order that we keep each day, by going to work and cooking dinner for the family, is how society maintains itself. The commonplace is the bedrock of humanity, allowing us to function as a civilization. It will be important for people to maintain the commonplace while dealing with the extraordinary.

Are we up to the task? I think humans are incredibly resilient and manage to respond well to challenges. If we can survive World War Two, the nuclear arms race and ravaging global diseases, it seems likely we could survive, and perhaps thrive, After First Contact. The key will be human leadership. Are our leaders up to the task?

The Dichotomy of Information After First Contact

The future of humanity could be exemplified by the ability of a Chinese teenager to watch a video by the Korean pop musician Super Junior. Why Super Junior? I had never even heard of the fellow until I started to Google music banned in China. The Chinese government has a tradition of using firewalls to block access to banned websites and reportedly employs thousands to police websites in the country. Apparently, they have issues with Super Junior. Music, web sites and specifically any protest oriented material is routinely blocked in China. It’s a battle being waged across the globe. Egypt shut down the Internet for several days in an attempt to quash the protest movement. Clearly, the Egyptian situation was a victory for freedom of information. The situation in China will be a major issue in years to come.

In the United States it’s another form of control. Corporations would like to decide how we use the Internet, primarily to determine how we receive advertising, as those channels become increasingly more “interactive”, which in reality means that they want to target advertising without you knowing it. The near future will bring ads to your television determined and targeted especially for you based on that last Internet search. I’m not sure how they will keep the search terms “Britney Spears Nude” from influencing the ads shown in a Disney show now being watch by the kids, but dads everywhere should be very afraid. I know, this is nothing new; Internet freedom activists have been bemoaning attempts to control the web for years. And you know what? They’re right. The future of humanity, both in technological and social aspects, depends on free access to information and the freedom to share ideas.

It’s not a simple debate of democracy versus totalitarian rule. This goes beyond the political labels and goes straight to the heart of human development. We need ideas and we need to be able to share those ideas with others. We live in a technological era where much of the collective knowledge of the planet can be accessed by a $100 device in your pocket. The imperatives of that technology say that information should flow freely and new ideas should be allowed to blossom. Then, instead of some authority figure determining whether an idea is worthwhile, the entire planet can chime in.

Transparency is what happens when information flows freely. Transparency is a level of honesty that seldom occurs between a government and its people. It says that the actions of that government can be viewed and dissected by the general public. It goes well beyond the old fourth estate and far beyond any level of honesty we experience here in the United States. I have concerns about the personal motives of Julian Assange, but I can appreciate what Wikileaks supporters are saying. Secrecy inevitably gives someone power over a particular situation and that power breeds corruption. It only serves to help prop up a government or institution, it does very little to help people.

What does this have to do with alien First Contact? Unfortunately, it’s the centerpiece of a debate that I imagine would rage After First Contact. I have advocated for some time now for having a carefully controlled flow of information and an established framework for disseminating alien knowledge After First Contact, if ,of course, the aliens are willing to share. That means setting up a system of filters and controls. Groups of people, probably best led by the scientific bodies that represent scientific fields, would have to decide what information is to be released and how it is released. The goal is to prevent a meltdown of the human system of science. A tidal wave of new information could have a profound impact on many scientific fields and spoon fed knowledge, coming from an alien source, could do real damage to the human research and scientific process. The business world could also be turned on its ear. Dramatic technological revolutions could cause major shifts in the economy. All of this would probably occur After First Contact, with or without tight control of information. The filters and framework would only serve to lessen the severity of the impact and slow the speed of change.

Why can’t we know everything there is to know about the extraterrestrials? Why can’t they just lay out their scientific knowledge and let us decide what to do from there?  Why should certain people control the information that comes as a result of First Contact? Those will be among the arguments made by many people After First Contact, and probably most notably freedom of information advocates. And you know what? Those protesters will have valid concerns, and so will the people in charge of regulating that flow of information. Information does demand to be free and technology makes that a strong imperative. However, the protection of our human society requires us to prepare for that new alien information, building a framework for dispersal that protects our scientific and cultural institutions from washing away in a deluge of new ideas. After First Contact, if it is a highly interactive First Contact, this will be the dichotomy that will test human civilization.

I don’t see many easy answers. Perhaps, the only simple way out is to take matters out of our hands. We could hope that visiting extraterrestrials would be just as concerned. The information would be ultimately controlled by them- to give to us or to keep to themselves. They could control the flow and they could decide what content should be included. This seems like a rather paternal role to wish on visitors, but it may be the best way possible. Humans must fight for transparency and freedom of information. They must also be very worried about the impact of thousands of years of alien thought on our tender and rather fragile human civilization.

I realize that this discussion seems rather esoteric given the fact that there is no evidence at all that extraterrestrial civilizations are out there. But imagine the consequences if we do make contact? There could be no greater concern and we have done little to prepare. Perhaps, it’s worth just a brief moment of thought?

The Santa Claus Effect

I’ve done plenty of speculation over the years about First Contact possibilities. One thing I haven’t considered is what I would call the Santa Claus Effect (different from the Santa Claus Rally in the stock market). What if there is an extraterrestrial civilization waiting to make contact with us, and they are waiting to make contact at a point where we could understand some tremendous, and perhaps quite disturbing, revelation? I call it the Santa Claus Effect, because learning the truth would cause a severe change in our perspective, blowing away previous core beliefs. It would quickly erode our naiveté, making us more cynical, and yet perhaps better prepared citizens of the universe. The information would have to be dramatic. Perhaps it would be a quite different view of reality, whether it is multiple universes or a complete reworking of our understanding of time and space.

We like to think that extraterrestrial knowledge would be a great thing for society, with information providing us the tools for advancement in technology. It’s unsettling to consider that perhaps reality is far different from how we perceive it and fraught with new, troubling challenges. The two could even come hand in hand: technological advancement and radical shifts in our perception of reality.

It would probably depend on how advanced a civilization we were to meet. If they are only a few hundred years advanced in technology, perhaps the great new truths would be limited to new ways of viewing physics and the universe. Scientists might be blown away, but if the details are complicated, as you would imagine they would be, the rest of society would be relatively undisturbed. However, if we find that our entire conception of time is a fabrication, and alternate realities exist, it would be likely to provoke a more wide-spread disturbance of perspective.

In the end, the Santa Claus Effect, even if quite dramatic, might be less of a challenge for humans than one would imagine. Humans have an amazing ability to process new information quickly and develop new world views. That resiliency in thought could go a long way in the wake of First Contact.

Unrest After First Contact

The Egyptian situation is interesting for many reasons. It does appear to be part of a growing world trend, where information technology and rapid communication can assist protest movements, which then combined with the force of the international news media, can quickly turn protest into the disintegration of governments. The big question for this blog: could those same technologies and forces cause similar unrest in the wake of Direct First Contact? To be sure, the context and the catalysts would be vastly different. Egypt has had an active underground protest movement for many years. Anger has been building and it is directed primarily at one man and his immediate government. The catalysts are unemployment and government corruption.

What protest catalysts might develop out of extraterrestrial First Contact? It really is a matter of what type of First Contact. A random message discovered far away (the most likely scenario) would probably cause little disturbance at first. Substantive communication with a far-off extraterrestrial civilization would be more of a concern. Direct First Contact has an immediate nature that would cause the most dramatic security and cultural impact concerns, and ultimately those two worries could be strong catalysts for unrest.

It all comes down to trust. What popular groups would support interaction with an alien civilization and what groups would be opposed? In a sense, individual nations and their governments would be stuck in the middle.

If the government of a country was to support a U.N. diplomacy process with an extraterrestrial group, it could be a cause of division within that country. Factions in the populace could view extraterrestrial contact as a conspiracy and religious groups could hold apocalyptic views. That could lead to direct protest and major problems for the government. On the flip side, a government could respond to such popular concerns by attacking the diplomatic effort and attempting to change the UN process.

First Contact could also cause popular uprisings against oppressive regimes, merely by opening the door to change. The Egyptian situation shows that organized internal dissent, coupled with international media attention can have a huge impact in a very short time. It is something last witnessed during the fall of the Berlin Wall. The only thing standing between status quo and change is catalyst and action. First Contact could provide a powerful catalyst by opening the door to new ideas and new perspectives. Social media and the Internet provide the tools for substantive action.

Needless to say, speculation is tough in this particular arena. We are trying to figure out not only the types of events involved in something that has never occurred on Earth, First Contact, but also how governments and people will react. There are no reasonable precedents. I admit that my comparison to the Egyptian situation is a stretch. However, current and historical comparisons are all that we have to examine when it comes to the consideration of human reaction After First Contact.

So, why bother even considering the issue? Like everything in First Contact speculation, it at least provides a dirt path going forward, certainly not a clear road or a highway forward, but perhaps a trace through the grass that can help us if First Contact ever occurs. We could use a framework to watch for specific events After First Contact and then respond to them, before they get out of hand. Nothing would impact a First Contact scenario more than political strife inside and between nations. It will be important to look for warning signs and develop proactive responses before situations get out of hand.

Fourteen Challenges After Direct First Contact

Direct First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization would present a unique set of challenges in the months and years following a First Contact event. A stunned reaction of relative quiet would be expected in the initial days after the event, and yet it will not last long. World leaders will have to respond quickly.

1. There will be a need for increased cooperation between nations in response to First Contact. Some nations may need support, to avoid slipping into protectionism and isolationism.

2. The rapid change in perspective could prompt knee-jerk reactions from institutions and organizations.

3. Some nations could experience unrest and governmental erosion.

4. Some institutions could disintegrate under the pressure of change.

5. Safe, progressive change for institutions will need to be actively promoted and nurtured.

6. New institutions will need to be created to respond to new needs.

7. World leaders should support individual, bureaucratic and corporate creativity to respond to new demands and opportunities.

8. There will have to be diplomatic, governmental, and scientific frameworks built to support cautious change.

9. World leaders will need to curb excessive self-interested reaction and power grabs by both individuals and organizations.

10. The valid concerns of many groups will have to be addressed in the wake of First Contact, including extremist groups. All segments of human society should be part of the dialog.

11. Transparency will need to be the hallmark of all endeavors After First Contact.

12. Affordable access to information technology should be treated as a human right. It will be critical to human growth and development After First Contact.

13. If extraterrestrial information is shared with humans, the sciences will need to re-organize and find ways to respond to the new challenges created by those scientific revelations.

14. Higher education systems worldwide will have to re-organize and find ways to quickly respond to change in many academic areas.

Losing Our Humanity

The French have been grappling with ways to maintain their essential French-ness in a rapidly homogenizing world. In 1994, they passed the Toubon Law, designed to protect the French language from an onslaught of English. This has become an issue particularly in the French business world,where English is often used as the informal language of commerce. The French Coalition for Cultural Diversity takes it a step further, seeking to create protections in many cultural areas.

Are the French simply afraid of change? Or do they have a real concern?
The rise of the global economy, coupled with advances in communication technology, means that the world is becoming, in a sense, smaller or at least not as geographically confined. Americans can listen to African music or Russian poetry with a couple of keystrokes on the computer. Australians can read Finnish literature or watch Brazilian TV broadcasts. This cross-cultural influence will naturally create concerns about cultural identity. The world could become a great melting pot and some worry that will mean the death of individual cultures. One could argue that the American melting pot still retains plenty of distinct cultural differences. However, that cultural complexity comes in large part from recent immigrant communities. One only need look for signs of the Irish identity in many Southern cities to realize that cultural assimilation, and the formation of a new culture, occurs rather quickly.

So, the big question is: what happens after First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization? Suddenly, human culture would be the least interesting thing to consider. All attention will be focused on the culture of an extraterrestrial civilization. It would seem possible that many academic fields will change radically After First Contact. What will happen to the social sciences? Will they be lost in the rush to study an extraterrestrial civilization? What impact will those extraterrestrial cultures have on human religion and philosophy?

This is the essential long term dilemma of First Contact. What will happen to our human culture in the wake of meeting an extraterrestrial culture? It is a scenario that has been analyzed in many human interactions through history, essentially the original concept of first contact. Let’s take Tahiti as an example. The island is thought to have been first visited by Europeans in 1767. English and French visitors wrote about the “noble savage” and the “Earthly paradise” in the Polynesian culture. Trade and interaction between the two civilizations soon took its toll. Guns, prostitution, venereal disease and alcohol decimated the Polynesian people and eroded Polynesian society. Disease proved to be too much for the native population to bear. By 1797 the natives shrunk to just four percent of the original pre-contact population.

We can hope that the problem of disease transmission between humans and extraterrestrials would be well managed, as it will be foremost in the minds of scientists in the immediate days following First Contact. It is the cultural erosion that will probably be less well-considered. The Tahitians of today are basically French with a Polynesian cultural undercurrent. Despite efforts to revive and maintain Polynesian ways, it is primarily a French society.

The biggest danger would seem to come with the generations born After First Contact. They will be a new breed of human: individuals with no recollection of a time when humans were the center of the universe. They are likely to focus their attention on the wider universe and the many things to explore within that context. In the wake of First Contact, the study of human culture will likely decline in academia. We may even see entire fields in the social sciences disappear.

Will we need to learn a lesson from the French and set about to protect our human culture? I have written about the New Isolationists, those people likely to oppose extraterrestrial interaction After First Contact. These people may have an important role: reminding us of the dangers we face in cultural assimilation. We will need to listen to many voices in the conversation that occurs After First Contact. If not, we may find ourselves in years to come lamenting a human civilization lost to the wider universe.

The Interaction-Problem Correlation

The impact of extraterrestrial First Contact on human civilization has often been described as a being based on the type of First Contact. The discovery of a signal from an extraterrestrial civilization many light years away would have a relatively low impact. Communication would take decades and the amount of information traded would most likely be limited at first. Direct First Contact, an extraterrestrial civilization landing on Earth, would have a much higher impact.

In keeping with this concept, I think there is another relationship to explore: the correlation between extraterrestrial interaction and the problems created by that interaction. Even in a Direct First Contact event the amount of interaction between humans and an extraterrestrial civilization could vary greatly. Extraterrestrial visitors might want to share a great deal of information with us. They also may decide to share very little with us. The amount of interaction would be primarily their decision and it would likely be based on their reasons for visiting. Perhaps they are worried about what we would do with advanced technological information? Or they may want to protect us from a rapid series of paradigm shifts in our sciences. They may have a very specific agenda for visiting, one that does not include a great deal of interaction. Or they may have a mission based on sharing all of the information they have.

A high degree of interaction would likely produce a greater amount of information. This in turn increases the likelihood of problems here on Earth. Even low interaction may cause massive changes in perspective and could cause radical shifts in human philosophy, religion and even global politics. It would certainly provide a new level of security anxiety. We would go from worrying about each other to worrying about forces from outside our solar system. Still, with a lack of concrete information the amount of impact would be relatively small when compared with the alternative. A great deal of scientific and technological information exchanging hands could produce a tidal wave of change, creating significant problems for the world economy, global politics, and perhaps most importantly the stability of our scientific and research process. To put it simply: the more information exchanged, the more potential for problems to develop here on Earth.

Does this mean we should limit interaction with an extraterrestrial civilization, if that day ever comes? Not necessarily. If they are willing to share, our human curiosity will probably get the better of us. The real question is how the process for sharing that information should work. Needless to say, if an extraterrestrial civilization were to have access to our Internet they would already have a great deal of our information available to them. This would make the interaction actually more of a one-way street. However, it is a one-way street on which we should be able control the traffic. An open floodgate of information could prove disastrous. To prevent problems from growing out of hand, the information flow would need to be strictly controlled and analyzed at every step. This would require a level of scientific and global political cooperation far beyond anything we have managed thus far. It might even be a task beyond our reaching. The real issue would be whether an extraterrestrial civilization was willing to work with us on the distribution of information. If they simply want to put everything they know out there for us to consider, there is not much we can do.

We need to realize that any type of extraterrestrial First Contact will cause problems. Managing those problems, and managing the many challenges created by First Contact, will take a great deal of effort and require us to think about our own civilization in ways we have never before considered.

Our Crude Scientific Method

The process of scientific experimentation and replication is the foundation of our scientific culture. It’s the method used to help decide everything from what pharmaceuticals we should take to determining what is occurring in the environment. It has been used to help show how humans think and how humans are genetically designed. And yet there is one variable that is seldom mentioned in publication- how those results could be influenced by what researchers, and those who closely follow their work, want to see. This is explored in a recent New Yorker article by Jonah Lehrer titled “The Truth Wears Off.”

He shows how several scientific studies had initial dramatic results and how the published replication studies initially supported those findings. Then, over time, further studies showed diminishing results. The so-called decline effect could have many reasons behind it, according to Lehrer. Part of the problem may lie in what studies get published. Nil results are not very exciting. Results that replicate dramatic findings are more interesting and thus more likely to get published. There may also be a problem with the interpretation of testing results by scientists and the very human tendency to seek out the interesting, rather than report findings that are not significant.

Lehrer points to the Kuhnian concept that scientific paradigms grow in stature and then finally get to a point where they are so established they are actively questioned and enough data builds up to dispute the initial finding. At this juncture the results disproving the original thesis become more interesting. If the new experimentation tears down the old theories, a paradigm shift occurs and a new paradigm is developed.

I find these ideas interesting because they call into question our basic way of building knowledge. And it raises an important point. Debate and disagreement are often as important in science as the replication studies. This can be seen clearly in a recent announcement made by NASA scientists, and reported on this blog last week. The scientists reported that they had trained bacteria to grow on a diet of arsenic providing the possibility that organisms could exist in the universe using entirely different biological structures than what we have seen thus far on Earth. This week there has been a firestorm of controversy over the study, with criticism coming from microbiologists at several institutions. The debate is critical. These complaining researchers have examined the study and found flaws in the design, flaws that could call into question the results.

Perhaps our scientific method is too crude for us to even begin to understand extraterrestrial science? People often worry that extraterrestrial visitors would not be able to speak our languages. This seems absurd, considering the technological prowess that would be needed to travel between the stars. One would imagine that advanced technology, combined with some time for research, would allow extraterrestrial visitors to both understand human languages and develop a way to communicate with us. More likely we would have a very hard time understanding their scientific language and thus their technology. It would be like trying to build a skyscraper of knowledge without any understanding of the blueprints.

Perhaps After First Contact we would need to learn a new way of examining the world around us- building a new scientific method? Part of human progress could be the development of artificial intelligence that could conduct scientific experiments, without all of the human flaws of expectation and the need for drama. We could be getting in the way of science, instead of nurturing it.

The way science works here on Earth is a critical issue when it comes to considering the impact of extraterrestrial contact. The sharing of scientific knowledge and technological information is something many people would expect to occur if we ever have a relationship with an extraterrestrial civilization. The question is whether or not we could handle that information. If the extraterrestrials are willing to share, we will need to put together a carefully structured process for how we will receive such information and how it will fit into our system of research and scientific knowledge. It makes one wish that Thomas Kuhn was still alive and that he could lead such an effort in the wake of First Contact. His way of viewing science and the process of discovery is important for this discussion.

What do we learn and how weird is it?

Quantum entanglement is the idea that there can be an inherent relationship between two particles even if they are separated over vast distances. Einstein called it “spooky action at a distance.”

Quantum entanglement and quantum mechanics in general has gone from theory to practical application in recent years. I’m not going to tie it in to potential alien technology or any other “new age” speculation. Quantum mechanics is the very real work of physicists. I am merely going to point out what many prominent researchers say about quantum mechanics: there is quite a bit that we don’t fully understand and some of it is quite weird.

Science News Magazine tackled the topic in the November issue. Editor-in-Chief Tom Siegfried points out that quantum mechanics is being used today in computer technology. So called, quantum bit, or qubit, computers are expected to vastly increase computation power. How soon this might happen and whether or not this will truly be the future of computer technology is a matter of debate. Quantum entanglement has also been applied to cryptography, because it allows for communication in secret and technically over vast distances. The technology is in its infancy, but companies like IBM have formed labs and researchers all over the world are working to take theory into application.

Quantum mechanics suggest that perhaps there are different possible realities. Each chain of reality would have to be consistent in and of itself, but it could be next to a chain of events altered slightly, and there could be an infinite number of chains.

The purpose of this entry is not to explain physics that I can barely understand. I’ll leave it to the fine writers at Science News. I bring it up because it raises a very big issue for extraterrestrial First Contact: how weird could reality actually be and are we prepared for the answers?

Science News Editor Siegfried sums it up well: “There are some strange things in the world that we do not understand.”

So, what happens if extraterrestrials with advanced scientific knowledge start communicating with planet Earth? Are we prepared for a massive change in not only science, but perhaps how we view reality? Are our scientists up to the task of deciphering such new knowledge and integrating it into our way of understanding? How weird could the answers be?

The existence of an infinite number of realities would at the very least cause severe indigestion in the areas of religion and philosophy. If the concepts are wide reaching enough they could also have an impact on everyday life for the rest of us. In the end, this is just speculation piled on top of speculation. But it illustrates the ultimate problem: if an advanced civilization decides to communicate with us there could be much that we learn and there could be much discomfort in that knowledge.

Denialism

Humans have had an interesting relationship with science in the last 90 years. Michael Specter examines this in his book “Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives.”

The major question is: how have we arrived at a point where many people deny the science of global warming, the safety of vaccines and even the theory of evolution?

Specter’s first law of denialism: “The truth is not going to get in the way of people who are moved by faith, greed, fear or a desire to deny what they see.”

His second truth of denialism: “Denialism transcends politics.”

Specter mentions the fear of food bio-engineering when pointing out that the left has participated in plenty of science denialism in recent years.

How does this tie into extraterrestrial First Contact?

Specter says that fear and superstition are threatening human progress, building a public antagonism towards science. This is a marked turn from attitudes 90 years ago, when science was looked upon to transform society. What happened? The unleashing of the first nuclear bomb is one turning point. Suddenly, humans were aware that technology could be deadly on a scale not previously imagined. There was a realization that there are many possible dangers in science. Just look to the science fiction of the 1950s to see what developed in the collective consciousness: nuclear technology producing monsters of all sorts. Of course, this notion of dangerous technology had actually been creeping up in the collective consciousness for many years, with the development of gas warfare in WWI and massive aerial bombardment at the start of WWII.

In the wake of First Contact, denialism would be a huge issue. Many people would be unable to fit the reality of an extraterrestrial civilization into their religious and philosophical views. Distrust and fear would run rampant. Science and the scientific process could be viewed as a dangerous conduit to alien thinking and alien ideas.

Granted, some concern in the aftermath of First Contact would be quite warranted. Many argue that the path of current technology, without careful controls, could harm or even destroy human civilization. It seems to be one of the great arguments of our time, especially with advances in bio-technology that allow us to literally transform biological life itself.

Bill Joy, who formed Sun Microsystems, has called for restrictions in the use of technology and limiting the pursuit of some kinds of technology. Joy’s most famous call to action came in a 2000 Wired magazine article titled "Why the future doesn't need us." Specter calls this worry a type of Luddism, dangerous in itself, saying that it’s like asking society to have a preventive technological lobotomy. Still, with the advent of advanced biological manipulation and of computing power soon growing beyond our comprehension, you can understand where Joy is coming from. We have been creating technology that has the ability to not only destroy our planet, but potentially change the very nature of human biology. We have reached the point of danger with nuclear technology. We may soon approach the point of danger with bio-technology.

This debate would be even more vigorous After First Contact. If alien visitors decided to share information about science and technology, we will have to decide what we want to know and how we want to receive the information. Most importantly, we would have to decide how we would allow that information to be used.

While I understand and respect the concerns on both sides of the argument, one would imagine that as in most things human, the key will be balance. We will have to walk a fine line between allowing an unrestrained leap in technology and living with a controlling, forced system of limited access to alien technology and science.
Specter argues that ultimately, the world needs an education system that stresses skepticism and critical thinking, and perhaps most importantly, a real understanding of science and the scientific process. First Contact would make this need only more dramatic. Humans, at all social and economic levels, have a right to a robust educational system that helps humans to be capable of understanding what is happening in their world. This would be perhaps the greatest challenge After First Contact. Will we make the effort to bring all humans into the decision making process? Will we help even the poor to understand what is going on? Or will we fracture, on an even larger scale, into a society of information haves and have-nots?

One cannot have a functioning, technologically advanced, democratic society, unless the majority of people in that society truly understand science and can think critically. With or without aliens it may be the challenge of our times.

Stunned

First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization could occur in one of three basic scenarios. These have been explored by several writers in recent years. Each scenario presents a level of impact on human society:

1. SETI interception of a stray signal. This is the lowest impact scenario. It would provide a scientific puzzle and certainly be a major event for humanity. However, it would have very little impact on the day to day lives of humans.

2. SETI reception of a signal intended for us. This scenario steps up the drama. A signal intended for humanity would be the start of a new relationship. Given the time needed for such messages to travel interstellar distances, it would likely take many years for our response to reach an extraterrestrial civilization and many more years for us to receive a reply. The true impact would come in the content of such a message. Does it reveal new information about the universe?

3. Direct First Contact. This is the scenario I explore in this blog. It is the most unlikely of these three scenarios; however it comes with a huge impact to human society. Direct First Contact brings with it a wide range of immediate concerns: safety, diplomacy and information sharing. The impact could be felt in the sciences, the global economy and the world political stage.

The nature of the impact of Direct First Contact and how it could play out in real time fascinates me. I think the only way to speculate about the reaction of humans to Direct First Contact is to look at dramatic world events in recent history and see the underlying nature of the human response.

I think there could be a period of time After Direct First Contact when people are simply stunned. It may only last a few days or weeks. People will be trying to process a huge shift in thinking. In time, though, that surprise will wear off and old beliefs and concerns will begin to resurface to face the new reality.

I’ll compare it to the election of President Obama. At first, there was a period where the political right became very quiet and almost seemed to disappear into the background. Eventually, though, these folks found ways to cope with the new reality and began an active and energized campaign against the President and his policies. I don’t want to take political sides here; I think Democrats and Republicans could agree on this assessment of the situation.

The next example is 9-11. Needless to say most people were stunned in the hours that followed the attacks. The first few days after the terrorist attack were devoted to the very real threat and response. For a time political agendas were put on hold in the United States. World reaction was interesting. Many people around the globe expressed sympathy and understanding. And some of course viewed the developments as a victory against the United States. Still, the world was changed for a period of time. Old lines of differences were broken down and it took many weeks for them to be built back again. However, when those differences did re-emerge, it happened in a new reality.

This period of a stunned public and then the recovery reaction, when the old ways of doing things re-emerge in new ways, will be important in the aftermath of a Direct First Contact event. The entire world will be watching and for a while traditional lines of difference will be blurred. This will provide an opportunity to bring humans closer together and if it is done properly, lay the groundwork for long term change. In both of the previous cases I have mentioned there was no groundwork laid during the recovery reaction. No clear agenda was set. In the case of 9-11 we were understandably just worried about domestic security. It is the example of the Obama win that is troubling. What happens if we simply ignore the recovery reaction, as the Democrats did in 2008?

First Contact that ignores these possibilities will play into the hands of extremists. Without a strong message and theme, fringe reactions will become the news and will gain support. There is of course a fine line between providing a positive united message for humanity and attempting to use First Contact to support a larger political agenda. If the message is simple and devoid of political entanglements and political ideologies it could become an important marker on the path forward for humanity.

The message?

We are one people, joined together on this planet, and now facing a much larger universe. This new reality means that we must come together as never before, and forge a new alignment for the future. This change must involve all of humanity, regardless of country, class, geography or culture. We will need to be stronger in will and more creative in collaboration. There will be great challenges and many new opportunities. We are the generation that will lead the human race forward. We can welcome this new civilization and this new reality, united as one planet and one people. We have a clear purpose: make planet Earth a better world for future generations. Only then can we take our place as responsible and valuable citizens of the universe.

Armageddon Thinking and First Contact

I like to think about First Contact from an extraterrestrial perspective. Granted, it’s a human trying to consider the extraterrestrial perspective, and that’s probably pretty flawed. Still, I think there are a few basic things we might expect in how they would view a Direct First Contact event.

In a Direct First Contact scenario, where an extraterrestrial civilization comes to Earth to say hello, our reaction is going to be important to them. An extreme reaction could lead to violence or unrest. Extreme thinking can lead to extreme reactions. So, I think it would be safe to say that aliens would have an interest in the possible extremist reactions to extraterrestrial First Contact.

I’ve discussed fringe religious and political reactions to First Contact. And yet there is a much larger group that could be of concern: Christians.

A focus on the Book of Revelation and the rapture is integral to beliefs in many Christian denominations, including the born again movement. What does all of this have to do with First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization? Armageddon thinking among Christians will be a huge challenge After First Contact.

You might think that only a small group of Christians believe that we are near Armageddon times. Not true. A 2002 Time/CNN poll found:

“Fully 59% say they believe the events in Revelation are going to come true, and nearly one-quarter think the Bible predicted the Sept. 11 attack.”

If you can tie 9/11 into events discussed in the book of Revelation, then why not alien visitation?

And it’s not just the general public. The belief in Armageddon can be found in the upper levels of the United States government.

The most public example of belief in the apocalypse may be the “Left Behind” series of books that rose to popularity in the late 1990’s. They portray a vision of the Rapture, the New Testament belief that Christians will ascend to heaven at the end of the world. How politics and government ties into this was made clear during a 60 Minutes television show interview with “Left Behind” author Reverend Tim LaHaye.

“We believe that God has raised up America to be a tool in these last days, to get the Gospel to the innermost parts of the earth.”

LaHaye was a close supporter of President George W. Bush and there has been plenty of speculation about the President’s thoughts about Armageddon. The latest talk is of Sarah Palin and her apocalyptic beliefs. The Christian fundamentalist movement has been picking up steam in American politics for the last 30 years. That fundamentalism carries with it some degree of belief in the rapture and the American role in Armageddon.

Author Marci McDonald says it doesn’t stop at the borders. Her recent book “The Armageddon Factor: The Rise of Christian Nationalism in Canada” says that the belief is held by many in the Canadian government.

I don’t propose that a belief in Armageddon is a problem in and of itself. It is a problem when people mix that belief with world politics and current events and make important decisions based on those beliefs. And it seems likely that if we were to ever have contact with an extraterrestrial civilization, Armageddon thinking would be a real issue.

So, how do you hope to deal with such beliefs? I think the only answer is with the rational weight of the rest of the world. First Contact would be a real test for many religions and believers. How they react is likely to be influenced by the greater majority. If the entire world is thrown into chaos it will be tough to keep the Armageddon talk from gaining followers. If things remain relatively calm, the majority may be able to keep the scared minority for gaining strength.

I think the first steps have already been taken. The Catholic Church has been proactive in taking a lead role in discussion of First Contact and its impact. They appear to be trying to incorporate the possibility of extraterrestrial life into Catholic faith. You would hope that other world religions would follow. The Christian faith has many different churches and beliefs and perhaps more of those could incorporate the concept of extraterrestrial civilization into a larger view of god and the universe.

Alien First Contact and the New Isolationists

Isolationism is a policy that seeks to avoid political and economic entanglements. Protectionism is the creation of barriers to control trade and cultural exchange. Both could be a factor After First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization.
Isolationism is frequently cited when referring to American political policies, most often in connection with Europe. It started with George Washington and played a major part in American involvement in World War Two.

So, how could isolationism apply to First Contact? One would imagine there would be a segment of human society that would want to keep us walled off from any extraterrestrial entanglements. It could be as drastic as telling an alien civilization to stay away. It could also come in a complex set of rules and regulations brought on by protectionism. We have already seen elements of this behavior: the debate over sending messages from Earth out into space to take a proactive approach to spurring First Contact. Many say proactive communication is a bad idea as it could attract extraterrestrial visitors bent on aggression or exploitation.

I think a certain amount of care and concern is an important element of any First Contact scenario. We would have no idea what problems we could be entering into with the start of a new extraterrestrial relationship. As I have stated before even the most benign contact could prove challenging if it involves the transfer of scientific information or other contact that could impact our scientific, economic and political systems. First Contact should be tightly controlled and obsessively planned down to the last detail. It cannot be left to physical scientists. Social scientists will need to take the lead and there is just a small number that have considered the impact of First Contact.

The path for humanity After First Contact is likely to be a balancing act. We should strive to be transparent in the process and the open in the diplomatic effort. And yet there must be authority placed in the hands of some world organization, and there must be tight control in the early days of the process. The overriding goal should be openness and a freedom of exchange. This cannot be accomplished until a system of diplomatic contact is developed.

It is likely that some isolationists that won’t agree with even the most conservative approach After First Contact. This group may grow if humanity faces significant unrest in the wake of First Contact. Elements of isolationism and protectionism should be part of any response and yet they must be elements that we seek to disintegrate over time.

All of this will take extraordinary leadership and an iron political will. The United Nations is clearly not ready for this challenge. And yet in any First Contact scenario they will be the only body able to represent all of the people of Earth. There will be a huge struggle between isolationists and more liberal groups. The debate will be an important one After First Contact.

The Scientific Community Responds to First Contact

In his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Thomas Kuhn stresses that crisis is the “essential tension” in research science. Anomaly is part of the process and the response by scientists is often to make modifications to a paradigm to eliminate the conflicts. So, how would science respond to a series of anomalies, or more so, a series of scientific revolutions?

If human society meets an extraterrestrial civilization there will be a great deal of interest in what they know of science, and the technology they have developed from that science. Will they be willing to share? Who knows? But I do suggest that we may want to be very careful about what we ask for and what information we receive.

Kuhn makes the argument that human science works in a very specific way and whether it be the actions of everyday “normal science” or in crisis mode, the actions are predictable and part of the overall scientific process that has allowed humans to develop.

What happens to normal science if we have radical new technological and scientific ideas simply provided to us? It is a question that is wide ranging, because the answers could impact not only the foundation of our scientific system, but also the economy. It’s not just the academic community doing research; corporations and businesses are on the front line of applied technology research.

It starts with training. Any sort of information about extraterrestrial science would have a huge impact on the academic community. Universities would need to respond quickly to the new science. Professors in certain fields would have to blow up old curriculum and find a way to integrate that new knowledge into the old paradigms. Kuhn points out that academic fields are notoriously slow to respond to change. People have built careers on the old paradigms and a shift could test those careers. On the positive side academia fights to make sure students have a solid educational foundation and understanding. Blowing up curriculum could mean teaching with less depth of knowledge. Of course extraterrestrial science could call much of that foundation into question. The real impact would of course depend on what the information holds: does it support what we have learned about our world? Does it add new layers of understanding? Does it change everything with a few radical new ideas?

It seems likely that the business world will watch First Contact developments closely and respond to new information. It could be a big business gold rush if there is enough information provided to develop new technology and thus new products. Will corporations turn the entire research and development effort towards these new technologies? It seems quite possible that any technological information would be beyond our understanding at first. Even so, once the academic world has had a chance to digest the new ideas it seems likely that big business will be literally busting at the seams to make use of such knowledge. What will this do for the economy? There could be periods of economic chaos if too much information is released. It could lead to companies abandoning research that is quite important for humanity. Drug companies could stop research on new antibiotics (they are already doing this) and chase entirely new areas of interest. Does this mean we won’t need antibiotics? Many of the problems humanity currently faces are likely to still be problems After First Contact. If the business community runs amok chasing new riches what will happen to our economic foundation?

Are we prepared for such challenges? It would seem not. The only way to respond is to have guidelines. Who will be in charge of diplomacy during First Contact? Should they have the ability to filter what information we receive and how that information is disseminated? What groups and associations could help lead the effort in each particular field? You would imagine physics, chemistry, biology, electrical engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering, and aeronautics could all be affected. Can we develop a “new normal science”? Can we find a way to effectively integrate alien knowledge into our scientific system as a human can integrate a pacemaker or titanium joint into the body? Or will we experience a chaotic world of constant scientific revolution?

The good news is that in a SETI based First Contact scenario we may have plenty of time to decide how to respond. Communication could take decades if not longer. A SETI based First Contact is the most likely form. However, Direct First Contact (an extraterrestrial landing here on Earth) is not out of the question and would provide very little time for response. Doesn’t it make sense to develop some basic guidelines that could be used in any scenario?

There will be basic things we will want to know about an extraterrestrial civilization: where do they come from? How did they get here? What is their biological make-up? Even the answers to these simple questions might provide radical new insights for scientific fields. On the other end of the spectrum they could reveal the nature of dark matter and describe some energy source that we had never even considered. In any of these cases Kuhn’s work will be all the more important. By dissecting how science currently works we can better prepare for the new world that awaits After First Contact.

Extraterrestrial Contact and Scientific Revolutions

First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization could provide new insight into science and technology. This information might be given to us directly by an alien civilization or it could be gleaned from interaction. No matter what the form, scientific information will have an impact on our society. The question is what type of impact: will it be positive and transformative, or negative and destructive?

It’s easy to assume that knowledge of advanced alien technology would be a good thing. Many people hope that extraterrestrial visitors will help us solve our environmental and energy issues. While such technology might be of assistance in the short term, what would the long term impact be on our economy and our scientific community?

For this I return to the Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn. Kuhn clearly marks the difference between “normal science” and “scientific revolutions”. Normal science is built on a paradigm or achievement. Typical research occurs within the framework of this paradigm, with scientists working to add knowledge to the paradigm. For Kuhn it comes back to the student experience, which is of course how we train scientists. Students learn from professors who in turn are the established researchers and scientists in a given area. Thus the same “concrete models” of how that particular research area is shaped become the rules that students will accept. Paradigms help scientists create boundaries in their particular field, which in turns gives them the parameters to develop scientific questions and do more research to answer those questions.

This “normal science” may seem quite stifling and can actually hinder technological development. Kuhn says that most scientists are engaged in “mopping-up operations” for cleaning up the results of a particular achievement. Kuhn says one of the biggest problems is matching facts to the theory, or trying to support the paradigm rather than ask questions that could change it entirely. The “puzzle solving” nature means that often scientists are researching questions for which they think they already know the answer.

Novelties of fact are ones which are outside of the realm of expectation. Kuhn says this is the act of discovery. It comes down to a “crisis” in the scientific system and the result is a shifting of the paradigm as new theories emerge and new questions are asked. Normal science is the process of bringing theory and fact into closer agreement.

So, what happens when that new fact is provided for us and from outside our scientific system? How would our “normal science” respond? Perhaps it arrives in the form of a significant anomaly. The aliens provide us with information about a new piece of technology that would allow us to create a great deal of energy with much less fuel and environmental impact. This would be heralded as a huge step forward for humanity. But what happens to “normal science” along the way? As Kuhn describes crisis reaction, the theories and research shift to respond to the anomaly. But this is in normal human time. Having new technology just dropped on us speeds this up significantly. Even more perplexing is that the new technology would likely present a whole host of scientific paradigm shifts and thus many normal science crises to consider.

Kuhn argues that scientific revolutions are essential for human development. They force us to look at things in new ways and not let our scientific bureaucracy stand in the way of achievement. He compares scientific revolution to political revolution. Certain camps appear in favor of one idea or another. They have a vigorous debate. Eventually one side wins out and the whole paradigm goes lurching forward.

Does extraterrestrial contact provide enough time for this human process to occur? What if we get technological innovation after technological innovation thrust at us? Will our scientific community fall into chaos? Will our “normal science” be blown up beyond repair?

These are the issues I will examine next week.

The Digital Divide Becomes a Chasm

I’ve been reading Ray Kurzweil this week. His singularity premise is that we are approaching a point where technology will literally explode and the nature of the human being will change, as the machine world becomes more like us, and we become more like the machine world.

A big question: are all of us going along for the ride?

Let’s say we get to a point where a connection to the Internet can be implanted in the human brain. It would be a tremendous advantage to those with the virtual portal. Who would you want to hire- the guy who has to tap his question into a search engine, or the woman who just spat out the answer a few seconds after you asked the question?

How much would such a surgery cost? If it reflects current trends in technology you would think that it would start really expensive and then eventually becoming cheaper. That seems to be how everything works. At first the fancy new cell phone costs $400 and a year or so later it’s being offered for free with a two-year contract. Would we be so quick to give the masses direct neural access to the virtual world?

Everyone may have cell phones, but not everyone has computers at home or high speed Internet. It may seem like it to those of us with middle class means. In reality there are plenty of folks without a home Internet connection, especially in rural and inner city areas. Sure, they may have cheap cell phones, but what are these really worth? You can chat with your friends all you want, that doesn’t make you smarter. The Internet clearly does make you smarter. More so, you can create things on the Internet, become an entrepreneur, and challenge the establishment. There are many good reasons to want quick access to the Internet, and some of them don’t even have a connection to porn.

The price of phones, even smart phones with Internet access, has decreased over the years. What hasn’t decreased in cost is Internet service itself. The average inner city teen is unlikely to be able to afford $50 a month for a basic Internet service plan. High speed Internet for a home connection remains relatively expensive.

Why does it matter?

Kids with home Internet and high speed connections understand search. They know how to navigate the web. Hopefully they know how to think critically about what they find on the web (because they have been surfing for years, and probably with parental input). Poor kids don’t have these luxuries. They have a cheap cell phone to chat and text with their buddies.

Will the singularity bring about a digital divide that grows to mammoth proportions? Will there be an entire class of transhumans ruling the world and sad, bio-only humans living in poverty on the fringe?

What does any of this have to do with alien First Contact? If alien visitors are millennia ahead of us in technology, they would likely understand where we are in the current technology cycle and where we are headed. They might even be concerned about such things. I know... the idea of good willed extraterrestrials looking out for the future of mankind is hackneyed. Still, you would imagine they would have insight about where our technology might be leading us. If they do want to influence our world, they might want to make contact sooner, rather than later.

But then perhaps they are waiting for us to become something else? Many astrophysicists propose that any extraterrestrial life we meet would likely be machine based. It makes sense for interstellar travel and solves many problems associated with moving about the universe. Are the machines simply biding their time, until we become machines?

A Change in Perspective

Faith. If you look to the dictionary you find: confidence or trust in another person or thing; belief in god; belief in something for which there is no proof. If you look to a former heroin addict you find a more poetic use of the word. When Lou Reed said “you need a busload of faith to get by” he was describing the human condition. We use faith to get us through the hard times. It can be the rock that supports you during the death of your father or the key to survival in a Brazilian slum. It can be held by Jews under Egyptian tyranny or African slaves struggling to survive in the Americas. It can be as simple as providing a reason to get up in the morning and go to work. The common denominator is transcendence; a state of being that can surpass the physical world. It gives people a reason for hope, and the power to carry on, under the most trying of circumstances.

Will faith change in the light of First Contact? Will religion change? Will our view of god change? Jill Tarter, Director of the Center for SETI research, describes the challenge for humanity well. She said “Perspective is a very powerful thing. Perspectives can change.”

First Contact would be a massive change in perspective for humanity. We try and imagine what it could be like, however I don’t think we will be able to grasp the scope or magnitude of the change until it happens. Will our faith be challenged in the process?

I think there are a number of different levels on which human faith and religion would be impacted. At the highest level human religious institutions would need to evaluate the discovery of extraterrestrial life and determine how it fits into their particular doctrines. The Catholic Church has already started this process. They are embracing possibilities of extraterrestrial intelligence in a rather dramatic and active discussion.

The individual level of religion is where the personal experience meets the institution. So what do people think might happen to their religion after First Contact? Ted Peters of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley did a survey recently, as reported in the New Scientist. It asked 1300 people about how the discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence would impact world religion. None of the Buddhists queried thought the discovery would undercut their religion. Only 22 percent of Catholics thought it could pose a problem for the Church. Most interestingly perhaps is the fact that 30 percent of Catholics and 40 percent of Buddhists thought that First Contact would prove disruptive to other religions.

It seems to me that faith is a fairly elastic thing. It finds new forms here on Earth all the time. Would it really be challenged by First Contact?

Perhaps the more likely disruption would come from those who seek to incorporate alien contact into their belief system in an excessively positive or negative way. It seems likely that there would be religious splinter groups that would react very poorly to news of First Contact. Alien beings could easily be portrayed as devils. Civil unrest or even violence could become a problem. The flipside is of course those who might believe aliens are angels or even gods of some sort. First Contact could bring about entirely new religions. Amy of these possibilities could be quite disturbing to the diplomatic process as we try and establish a relationship with an extraterrestrial civilization.

Those negative and positive poles would most likely be populated by fringe elements. What would happen to the larger world population? Perhaps we would simply expand our perspective to include our new neighbors? I think that we would carry on with our religion and our faith as normal. It’s just the scope of those beliefs that might change. In the end First Contact won’t change the human condition. Loved ones are going to die. People are going to be oppressed. Life is going to be hard at times. We’ll still need a busload of faith to get by.

Will we look to aliens to help us along the way? Perhaps at first, but if they don’t provide the answers we are looking for it seems likely that people will return to the institutions and beliefs that have carried us through the centuries.

I think the bigger question is what will the extraterrestrials believe? Will they be evangelists hoping to convert us to their faith? Will they actively challenge our beliefs? What kind of history do we share with them? Have they been here before? These are factors that could change humanity forever.

The Bridge Generation

First Contact will come with some unique challenges. The humans who will bear the brunt of this social, psychological and scientific burden will be the Bridge Generation. Those alive when (and if) First Contact occurs will have to live in two worlds: one before First Contact and one after First Contact. It may seem like an obvious statement, but think of the profound difference. The Bridge Generation will have grown up, received education and taken a place in society all based on a broad set of assumptions. After First Contact many of those assumptions will prove to be wrong, or at least not complete. First Contact will mean that we are not alone. It will broaden our conception of the universe in a single, startling event. It will call into question the very pillars of our culture, religion and science.

The Bridge Generation won’t have much time to stop and contemplate those changes. They will have to move quickly in the aftermath of First Contact to establish a new framework for the sciences. They will make decisions about exactly how the relationship with an extraterrestrial neighbor will progress. Massive changes to our system of world government will have to be considered immediately. Substantive changes will have to occur quickly thereafter.

The Bridge Generation will find themselves shot of out a cannon into a new era. Subsequent generations will have the luxury of growing up with the concept of a larger intelligent universe. They will be able to adjust and perfect systems of world government, and fine tune the relationship with extraterrestrials.

It will be a tremendous responsibility for the Bridge Generation. There is nothing to say that a relationship with an extraterrestrial civilization will necessarily progress well. Mistakes will be made. Social unrest and global economic crises are possible. Major shifts in world politics are inevitable.

Are we ready? Probably not. However, humans do exhibit an amazing resiliency under intense circumstances. Look at how nations have rebuilt themselves after crushing wars and natural disasters. Crisis often leads to our finest moments here on Earth.
Who knows when, or if, the Bridge Generation will be called to action. The only way to help them is to have a rational and comprehensive discussion of the consequences of First Contact. I know it’s an incredibly unlikely event. But we prepare for earthquakes, tsunamis and other unlikely events. The impact of First Contact would be more than a 1000 of those natural disasters all rolled into one. How could we not prepare for an event that would be the most significant in human history? The Bridge Generation deserves at least a little thought now, before the universe opens a door and we step into a new era.

First Contact Extraterrestrial Alien Proposal Idea Hello Introduction Space Visitors

Preparation

There is plenty of debate within the broader consideration of the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Let’s set aside the ufologists and alien conspiracy theorists for now. For this discussion let’s concentrate on two concerns. First, what would happen if intelligent extraterrestrial life is discovered via telecommunication? Secondly, what would happen if intelligent life is discovered by direct visitation? How would we react? How should we react?

There are no clear answers. The primary reason for this is that there has been very little discussion and almost none in a systematic, scholarly fashion. Michael Michaud talks about this in his essay titled “A Unique Moment in Human History” published in the book “Are We Alone in the Cosmos?” Michaud worked with the Congress of the International Astronautical Federation to establish some guidelines for the detection of extraterrestrial life. This led to a Peter Boyce suggestion in 1987 that there be an established set of principles that searchers should follow. Those include measures to be taken if an artificially produced, intelligent signal is discovered. This was developed into the “Declaration of Principles Concerning Activities Following the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intelligence”. It is a sober and rational list of procedures for detecting communication, verifying such communication as being valid, and then telling the world.

Such discussions are helpful, for they provide some context in which we might look for answers should such an occurrence come about. The group called the Extraterrestrial Contact Act http://www.contactact.org/ has attempted to take this further. They have a protocol for how First Contact should be handled, whether it is via telecommunication or direct visitation. It seems mainly a device to make sure that any extraterrestrial contact is brought to the public arena, and not kept secret by agencies or governments. They have been attempting to get legislative action on the topic taken up by the U.S. Congress or the United Nations. Needless to say there has not been much movement on those fronts.

Procedures and protocols are a good idea for helping to frame First Contact scenarios. However, neither proposal takes into account the myriad of possibilities regarding First Contact. And they probably shouldn’t. The authors have stayed focused on the most likely possibilities.

What is still missing is a detailed discussion on the impact of First Contact on our civilization and how we should handle the transmission of knowledge between our civilization and our extraterrestrial counterparts. Michaud does briefly raise the issue of culture shock. First Contact would undoubtedly lead to profound issues for our civilization. I think though, the real discussion needs to occur within the various fields that could be impacted. What do physicists think are the advantages and potential dangers for interaction and knowledge transfer with an extraterrestrial civilization more advanced than ours? How about information technology experts, economists, social scientists, and psychologists? Part of the problem is that the authors who are brave enough to talk about these issues are not experts in the fields that would likely be most affected. Getting top scholars to talk about such questions would be tough. It would have to happen in a truly august setting to make scholars feel comfortable to participate. What if the United Nations started a serious discussion, designed to bring in world experts in a number of different fields? Almost everyone enjoys a what-if session. Such a meeting could help provide some ideas and context if First Contact ever occurs.

As it stands now we are simply left with our pants down, in the dark, with our backs turned to the universe. Perhaps it is time we prepared, even just a little, for what would be the most significant event in the history of the human race.


First Contact Extraterrestrial Alien Proposal Idea Hello Introduction Space Visitors