Here's a scenario for you:
Posted on: April 10, 2008 - 5:07am
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Here's a scenario for you:
Imagine a space-dwelling complex organism. It's not very intelligent; the equivalent to a cosmic cow. It's huge. Half the size of our moon. What do you think Man would do? Would we capture it and dissect it? Would we be reverent to the fact that this is the first alien complex organism we've encountered? How do you think the major populace would react?
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Hopefully we'd study it carefully without harming it. And be very excited.
I'm sure many would claim it was satan and want to nuke it.
Zen-atheist wielding Occam's katana.
Jesus said, "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division." - Luke 12:51
That's a tough one, actually.
Typically, there's a lot of international cooperation (through necessity) on the part of space ventures - so, at the very least, I think I get to reasonably hope that nobody would try to stake a national claim over it.
After that... who's to say we'd do much of anything, other than 'ooh' and 'ahh' for a while? Comets and asteroids are pretty amazing themselves, yet we've never really done with them even as they float nearby (largely due to both publc and political stigma that there's not much to be gained by exploring space, especially in light of the expense). Something half the size of our moon would also be difficult to interact with in any meaningful way (particularly if it's intelligence is so low), and it'd be an awfully expensive venture with little tangible payoff to simply go out and see what ways we can stimulate it and how it reacts (not to mention potentially quite dangerous). If we did go and do anything with it, I can't imagine it'd be something benign.
- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940
Well, we've landed on asteroids before. Or at least on just one. I'm sure it'd get attention anyhow, beyond oo's and ah's.
Not too sure about the national claims though... far as I know the United States reserves the right to make claims in Antarctica.
BigUniverse wrote,
"Well the things that happen less often are more likely to be the result of the supper natural. A thing like loosing my keys in the morning is not likely supper natural, but finding a thousand dollars or meeting a celebrity might be."
So we've already assessed its intelligence?
Just how much interaction with your cow have we done prior to deciding what to do next?
I would rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy
mmm. steak.
some would want to study it, some would want to worship it and some would want to destroy it... it would eventually cause the world to enter into world war 3/4/5/whatever number we're up to by then. of course, it would be my hope that those who wish to study it would be in the majority and that war could be avoided.
we'll see,
jp
That would kick ass. First and foremost we would need to take biological samples. See if this whole double helix DNA thing is common in the universe or just some odd freak of nature among Earth creatures. Finding any kind of biological sample unrelated to Earth life would teach us so much about ourselves it would take decades to reason it all out. Mind blowing shit.
How would it be able to withstand the extreme temperatures of outerspace without the protective blanket of an atmosphere? How is it's means of propulsion? Is it carbon based like Earth-life? Is it mostly composed of H2O like we are? How does it gain energy? How does it reproduce? Where did it come from? What is it's evolutionary path? Waste byproducts? Anatomy? Shit, you could have an entire discipline formed around that one creature.
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci
In your scenario it doesn't say where this "space cow" is so in my answer I will assume the space cow can be seen by all of earths population. As noted elsewhere there will be those who want to destroy it, those who want to study it and those who may call it a god. I would hope that if something like this were to happen the governments of the world would think about the next steps very carefully, specifically....where there is one there may be more...if they do anything to 'hurt' this space cow will momma and papa space cow be around to counter our attack.
Try to communicate, determine intent, act accordingly
Slowly building a blog at ~
http://obsidianwords.wordpress.com/
I'd tow it closer to the sun, baste it in massive quantities of sauce, and have an interplanetary barbecue.
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Wow, that is big and would probably have a decent gravitational pull of its own. As for what we would do with it, I would agree with the Watcher on his scientific questions.
As an aside, if we do find extraterrestrial life that is not as intelligent or more intelligent than human beings, I think the abrahamic religions will rationalize its existence by saying "God must have created it, we are still the smartest beings that were made in God's image, and this changes nothing." I think most people basing their worldview on religious faith would truly be unaffected by the implications of the discovery of another sentient lifeforce in the universe outside of Earth.
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Yoda
Okay, perhaps I should've been a little bit more precise. We observe it for a length of time (weeks? a month or two?) and it doesn't appear to be very intelligent. It's just kind of floating around, latching on to passing objects, and curiously probing them for - what we'd assume to be - sustenance.
So I guess the major questions to answer about it would be:
>What does it consume? How does it process its food?
>How does it reproduce? If it's not asexual, then how does it attract a potential mate (from what could be lightyears away)?
>Just how intelligent is this thing?
From there would cascade a million more questions, as stated by other replies. Its genetic makeup, its ability to survive extreme conditions, its evolutionary origins, the works.
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Personally, I think the smartest thing to do would be to find out, first and foremost, what it searches for. Then we do our best to provide that. Why? To keep it around. We learn more about it through sheer observation, and it sticks around because we feed it. Then, once it is naturally dead, I wouldn't see a problem with picking it apart.
The irony of the situation would be if we started to feed it, and hundreds - even thousands more show up, just like geese in a lake.
I'm with Natural, and don't forget the RED WINE!!!!!!!!!!
"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."
VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"
If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?
Man would flip out. Debates would erupt. Society would be in shambles. Just kidding. Sort of.
We wouldn't be able to handle it collectively, though.
We would desperately need a strong group of intellectuals and scientists to take charge, be very careful, etc.
I'd be stoked! What now, theists? hahahah no aliens out there, huh? Where's your god, now??
"Armageddon!!!"
*Our world is far more complex than the rigid structure we want to assign to it, and we will probably never fully understand it.*
"Those believers who are sophisticated enough to understand the paradox have found exciting ways to bend logic into pretzel shapes in order to defend the indefensible." - Hamby
Sounds very similar to something from Star Trek...
Most people would assume it was out to kill us all and George W. Bush would nuke it.
Star Trek Voyager to be precise...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elogium
A single organism 1/2 the size of our moon?
we all know what it eats >.>
Ok thats probably exaggerating, but still... it would be a planet muncher (asteroids... whateva! )
Lets face it, if it can move... if it even flinchs towards earth, we would blow it up >.<
(or in my opinion... attempt )
What Would Kharn Do?
It could receive it's energy from stars. Hence why it would be so close to our sun.
Not exactly the best idea for a space faring creature, how would it be able to spread to other systems? (after all, it cant be a sole unique creature to our crap pot system) Get to far away from the light bulb and it dies -_-
where as a muncher could chase down rogue asteroids/comets/etc in between systems
(not to mention grapple on for travel as well)
What Would Kharn Do?
Well I would doubt a creature like that would not have a very good means of storing energy for extended traveling periods. Anything is possible.
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci
I'd have to weigh in on the side that says we'd be freaking out and need to kill it. I mean, we'd just NEED to kill it. It's a huge alien steak.
One problem, though: if that's the sheep, do we need to worry about a shepherd?
Saint Will: no gyration without funkstification.
fabulae! nil satis firmi video quam ob rem accipere hunc mi expediat metum. - Terence
What about a defense mechanism? We have no idea how powerful this guy gets when under environmental stress. The fact that the extreme conditions of space don't stress him out speaks volumes already. Wouldn't we think about that before attacking it? I mean . . . wouldn't we???
We would capture it and prop it's anus wth a large metal rod then release it. It would be bewildered by what happened to it and tell it's friends which would just think it was crazy.
What makes you so sure it would have an anus?
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci
The creature could go to some sort of hibernation mode when it travels to other stars. It would use hydrogen it collects from space and gravity-assist manouvers to navigate around the galaxy.
Trust and believe in no god, but trust and believe in yourself.
The fact that the creature would be asleep for longer then the existence of our entire damn race... doesnt seem a little impossible to you?
granted, it would be feasible if the travel was inside a single solar system, but not if it moved from system to system, which it would HAVE to do, if it was a species
What Would Kharn Do?
Doomed, read Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Great book.
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Only if it has pictures... hehe
What Would Kharn Do?
I second this. It's a fantastic book.