Jong@HIS-BILLERICA-MULTICS.ARPA (03/05/86)
Ed Turner questions whether colonizing space really provides more
chance of preserving the culture that did the colonizing, and
looks to Earth's history of colonization for examples. I think
there are several differences to consider:
1. Earth was, during the colonial era, everywhere populated.
Much of space probably isn't (but more on that later).
2. The colonial powers wanted to exploit the minerals and other
resources on the New World and Africa; more so, I think, than
they wanted merely to replicate themselves.
Did Spain successfully preserve its culture by colonizing? Well,
what language do they speak in the villages near the ancient
Mayan temples? The most recent wave of colonizations came from
England; English is the dominant language on the planet.
I think colonizing space is a wise idea, if the goal is to
preserve humanity. There's plenty of material to sustain such
colonies, and perhaps it will be feasible to trade.
Of course, if we encounter another civilization out there, the
odds are it won't be anywhere near the level we're at. Most
likely, we would encounter an unimaginably more advanced
civilization. Earth history suggests we'd be in a lot of
trouble, whether that other civilization was kindly disposed
toward us or not. Cultural interaction has usually been a
devastating experience. (I'm thinking of the Spanish
conquistadores who introduced smallpox to the South American
natives, sometimes inadvertantly, sometimes deliberately. Even
the benign American conquerors of Japan have had enormous impact
of Japanese culture.)
As to Ed's other point, about humanity's destructive tendencies,
I wonder if the news that the colony on Epsilon Tau had blown
themselves to pieces would have a sobering effect on the rest of
the Federation. (Or would they all gather at night to admire the
glow? :-)knudsen@ihwpt.UUCP (mike knudsen) (03/07/86)
> Of course, if we encounter another civilization out there, the > odds are it won't be anywhere near the level we're at. Most > likely, we would encounter an unimaginably more advanced > civilization. Earth history suggests we'd be in a lot of > trouble, whether that other civilization was kindly disposed > toward us or not. Cultural interaction has usually been a > devastating experience. (I'm thinking of the Spanish > conquistadores who introduced smallpox to the South American > natives, sometimes inadvertantly, sometimes deliberately. Even > the benign American conquerors of Japan have had enormous impact > of Japanese culture.) Yes, running into a more advanced race could be quite a shock. I believe "2001" 's bureaucrats used that as the excuse to keep the discoveries and mission secret. However, it's a chance we'll have to take. A greater risk is that the advanced culture may not be so friendly to us. Incidentally, if we do encounter a friendly race that makes us look pretty inferior, our mental health may be preserved by some myths that have been taking a beating in the net lately. One is the Star Trek myth that there's something really instrinsically great about being "human." Another is the Western religions. Finally, our modern ecological sense, that even a snail-darter is worth preserving for its uniqueness, will help save our minds if/when we end up looking like snail darters (a little freshwater fish threatened by US dam construction, BTW). Not only did watching Star Trek make me proud to be a human Earthling, but I recall seeing a stray cat and thinking "how neat -- a self-contained creature with its own energy source & intelligence, exploring its environment ... " Yeah, this is getting off the net.space mainstream, but it's good mental hygiene to keep our *attitudes* in shape, and to know some places to get those good ideas from, no matter how unlikely those sources may seem. For space 104%, mike k
jlg@lanl.ARPA (Jim Giles) (03/10/86)
In article <758@ihwpt.UUCP> knudsen@ihwpt.UUCP (mike knudsen) writes: >Incidentally, if we do encounter a friendly race that makes us >look pretty inferior, our mental health may be preserved by >some myths that have been taking a beating in the net lately. >One is the Star Trek myth that there's something really >instrinsically great about being "human." Another is the >Western religions. Finally, our modern ecological sense, that >even a snail-darter is worth preserving for its uniqueness, >will help save our minds if/when we end up looking like >snail darters (a little freshwater fish threatened by US dam >construction, BTW). The authors of STAR TREK scripts were in control of the plot and could make the myth of 'intrinsic human superiority' come out true in the end. Many modern fundamentalist churches oppose the idea of alien life forms since it contradicts the idea that man was the chief object of creation. And if any aliens we encounter don't share our opinion that uniqueness is valuable - that idea may fall too. It will be those who don't have such an egotistical opinion of themselves and of mankind's place in the universe who will keep their sanity. J. Giles Los Alamos