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Theoretical Question About Extra Terrestrials

Forums: Ethics, able2know, General, a2k, Jokes
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plainoldme
 
  1  
Reply Tue 22 Jun, 2010 07:49 pm
@ebrown p,
Were they wasps or hornets?
plainoldme
 
  1  
Reply Tue 22 Jun, 2010 07:53 pm
@rosborne979,
When I used to read to the kids, one of their favs was The White Mountain trilogy, about aliens over-taking the earth and controlling humans by sending them back into the Middle Ages. Some boys escape before the "capping (mesh caps were used to control people)" ceremony at puberty, make their way to Switzerland and begin a resistance movement.
rosborne979
 
  2  
Reply Tue 22 Jun, 2010 08:14 pm
@plainoldme,
plainoldme wrote:

When I used to read to the kids, one of their favs was The White Mountain trilogy, about aliens over-taking the earth and controlling humans by sending them back into the Middle Ages. Some boys escape before the "capping (mesh caps were used to control people)" ceremony at puberty, make their way to Switzerland and begin a resistance movement.
I never heard of it before. Sounds good though.
Reminds me of The Many Colored Land, by Julian May (an excellent book).
0 Replies
 
Ionus
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2010 08:22 am
@plainoldme,
Quote:
Were they wasps or hornets?
Have you read "The Furies" ?
plainoldme
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2010 10:13 am
@Ionus,
By Aeschylus?
Ionus
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2010 06:57 pm
@plainoldme,
"The Furies" (sci-fi/horror) by Keith Roberts. Its about wasps taking over the world, except they are about 8ft tall. They can sense people and attack them from above with a 2ft long poisonous stinger. They are armour platted against all but the largest machine guns and attack in swarms. Some people are selected to help the hive by the process of the wasp buzzing to order something. If the human responds incorrectly it buzzes louder. Eventually the human gets it right or gets it in the chest. If that human fails they simply go carry off another and bring them back.

A recommended read if you like the genre.
0 Replies
 
OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2010 07:27 pm
@failures art,
failures art wrote:

Let's say that one day and alien race was to discover our planet and begin taking humans and doing testing on us. They are doing testing on us so that the they could cure their diseases, know their detergents are safe, and that they can test erectile dysfunction pills. Many humans die and more are permanently injured.

Would the Aliens be ethically justified in their actions because they are a superior species?

Aliens
R
T
NO! Report them to the I.N.S. !
0 Replies
 
stevecook172001
 
  2  
Reply Sun 27 Jun, 2010 06:46 pm
@ebrown p,
ebrown p wrote:

Quote:
It makes sense, but I'm attempting to broaden the perspective here. I understand why you feel unique and special (I have felt the same). I'm saying that this belief is challenge-able. We do not have to believe this. Not believing it does not make us unethical either.


Are you really claiming that you don't believe that human life is more important then any other life form on earth? Would you even consider trading the life of a human being for the life of a cow, or even a dog or dolphin?

I am sorry, I don't buy it. I would be quite surprised if you, as a human being, didn't hold human life as more important then any other animal. It is part of human nature, and even more so a key part of our culture.

There are vegetarians, and I don't have a problem with this as a lifestyle choice....

But anyone who wouldn't support the shooting of a wild animal to save a person is (in my opinion) a lunatic. Likewise anyone who would support shooting a human being to save an animal is crazy.

Does anyone really disagree with this?




Yes, I disagree with this. I can think of several humans I would allow to die in order that my dog remain alive.
plainoldme
 
  2  
Reply Sun 27 Jun, 2010 07:04 pm
@stevecook172001,
I feel pretty much the same way about my cat.
OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Jun, 2010 07:09 pm
@plainoldme,
plainoldme wrote:
I feel pretty much the same way about my cat.
Plain, this may be the first time that we have agreed.





David
0 Replies
 
OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Jun, 2010 07:20 pm
@ebrown p,
Quote:
It makes sense, but I'm attempting to broaden the perspective here. I understand why you feel unique and special
(I have felt the same). I'm saying that this belief is challenge-able. We do not have to believe this. Not believing it does not make us unethical either.
ebrown p wrote:
Are you really claiming that you don't believe that human life is more important then any other life form on earth? Would you even consider trading the life of a human being for the life of a cow, or even a dog or dolphin?

I am sorry, I don't buy it. I would be quite surprised if you, as a human being, didn't hold human life as more important then any other animal. It is part of human nature, and even more so a key part of our culture.

There are vegetarians, and I don't have a problem with this as a lifestyle choice....

But anyone who wouldn't support the shooting of a wild animal to save a person is (in my opinion) a lunatic. Likewise anyone who would support shooting a human being to save an animal is crazy.

Does anyone really disagree with this?
I really disagree with it, Mr. Brown. I have never pledged to keep humans (humen?) alive.
Possibly, I might DO it, depending on my mood n the circumstances,
but I 'm not in a big rush to commit myself to it.

A lot might depend on WHICH human and WHICH animal.
I deny that "It is part of human nature" as u allege.





David
0 Replies
 
Chumly
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Jun, 2010 07:23 pm
@failures art,
failures art wrote:
If communication could be bridged with the Aliens what would you tell them?
My enemy is your enemy.
failures art
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Jun, 2010 07:43 pm
@Chumly,
Chumly wrote:

failures art wrote:
If communication could be bridged with the Aliens what would you tell them?
My enemy is your enemy.

Eggs Benedict Arnold!

A
R
T
Chumly
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Jun, 2010 08:00 pm
@failures art,
failures art wrote:

Chumly wrote:

failures art wrote:
If communication could be bridged with the Aliens what would you tell them?
My enemy is your enemy.

Eggs Benedict Arnold!

A
R
T
Given aliens like administering anal probes: my enema is your enemy.
failures art
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Jun, 2010 08:01 pm
@Chumly,
Images in my head that can never be erased Mr. Electrician.

A
R
T
Chumly
 
  2  
Reply Sun 27 Jun, 2010 08:13 pm
@failures art,
By the time you sea anemone you're in too deep.
0 Replies
 
sarek
 
  2  
Reply Mon 28 Jun, 2010 07:31 am
I believe there is a practical reason for some kind of supra species ethics to evolve. At a certain level of technological advancement a species becomes its own greatest enemy and needs to develop a set of rules to avoid inflicting too much damage on its own kind.
Ionus
 
  1  
Reply Mon 28 Jun, 2010 06:42 pm
@ebrown p,
Quote:
Likewise anyone who would support shooting a human being to save an animal is crazy.
The captain of the Rainbow Warrior is on record as saying he would gladly kill a human being to save a whale. He didnt even know who he would be killing...it didnt matter.

0 Replies
 
rosborne979
 
  1  
Reply Wed 30 Jun, 2010 01:31 pm
@sarek,
sarek wrote:

I believe there is a practical reason for some kind of supra species ethics to evolve. At a certain level of technological advancement a species becomes its own greatest enemy and needs to develop a set of rules to avoid inflicting too much damage on its own kind.

Interesting.

So to rephrase that in a form more consistent with evolution, we would say, "species which have not developed some set of rules (ethics) to avoid inflicting damage to itself, are probably already gone. Whereas species which have developed that kind of self-preserving ethic are more likely to still be around."?
0 Replies
 
xris
 
  1  
Reply Wed 30 Jun, 2010 01:38 pm
Ethics should keep pace with mans scientific advances. Aliens, if they have the ability to travel great distances and possess great scientific ability, should therefor have developed their ethical reasoning...I hope.
 

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