Assumptions about aliens we shouldn’t make

Firstly, we assume any potential alien life forms visiting us are ‘humanoid’. While I accept the fact that any ‘advanced’ race would require the ability to handle delicate things such as pens or soldering irons etc, that does not necessarily mean they stand on two sets of feet attached to two legs.

We also assume they have the same senses as us. As hard as it may be for someone who is ‘stone deaf’ here on Earth to communicate and develop it does not mean a species that has never been able to hear could not develop without this sense. Likewise, other planets with differing atmospheres or amounts of light could mean eyes develop to detect light at higher or lower frequencies. On Earth we have animals that can easily see outside what would be to us humans ‘visible light’. Don’t assume they have voice boxes either.

We have been able to learn languages and decipher long lost code from thousands of years ago. But remember, the people who wrote those ancient texts were still humans like you and me. Trying to decipher something that comes from a race that could have developed radically different to us humans on Earth would no doubt puzzle us for many years.

I’m sure we all know that no humanoid will walk out of a flying saucer and say “Hello Earthlings”, but we must be prepared to accept that whoever else is out there may be more different then we could ever imagine.

Firstly, we assume any potential alien life forms visiting us are ‘humanoid’. While I accept the fact that any ‘advanced’ race would require the ability to handle delicate things such as pens or soldering irons etc, that does not necessarily mean they stand on two sets of feet attached to two legs.

It is true that you wouldn't expect them to be humanoid, but current evidence suggests that they are humanoid. Maybe the humanoid form IS the most successful in the universe.

We also assume they have the same senses as us. As hard as it may be for someone who is ‘stone deaf’ here on Earth to communicate and develop it does not mean a species that has never been able to hear could not develop without this sense. Likewise, other planets with differing atmospheres or amounts of light could mean eyes develop to detect light at higher or lower frequencies. On Earth we have animals that can easily see outside what would be to us humans ‘visible light’. Don’t assume they have voice boxes either.

You are right about the eyes, but they should have some sort of hearing device because that would be a survival benefit.

yeah, you oughta really try and get ahold of the Disclosure Project testimonies. That should be everyone's alien Bible. Any doubts about anything should be lifted by the testimonies. Some of the UFO's are indeed occupied by extra-terrestrials from outside our solar system.

if the alien coldnot hear. they couldent get so fare. if an animal in the wild dont hear the Enemy. it wold be killed end eaten.
it is posibol they look a bit humens. they fond a water dinosaur so look just like dolphin but they live on 2 difrent places, but the environment was the same. so if the environment on a alien planet ar like on erth it my be some animals so look almost like on those on Earth

Da Terminator, telepathy is supposedly the most oft used method of communication reported by abductees, and contactees. Telepathy doesn't require ears nor voice box. I would imagine that telekinesis is possible as well rather than using arms, legs etc. in engineering some of the tools we use here in our everyday lives. An advanced brain wouldn't make them any less humanoid, though some believe it makes them less human


It's just a matter of discerning the reality of some of the claims of those stating their experiences with visitors. I've never had a visitation to be able to state categorically that anyone is telling the truth regarding physical interactions with visitors. I do have a friend who vividly remembers abductions when he was a young teen. There was some speculation that his grandmother had been abducted as well when she was a young girl. He doesn't relate any "fantastic" stories regarding his experiences though. He's mentioned telepathic stuff, but hasn't really gotten into anything where a person would say "No way! That didn't happen! You're crazy!" His stories were really pretty straightforward; they did some tests on him, some painful, communicated very little, and when they did it was telepathically. For some reason he hasn't jumped into the drama of it all. Do I believe him? Welllll lol I'd like to see some pictures of the abductors...on the other hand, he is not a drama king about it all, and just speaks of it to close friends. I really don't know what to think.

We basically can't do any assumption but one of any kind on extraterrestrial life: the first one to do, which prevents anything else is that they may or may not exist...

I am sure that there are plenty of extraterrestrial lifeforms elsewhere, but so far, none is officially there...

The humonoid stance is the most successful, at least here anyway. Dinosaurs were evolving into the stance and so were apes, so it must be pretty good.

I remembered this after I left this earlier. Do any of you remember the taped conversation by Richard Nixon when he was drunk discussing his own sighting of an ET or UFO? Supposedly the tape is in his presidential library or the national archives. Didn't he use a lot of profanity etc because he couldn't believe the whole experience? I don't remember the tape verbatim of course, but remember it being played back in the 90's or so when the slough of ET stuff was on TV..like Alien Autopsy etc.

I think I'll do a search on this. Tricky Dick seemed pretty incredulous regarding the whole thing.


Edited to say: I wish I hadn't raised this issue... I'm now a driven woman! lol Still searching...

[edit on 20-8-2005 by Star of Curiosity]

With the potential numbers of forms of life that we should consider, there is certainly going to be lots of 'types'. Some we will probably find hard to understand as even being an intelligent type, but just as likely some that are very much like us.

Any sort of difference, physical, sensory, mental, intellectual, anything, will lead to significant complications to communication and understanding, on both sides.


Star of Curiosity,

I am sure you will be able to find it, sounds interesting to me as well. I have listened to a lot of tape online from people like Nixon and LBJ and you get so much more from it than from transcripts.


A.T
(-)

One assumption that always seems to be made is that aliens are more technologically advanced or, simply, smarter than humans. Of course, this is a pretty safe assumption. If an alien race could build spaceships that could traverse the vastness of space then they must be smarter and more technologically advanced than humans. But is this necessarily true?

I remember reading about the Aztec and Mayan cultures. They were a highly advanced people. They had a very accurate calendar, performed brain surgery (sic ; trepanning) and a highly evolved social structure. They even built aquaducts and a sophisticated road system. But they never used the wheel! It's not that they didn't have the wheel ... their calendar was actually carved on a round wheel-like stone. They did not use the wheel. Some would argue that they did not use the wheel because they did not have draft animals. Still, had they utilized the wheel even by using human drawn carts, they could have efficiently moved far more cargo between towns instead of their system of packing their loads on foot. Here is a case of a culture, both technologically and socially advanced that seems to have missed something important.

Perhaps an alien race might have developed space travel but, conversely, they had never developed radio or even harnessed the atom. Perhaps, by accident, they had stumbled on the secret to anti gravity. Who knows? A favorite Halloween episode of the Simpsons comes to mind. It portrays an invading alien force that Bart Simpson is able to repel by using a stick with a nail driven through the end. The aliens had space travel but they had never conceived of the "stick" as a weapon.

benevolent tyrant - Good points. I've been doing some fictional writing and I've been wrestling with roughly the same ideas, although I hadn't hought of the Aztec idea. Nice analogy. I am not entirely convinced that aliens are superior inteligence. If one is to use the "accounts" or "stories" of the inernal of a UFO, there would be no instruments.
Would that present a pre determined course or control through natural occuring conventions? Both not requiring superior inteligence.

I imagine theoreticaly, some technologies could become accessable to an alien species by virtue of their home environments and ecological resources. Either natural materials or combination of reaccuring phenomenon we are not privy to on Earth. Through their evolution, natural combinations were mastered.

As humans we've always seen birds and presumed that was the ideal way for flight. What would it have been like if we either didn't have birds or witnessed another method of flight?

Originally posted by nullster

If one is to use the "accounts" or "stories" of the inernal of a UFO, there would be no instruments.

Its funny to me that on a thread about making assumptions , you've assumed that because you don't recognize instruments on board an Extraterrestrial Vehicle, you assume you are not dealing with a higher intelligence as yourself.

Considering that they are here in their ETVs and we are not there , I'm forced to infer I'm dealing with a higher intelligence. ( Just trying to use my god given ability to reason. )



[edit on 21-8-2005 by lost_shaman]

lost_shaman - I've made no assumptions. You've taken my quote out of context.
benevolent tyrant (to me) makes a solid point against assumption. The assumption is that alien life forms are intelligent. In that context I brought up the point for the lack of instruments on board.

To each his own, I feel my objectivety and reasoning are equally sound based on the complete lack of concrete or scientific evidence. I am not compelled to infer or suggest the existance or acceptance of anything one way or the other.

[edit on 21-8-2005 by nullster]

nullster,

I agree we shouldn't make undue assumptions , but all the evidence does suggest we are dealing with a higher intelligence. Not a lesser or equal intelligence.

The analogy about the wheel was intriguing.

But I think the idea that another life form that has traveled between stars with technology we can't even explain , might not be a superior intelligence is arrogant.

or that they are bound to our laws of physics, construction methods, reasoning, care how we feel or governments feel, assume they are in fact physical & that they even care about us.

Just a few points to add.

Originally posted by The Director
Firstly, we assume any potential alien life forms visiting us are ‘humanoid’.

Firstly, we assume that humans aren't alienoid.

Also, what if, maybe the aliens use mind powers or some other means to make us think they are "humanoid" (or us being alienoid) because thier true image could be to complex, scary, wierd, whatever, for us humans to handle...so they sort make us see them in a way that we can relate to, maybe to not scare us as much. I dunno...anyways, this thread is pointless....

But I think the idea that another life form that has traveled between stars with technology we can't even explain , might not be a superior intelligence is arrogant.

I think that right there could also be a false assumption. The fact that they have mastered space travel does not make their race one of "superior intelligence" to our race. For all we know, their race could just have a 10,000 year head-start on our race. They very well could be significantly less-intelligent than we are. They may just be more advanced because they've had more time to evolve, develop and build off of previous discoveries. That doesn't make them "smarter" than us, it just makes them more experienced in a particular area, in this case: space travel.

Another possibility is that they were provided advanced technology by another more-advanced race which visited them. They could have been given the equipment and taught how to operate and maintain it. For all we know, they could be a race of morons who just happen to be lucky enough to have an advanced race living in their neighborhood that shares things with them. Just a theory...

Contrary to everything you've been told... The wheel is really only a significant innovation for PRIMITIVE cultures and technologies.

What?

A more advanced culture would NOT use wheeled vehicles.

Look at the utter devastation visited upon the environment in the name of wheeled vehicles. If there was one single thing you could do to lessen humanitys impact on our ecosystems, it would be to stop using wheeled vehicles and roads (aka corridors of death).

A truly advanced culture would not need to use this antiquated method of moving goods and persons.

Like just about EVERYTHING else that is a characteristic of our global culture, it is just one more hallmark of the ultimate and basic stupidity of humanity.

Aside from the arts (and maybe our primitive mathematics), show me anything that you feel truly demonstrates human intelligence...

It will be a short list...

[edit on 22-8-2005 by golemina]

Originally posted by golemina


Aside from the arts (and maybe our primitive mathematics), show me anything that you feel truly demonstrates human intelligence...

It will be a short list...

Humanity is a master when it comes to self-destruction.

case and point:
7,000+ years without 7 consecutive days of war, killing, or destruction.

Short list indeed.