I think there's some wisdom in what Hawking is saying. Sounds like he may have watched the Twilight Zone episode, "To Serve Man".
I applaud Professor Hawking for his common sense. I've always thought that us waving down any potential extraterrestrial life would kinda be akin to standing on a highway in the middle of nowhere and thumbing for a ride. Most humans are selfish assholes, why do we really think the scales will weigh any differently with ETs?
It sounds like Hawking is losing it. A species capable of interstellar travel is resource-poor? Yeah, right. There is limitless energy available from stars and equally-endless raw materials from asteroids. Need living space? Build O'Niel type space colonies.
Or Voyager. Hawking stay up late watching INDEPENDENCE DAY again? "Now, that's what I call a close encounter!"
If this is indeed Professor Hawkings view, it saddens me and I am disappointed. To have such a fearful remark from such a enlighten man is a little surprising. While no one can argue the need for a defensive posture to protect our civilization from hostility. This statement seems more in line from that bar 'thug' from Enterprise’s "Home", where the man blamed the enterprise crew for flying around and telling all the hostiles where to find us. Really, is this what needs to be conveyed? Paranoia and isolationism will lead only to more repression of the human sprit and fascist domination of security minded zealots. Adventure takes courage. -The Shatinator
Exactly! We need to take the fight to them! Hawking needs to get to work on a weapon that can implode an alien star and make it go nova. Others can work on the ships and delivery systems. Strike them before they strike us! The weak will perish!
I agree that it's just as likely we'd meet hostile, agressive aliens as it is we'd meet friendly Vulcans... Sounds more to me like he's been watching "Independence Day."
Healthy paranoia. Because, what if they are dangerous? What if they want to conquer and destroy? We should be prepared. But then, remember the ending that EJO came up with for BSG... where the Colonials land on Earth between 2001-2009 only to have Bush nuke their ships? We should also be prepared to be too dangerous ourselves.
This seems a bit off for Hawking. If anyone can cross the vast distances of space to attack us, there's not a hell of a lot we could do about it. We've been radiating radio signals for a LONG time, so why wouldn't they already be here wiping us out? It's like telling the Afghani tribesmen living in mud-huts to prepare their defences against a predator drone - or worse, an nuclear-tipped ICBM...
That was my first thought. I have no problem with the guy ripping off the plot from a film in order to get into the papers, but couldn't he have chosen something more current? Independence Day is 14 years old, Stephen! Go watch Avatar and write a crackpot theory about blue cat aliens, that will make the kids of today listen to you.
Don't despair, folks! If aliens do arrive their resources should be well depleted from the long journey to get here, and their supply lines would be stretched to the limit. So prudence would dictate that our first act should be a suprise nuclear attack on their ships. Even if we don't completely wipe them out, it will tell them that we aren't a species they want to mess with. Advanced alien species are only peaceful when you've got a boot firmly planted on their throat. Only then can we negotiate rights to their drive and weapons technologies in return for some Britanny Spears CD's and an 8-track tape of Kiss.
No, no, if the only ship in range is named Voyager, we're definitely screwed. At least with an Enterprise we'd have a chance. As long as the invasion happens after Tuesday.
to paraphrase a certain CF Xavier, i feel a great swell of pity if anyone should come to this planet, looking for trouble.