2.A. Aliens as Monsters

Location

Student Union 323-A

Start Date

7-3-2022 10:45 AM

End Date

7-3-2022 11:45 AM

Description

  1. The inevitability of dangerous and unpleasant aliens / Andrew Kennedy
    This paper examines factors of growth to contradict the rationale behind the fear that an alien civilization will be aggressive innately or situationally on contact, and that, as a consequence, Humans should not initiate communication or interaction with ETIs. It considers that such fears seem to be echoes of ancient religious dualistic notions of evil counterparties to a good Creator, also to be found in current speculations about our universe as a simulation, and are not a logical result of our knowledge of galactic structure, interstellar distances and the results of growth. This paper considers the likelihood of the existence of predatory civilizations by examining planetary populations and solar system uniqueness and it examines the game theory application to contact with a civilization forced into predatory behavior by resource needs, otherwise known as the ‘Dark Forest’ scenario, to show that outcomes of such a type are false Nash equilibriums and unlikely to represent an actual strategy of civilizations in the galaxy. The paper considers that the limitations of growth combined with interstellar distances cannot make predatory behavior dominant in the galaxy and that attaining a Kardashev type II civilization, whether it exploits the energy sources of a star or a black hole, implies an end to a civilizations’ expansion through the galaxy. The paper examines more probable parameters of contact than aggression arising out of growth and expansion, including simulation scenarios, and concludes that no alien civilisation can advance through the galaxy without some factors of mutual accord with other civilizations.
  2. Monster theory and ETL / George Profitiliotis
    The discovery of alien life was already recognized by the World Economic Forum as an “X Factor”, i.e. an emerging global risk of possible future importance with unknown consequences, by as early as 2013. Because of its “wild card” nature, i.e. its perceived low probability of occurrence but its potentially high impact in case of occurrence, the event of the discovery of extraterrestrial life has been interrogated ex ante in the literature from various conceptual perspectives, in an effort to elucidate its potential consequences. Monster theory might offer a new lens for examination which might help reveal assumptions and cognitive frames that humans might deploy when imagining and contemplating on extraterrestrial life. Contemporary monster theory is an international endeavor that transgresses categorical boundaries and spreads into different academic disciplines, in order to shed light on the means through which various subjects become “monsterized” and on the implications of this process. To this end, contemporary monster theory focuses on images of and narratives involving “monsters”, both human and nonhuman, to study through them the people and cultures that generate them. This work will explore how, if at all, can monster-theoretical approaches, such as Cohen’s essay “Monster Culture (Seven Theses)”, be applied to monstrous conceptualizations of extraterrestrial life. By investigating the applicability of monster theory to the case of extraterrestrial life, novel conceptual avenues might emerge that could inform new anticipatory approaches to preparing for and managing the discovery of extraterrestrial life with a more diverse assemblage of theoretical tools and methods.

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Mar 7th, 10:45 AM Mar 7th, 11:45 AM

2.A. Aliens as Monsters

Student Union 323-A

  1. The inevitability of dangerous and unpleasant aliens / Andrew Kennedy
    This paper examines factors of growth to contradict the rationale behind the fear that an alien civilization will be aggressive innately or situationally on contact, and that, as a consequence, Humans should not initiate communication or interaction with ETIs. It considers that such fears seem to be echoes of ancient religious dualistic notions of evil counterparties to a good Creator, also to be found in current speculations about our universe as a simulation, and are not a logical result of our knowledge of galactic structure, interstellar distances and the results of growth. This paper considers the likelihood of the existence of predatory civilizations by examining planetary populations and solar system uniqueness and it examines the game theory application to contact with a civilization forced into predatory behavior by resource needs, otherwise known as the ‘Dark Forest’ scenario, to show that outcomes of such a type are false Nash equilibriums and unlikely to represent an actual strategy of civilizations in the galaxy. The paper considers that the limitations of growth combined with interstellar distances cannot make predatory behavior dominant in the galaxy and that attaining a Kardashev type II civilization, whether it exploits the energy sources of a star or a black hole, implies an end to a civilizations’ expansion through the galaxy. The paper examines more probable parameters of contact than aggression arising out of growth and expansion, including simulation scenarios, and concludes that no alien civilisation can advance through the galaxy without some factors of mutual accord with other civilizations.
  2. Monster theory and ETL / George Profitiliotis
    The discovery of alien life was already recognized by the World Economic Forum as an “X Factor”, i.e. an emerging global risk of possible future importance with unknown consequences, by as early as 2013. Because of its “wild card” nature, i.e. its perceived low probability of occurrence but its potentially high impact in case of occurrence, the event of the discovery of extraterrestrial life has been interrogated ex ante in the literature from various conceptual perspectives, in an effort to elucidate its potential consequences. Monster theory might offer a new lens for examination which might help reveal assumptions and cognitive frames that humans might deploy when imagining and contemplating on extraterrestrial life. Contemporary monster theory is an international endeavor that transgresses categorical boundaries and spreads into different academic disciplines, in order to shed light on the means through which various subjects become “monsterized” and on the implications of this process. To this end, contemporary monster theory focuses on images of and narratives involving “monsters”, both human and nonhuman, to study through them the people and cultures that generate them. This work will explore how, if at all, can monster-theoretical approaches, such as Cohen’s essay “Monster Culture (Seven Theses)”, be applied to monstrous conceptualizations of extraterrestrial life. By investigating the applicability of monster theory to the case of extraterrestrial life, novel conceptual avenues might emerge that could inform new anticipatory approaches to preparing for and managing the discovery of extraterrestrial life with a more diverse assemblage of theoretical tools and methods.