Re: starship-design: It's a bad, bad world out there

[KellySt@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/25/97 12:32:56 PM, lparker@cacaphony.net wrote:

>I just read a book yesterday that many of you might find interesting. It is 
>a work of science fiction written by a scientist (Charles Pellegrino) 
>called "The Killing Star".
>
>It covers several philosophical matters that we have recently discussed in 
>this group and he and his co-author George Zebrowski do a much better job 
>of elucidating the arguments than we did. It includes a lot of REAL quotes 
>from several think tank sessions by various physicists, researchers, and 
>authors including Isaac Asimov.
>
>Here is one especially relevant section from pages 114-115:
>
>"...all that we knew boiled down to three simple laws of alien behavior:
>
>1) THEIR SURVIVAL WILL BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR SURVIVAL. If an alien 
>species has to choose between them and us, they won't choose us. I t is 
>hard to imagine a contrary case; species don't survive by being self 
>sacrificing.
>
>2) WIMPS DON'T BECOME TOP DOGS. No species makes it to the top by being 
>passive. The species in charge of any given planet will be highly 
>intelligent, alert, aggressive, and ruthless when necessary.
>
>3) THEY WILL ASSUME THAT THE FIRST TWO LAWS APPLY TO US."
>
>They came to pretty much the same conclusion as I did regarding the 
>proximity of other intelligent species, there are no intelligent space 
>faring species currently within our detection range, but they did inject a 
>new idea. We automatically ASSUME because of our own built in prejudices 
>that an intelligent, tool using, space faring species must come from a 
>terrestrial type planet in a liquid water zone. They point out that it is 
>quite feasible for them to come from an aquatic planet which may be OUTSIDE 
>the liquid water zone as we currently define it. A large moon orbiting an 
>outer jovian planet for instance. And these planets probably outnumber the 
>terrestrial planets two or three to one....
>
>Pick up a copy if you have the chance.


Sounds good, I'll have to look for it.

Kelly