On 23 Dec 2003, CeeBee wrote:

(Jason H.) wrote in sci.astro.seti:

Article - Ben Bova: Is the search for intelligent extraterrestrial
life fruitless? - By Ben Bova (14 Dec. 2003)

http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/pe_co...71,NPDN_14960_
2501214,00.html

Observation: we are intelligent, short lived and self-destructive. We are
carbon based.
Conclusion = because we are, all carbon based intelligence is short lived
and self-destructive.

But as we have had nearly four billion years of such life locally
and competition has been a driving mechanism of evolution and as 4 billion
years speaks for a significant fraction of the life of the universe complete
elimination is unlikely.

pessimistic view = we are carbon based, intelligent, violent, short lived.
Maybe every intelligent life is that way.

And if it follows the normal path of evolution then we will speciate
into types with a greater ability to survive in the environment of a
dominant intelligent, social species. The competing paradigms have been
greater violence and greater cooperation. Certainly there can be others.
Perhaps a Teddy Roosevelt species will appear.

Because we think that might be so, it is so. Because it is so, not only we
are intelligent, short lived, but every carbon based intelligence is.
Conclusion: no contact possible.

In view of history, the original idea was to go there in sailing
ships. No one tried messages in a bottle back then. Indirect contact as with
Mars has always been an interest of a semi-luntic fringe such as ourselves.
For the majority it is a media event like crop circles.

optimistic view = Our carbon based intelligence can develop machines,
which will outlive us. Because all carbon based intelligences are like us,
they will develop machines as well. Because all carbon based intelligence
are like us, they are short lived. Because our machines might oulive us,
theirs will also.
Conclusion: we'll only contact their machines.

We may have a machine intelligence right now or many of them but it
would not be competing for resources or have any particular motivation.
After all, when one of its elements gets sick these kindly carbon units rush
to fix it. In the mean time they provide all the needs of life and work to
make they intelligence greater with more nodes and greater connectivity. So
far, in the long view, there has been no need to take any action as the
carbon units provide for all needs.

Maybe the article would be more valuable if he got out of that mental
"simon says" straightjacket.
Ben Bova is a name in SF, but certainly not one in proper reasoning.


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