Zoo Hypothesis - Aliens Are Here Already
Another reason why we have not Directly Meet With Aliens is because they are already here! They walk among us, their ship is in orbit and we are merely in a Zoo Hypothesis. In other words, the aliens are so advanced that they are able to cloak, disguise and hide their presence.
If they are indeed here. Significant resource expenditure, measures taken to avoid contaminating local populace…
I'd have to say scientific study, most likely a long term observation of how fledgling cultures develop.
They'd have a much easier time preventing a catastrophe by being open and direct. And would have little difficulty causing one in a short time frame given the advantages they have.
As for technological growth, our understanding of higher tech is rapidly outpacing our ability to produce it. For example, buckytubes are a flexible material that makes kevlar look like wet tissue paper, the applications are tremendous and world altering. But we have no good means to make the stuff. I think the longest strand in existence is about a foot long. If aliens wanted to boost our tech rapidly, they'd be slipping secrets to our engineers, not just the scientists.
That's hardly a surprising coincidence. Freer dissemination of ideas led directly to both social and technological advances that let people get the hell off of the farms and away from the battlefields.
Frankly, if there hadn't been an explosion of new ideas after the second portion of that, I'd be convinced something was interfering. That singular invention freed thousands of minds in its time, and billions since, and yet it isn't a difficult enough concept that I find it unlikely to have occurred naturally. Can't quite claim to be convinced here.
Daishain,
I love your posts. Spoken like a true engineer *wink*
All,
If there were aliens trying to prod us along why would the printing press, the most important catalyst for our explosive technological advances, have only been invented in one place? Why not seed it in multiple locations? No, if indeed we are a zoo with aliens watching for amusement or study I believe they have a strict non-interference policy. Otherwise, why study us?