It's a jungle out there

Mark Torres14 said:Let’s say humanity runs into an alien intelligence in the near future—something that evolved completely separately from us. That reality would absolutely wreck the scientific establishment. We'd be forced to tear up almost everything we think we know and rebuild our entire worldview from scratch.
The real question is: in this hypothetical scenario, which philosophical stances, theories, and methods become totally obsolete?
For instance, the idea that "man is the measure of all things" would become just as useless as claiming the Earth is a flat disc.

Mark Torres14 said:Let’s say humanity runs into an alien intelligence in the near future—something that evolved completely separately from us. That reality would absolutely wreck the scientific establishment. We'd be forced to tear up almost everything we think we know and rebuild our entire worldview from scratch.
The real question is: in this hypothetical scenario, which philosophical stances, theories, and methods become totally obsolete?
For instance, the idea that "man is the measure of all things" would become just as useless as claiming the Earth is a flat disc.

Roger Smith5 said:I still maintain my belief that man serves as the measurer of all things... man is an integral part of the whole... a collection of atoms and holographic spiritual atoms... various physical worlds and the crystalline structures of their union... man is one with the universe, manifesting as two effects... a mirroring... man is not the measure of all things, but rather the measurer, for things do not measure themselves...

gentletiger20 said:I don't know, man... why do you think that? To me, it feels like they'd just be another species out there—not human, obviously—but something we might eventually find a way to coexist with or establish some kind of organized relationship with... maybe...

Mark Torres14 said:Sure, but look—up until now, we've been totally unique. Most of what we know and every conclusion we've reached comes from that fact. We have absolutely nobody else in our entire universe to compare ourselves to. The real question is: what happens to humanity when that changes?

gentletiger20 said:I mean, how would we even stop being unique? It’s not like they’d be some different species of people... I mean, they’d be living beings, sure, but we’ve got plenty of those walking around right now. Honestly, it’s hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that a human could ever look at some other creature's existence and decide that's enough reason to step out of their own damn center. I don't think it's just not in our DNA. Maybe—and this is a big maybe—if we ran into some divine entity, something we're actually a part of, something higher than us... But aliens? On their own, compared to us, they'd just be this totally separate, disconnected group.
And those consequences you're asking about... man, it's almost impossible to gauge because there are infinite ways that kind of intelligence could show up. Our reaction is going to depend entirely on *how* they manifest... For me, just speaking generally, all I can really see is this massive sense of being threatened, mixed with a desperate, obsessive curiosity about their biology and how their civilization works...

Mark Torres14 said:Let’s say humanity runs into an alien intelligence in the near future—something that evolved completely separately from us. That reality would absolutely wreck the scientific establishment. We'd be forced to tear up almost everything we think we know and rebuild our entire worldview from scratch.
The real question is: in this hypothetical scenario, which philosophical stances, theories, and methods become totally obsolete?
For instance, the idea that "man is the measure of all things" would become just as useless as claiming the Earth is a flat disc.

Ashley Ramirez41 said:

I mean, there’s a massive difference between some humanoid species and something
that looks nothing like us but is somehow our tech-level equal.
I'm guessing that's what you mean by "meeting an alien intelligence"...

Are we talking about a humanoid race, like in The Word for World is Forest?
Because if so, they’d probably just get lumped into the whole "human" category—or at least the human genus—too.

Mark Torres14 said:The question is precise and clear. Read it again.
If you're struggling, swap out "alien intelligence" for any other hypothetical scenario. Maybe intelligent bacteria that built their own civilization deep under the Arctic ice.
What does discovering a second intelligence equal to our own actually mean for humans? How would it shatter everything we thought we knew about the self-world?

Ashley Ramirez41 said:

Not even close—it’s neither clear nor precise... I mean, come on. The beings in "The Word for World is Forest" are totally humanoid
and don't have anything in common with bacteria (which are more like plants in this context), so
what, is the title just meant to mess with us? 😕

Mark Torres14 said:Let’s say humanity runs into an alien intelligence in the near future—something that evolved completely separately from us. That reality would absolutely wreck the scientific establishment. We'd be forced to tear up almost everything we think we know and rebuild our entire worldview from scratch.
The real question is: in this hypothetical scenario, which philosophical stances, theories, and methods become totally obsolete?
For instance, the idea that "man is the measure of all things" would become just as useless as claiming the Earth is a flat disc.

Mark Torres14 said:Let’s say humanity runs into an alien intelligence in the near future—something that evolved completely separately from us. That reality would absolutely wreck the scientific establishment. We'd be forced to tear up almost everything we think we know and rebuild our entire worldview from scratch.
The real question is: in this hypothetical scenario, which philosophical stances, theories, and methods become totally obsolete?
For instance, the idea that "man is the measure of all things" would become just as useless as claiming the Earth is a flat disc.

Chris Peterson53 said:A whole bunch of non-serious sci-fi writers have already weighed in on your question.
Each one brings their own set of assumptions and explanations to the table.
But let’s look at the bigger picture: if a single race possessed internal standards based on skin color rather than merit, how could that ever curb its own arrogance or conceit?
From a scientific standpoint, things would inevitably shift—because you simply couldn't ignore the distinctions between us and them, whether we're talking about raw data or massive scientific breakthroughs. And yet, even today, you still find people—some even right here on this forum—clinging to the idea that the Earth is hollow or that the Apollo moon landings were faked.
Certain perspectives in humanity NEVER go out of style, regardless of what the scientific consensus or the hard evidence says.
The human race will likely never fully accept a simple truth: that man is not the ultimate yardstick for everything in existence.
It’s a psychological defense mechanism, plain and simple.
So, let me flip the script and ask you this: what actually happens to humanity when we finally come face-to-face with an alien civilization that views us the way we view primitive cavemen?

wiredsailor10 said:Hmm, interesting. After thinking about it for a second, I guess it turns out the theses that seem the most convincing right now are exactly the ones that would end up being obsolete.

Chris Peterson53 said:A whole bunch of non-serious sci-fi writers have already weighed in on your question.
Each one brings their own set of assumptions and explanations to the table.
But let’s look at the bigger picture: if a single race possessed internal standards based on skin color rather than merit, how could that ever curb its own arrogance or conceit?
From a scientific standpoint, things would inevitably shift—because you simply couldn't ignore the distinctions between us and them, whether we're talking about raw data or massive scientific breakthroughs. And yet, even today, you still find people—some even right here on this forum—clinging to the idea that the Earth is hollow or that the Apollo moon landings were faked.
Certain perspectives in humanity NEVER go out of style, regardless of what the scientific consensus or the hard evidence says.
The human race will likely never fully accept a simple truth: that man is not the ultimate yardstick for everything in existence.
It’s a psychological defense mechanism, plain and simple.
So, let me flip the script and ask you this: what actually happens to humanity when we finally come face-to-face with an alien civilization that views us the way we view primitive cavemen?