this post was submitted on 01 Dec 2023
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted, clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts: 1

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Maybe aliens don't want peace and understanding on Earth (lemmy.ca)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/showerthoughts
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This is a thought experiment that came up just now

Historically, global powers have meddled with the internal affairs of smaller countries and regions, hurting their chances for peace and stability. Sometimes it was for profit, sometimes it was to maintain or shift the balance of power in their favour.

What if that applies even further out, and part of the reason why we can't work towards something collectively is because it threatens those same incentives above? Alternatively, if it hasn't happened yet, it could still be something to keep in mind as a future possibility.

Now before they realize we're onto them and decide to pay us a visit:

  1. If the reason for the meddling is that a united humanity could pose a threat, it doesn't have to. As smaller regions on earth achieved peace and understanding, they could then start working on that with larger regions. So progress doesn't have to end with a united humanity.
  2. Please don't.
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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Back when the Alcubierre drive was in the news, and it was revealed that the drive might be used as a very effective planet killer, I had a thought.

Suppose one or more civilizations in our galaxy developed this already eons ago. Suppose they peppered probes throughout the galaxy to report back when any such drive was detected in use. Suppose they were fearful and paranoid. They could send an automated ship to destroy any system where drive use was newly detected. This is why we see no signs of civilization in the rest of the galaxy.

We build the Alcubierre drive (which apparently is not possible because anti-matter falls the wrong way?), and minutes after the first time we fire it up, the entire system is destroyed. If there were anyone left to place blame, we'd blame ourselves.