Is SETI Worth It?

njdube sent in this Space.com story about the money behind SETI that opens, "It's a risky long shot that burns up money and might never, ever pay off. So is searching for intelligent creatures on unseen worlds worth the candle? After all, aren't there better ways to use our monies and technical talents than trying to find something that's only posited to exist: sentient beings in the dark depths of space?"

Comments

S.E.T.I

[imstanny]

SETI - The result of having failed to find intelligent life on Earth.

Re:S.E.T.I

[BadAnalogyGuy]

OJ is futher along in finding the real killers than SETI is in finding intelligent life.

Re:S.E.T.I

[afaik_ianal]

Haven't you seen any sci fi movies? To be intelligent enough to travel across space, they must be willing to shower us with gifts of love and candy*.

(*) "Love and candy" in alien worlds usually takes the form of nukes and anti-matter bombs, but that's beside the point.

Re:S.E.T.I

[bmo]

"You just have to look at our own history of contact between various cultures to figure that out. "

I got a +5 funny before for mentioning this, but the only reason why we didn't _eat_ the conquered on a massive scale was that we recognized the conquered as our own species and have taboos about it.

What's to stop a sufficiently advanced civilization, outside of biochemical compatibility, from viewing us as "the other white meat" with fava beans and a nice chianti.

"Look. I tell you what. Those who want to can eat Johnson. And you, sir, can have my leg. And we make some stock from the Captain, and then we'll have Johnson cold for supper."

--
BMO

Hey, it worked in Star Trek

[danbert8]

Didn't you see First Contact? As soon as we find aliens, world peace occurs. Can't you please think of the children?