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245 be certain that we would be peaceful. (emphasis added) Previous experi- ence with warlike peoples might have convinced them to arrive at a new planet well armed and ready for combat.”' Several scientists, historians, and others have argued that the need and desire for security has been a constant in human social evolution. Fear of the foreigner has been the most fundamental factor in foreign affairs throughout human history.'’? Why, some ask, would aliens think differently? Shostak focused on the question of intent. Noting that interstellar travel is risky and that broadcasting strong signals is possibly dangerous, he sug- gested that “passive” aliens might not undertake either. Aliens who take the trouble to either signal their presence or transport themselves beyond the bounds of their own system will be, by definition, aggressive. The Clarks came to the opposite conclusion: extraterrestrials who broad- cast their existence are likely to be peaceful. If their intentions were hostile, they would lie in wait for others to signal their presence." Technology on earth has been honed by warfare, observed Bracewell; much the same would prevail elsewhere. Even if leaders had influenced whole populations to follow less competitive paths, such a population would be overrun by those who value technical mastery of nature. Emphasizing the importance of migration in suppressing separate evolu- tions of intelligent life, Bracewell argued that the first one to spread is likely to dominate. “The reason that no intelligent species arose on the American prairies or the Siberian steppes is that the early models of primitive man originating in Africa were able to walk all over the Earth (except Antarc- tica) and pre-empt the evolution of independent intelligent species.” If humans migrate into neighboring galactic space, they may undercut independent evolution again.” So might other technological species. If an expanding civilization encounters another with similar desires and capability, warned Rood, the most powerful will destroy or force a merger with the other. The drive to prevent competitors favors speed.” Brin derided the classic SETI scenario as a wishful fantasy that does not Laces 2 ated en dee Pe tL Linen AE bee 2 bee ete TL have a single precedent in the history of human-to-human contact. That scenario fails to consider that the sparsity of beacons may be telling us something important about the cosmos. The key factor could be the sur- vival time of technological life-forms, which may be suppressed systemati- cally. The vast desert of this scenario may be the result of intelligent interference. If this is true, contact will be the end of us.”! nod yoy aas wood 1 1 toa aa Cade concluded that even a slightly more advanced society could com- pletely exterminate terrestrial life with little or no effort. MacVey also thought that we could be easily eliminated; it is only a matter of using the correct pesticide. “If creatures able to travel interstellar distances wanted our planet,” Grinspoon wrote, “it would not resemble a war as much as an extermination or a wildlife relocation program.”” Yes, There Are Dangers