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287 We cannot assume that exchanging information is the first priority of the other species; nor can we assume that extraterrestrials will want to tell us everything they know. If we are the junior partners, we will have more to learn than to teach. Why would they bother to teach us? Again we encoun- ter the issue of motivation. When a more powerful society aids a less powerful one through the transfer of knowledge or technology, it loses some of its own power.“ More advanced civilizations may not want to place state-of-the-art knowledge at the disposal of an alien species, particularly if they see us as ethically underdeveloped or potentially dangerous. They might want to find out first about our own knowledge and capabilities, precisely because knowl- edge is power. There might be things they would not want to tell us, such as how to achieve interstellar flight or how to build more powerful weapons. French astronomer Jean Heidmann once suggested that the simplest approach to communicating with another civilization is to transmit our encyclopedias. Would extraterrestrials send theirs? They may send only a sample of what they have to offer, McDonough suggested, because their real goal may be to receive our encyclopedias, the only thing we have to offer a more advanced society.** Each side may seek a favorable balance of intellectual trade. Would we transmit all of our knowledge to an alien species whose capa- bilities and intentions were unknown to us? Brin speculated that history might speak of no worse traitors to humanity than those who, with the best intentions, cast out to the skies our heritage without asking anything in eaten return. If their goal is to obtain as much information as possible, they might choose not to communicate at all, as that would disturb our civilization. Instead, they might prefer to observe an undisturbed independent system, delaying contact as long as possible. We also should recognize that openness among humans—the notion of freely exchanging ideas—is a recent historical development.*° That practice might not be shared by all technological civilizations. We cannot assume that alien messages we detect—especially ones not aimed at us—would be rich with information of use to Humankind. Drake admitted that they could be something as trivial as purchase orders.*” A Mirror Image. In designing messages or information-rich artifacts, we must try to place ourselves at the other end of the communications process, looking at our symbolic envoy as it might be seen by the recipient. A message or artifact does not simply convey information; it also conveys a state of scientific and technological development, command over energy, and cultural evolution. Rightly or wrongly, the recipient may believe that it also conveys intent. They Will Be Generous in Sharing Information