One question that really stuck with me after reading Chapter 4 is: How would discovering extraterrestrial life change how we see ourselves? Our economies? Our religions? Our science? Even our place in the universe? It’s such a big, messy question because it forces us to imagine something we've never truly encountered. Economically, it could theoretically spark a whole new space industry or disrupt the balance of power between nations. Religiously, people might cling tightly to their faiths or feel unmoored, questioning everything they've believed. For science, it would be a dream come true as a breakthrough that redefines life itself. But it might also open a floodgate of new questions we’re not yet ready to answer. The truth is, we have no real blueprint for how humanity responds to something this profound.
What makes this question so hard to answer is that it’s not just about aliens, it’s also about us humans. We’re emotional creatures. Some of us might be thrilled, others terrified. Some would see connection, others would feel threatened. I thought Johnson’s approach in inviting us to sit with that uncertainty, to stay curious without needing all the answers, feels deeply human. Because at the end of the day, the hardest questions aren’t just about what’s out there. They’re about what’s in here. How we think, what we believe, and how we choose to respond when the universe surprises us.