The readings and interviews from Kelsey Johnson, Jill Tarter, and Avi Loeb created a new question for me: What if extraterrestrial life is so biologically or conceptually different from us that we fail to even recognize it? Johnson, Tarter, and Loeb all went into depth about the fascinating possibilities and information about extraterrestrial life and how it could affect us. Each interview and reading left me with a lasting impression. In Jill Tarter’s interview, I was fascinated by her life and how she views extraterrestrials. The thing that stuck with me the most from her interview was how we as humans use references and past experiences to help us find and predict the future, for example, the weather. However, when it comes to something as unknown as extraterrestrials, we lack references to guide our understanding. Kelsey Johnson's reading discusses how we assume that any aliens we find will be technologically advanced. The idea that we assume aliens will be technologically advanced struck me. But what if they are biologically advanced and don't need technology? It is fascinating to think about because it goes back to how we use human-centric concepts, such as technology, to guide our search for extraterrestrials. In Avi Loeb’s interview, it stuck with me when he talked about how we are arrogant to believe we are special and how we as humans tend to look for things like us when extraterrestrials will most likely not even be like us. I also enjoyed his points on technology and how theirs will look like magic to us.
This question is difficult to answer because we are limited by our views and framework. If life does truly exist in a form beyond our comprehension, we might not recognize it at all. We would never truly be ready to comprehend what is out there. It would change science, religion, and the economy. It could be the demise of humanity or lead us to a utopian future. Their technology and biology would be like magic to us. We will never know how humans will truly react to this. It might cause a worldwide panic or unite us. With no past examples and no shared language or logic, we might never recognize what is out there or never be ready the day they decide to come to us.