Imagine we'd meet with sentient, cultural and civilisational aliens, but we'd find each other boring
Structurally they are similar enough that we can communicate. The discovery would be altering our science, but every attempt to exchange beyond technicalities and niceties is somehow incredibly boring to both sides.
After the initial awe, it would be like, yeah, we know aliens.
I literally cannot imagine that.
Even being boring would be fascinating. If their society was identical to ours it would be fascinating and we could learn from that. If all they did was watch TV all day, we could still learn from that.
We'd also want to study their DNA, their evolution, their planet.
What if it was a cognitive phenomena scp style where it's like forced ADHD when interacting with the other species?
Wait, no... That's still interesting
Stargate SG-1, S05 E10, "2001"
The Aschen have all the tech that humanity needs to fight the Goa'uld but they are super boring. Also secretly genocidal.
Unless we have a way around general relativity, boring will describe any conservation with another civilization.
Hello.
wait 1000 years
Hi. How are you?
wait 1000 years
Who the fuck are these guys?
Space is really, really, really big. And by comparison any form of communication we have yet discovered is very slow.
But what if they taste delicious?
I’m pretty sure humanity in space will go full dog mode, meaning we will have two basic questions:
/c/dull_mens_club is ready
You people start at a glowing slab of glass all day?
Invitation to the Galactic Federation is recinded, ya boring dumbfucks.
I know you're being blithe, but I'd question any galactic federation representative that couldn't comprehend that the slab of glass just happens to be the most efficient method of sharing information we as a species ever devised.
I think this says more about you and your mindset. When I was a kid and the internet was a big new thing, I was blown away that I could play chess with someone from Poland, or Venezuela, or India. I did nothing but explore as a kid on the internet. I know this feeling you're talking about because I get it now in middle age quite a bit. This feeling of bored. Why go on vacation and spend all this money, I know what a beach is, there's nothing novel. Even visiting monuments or going to concerts. Eh the music sounds better on my stereo anyways. For a revelation like this to actually be... not boring, I think access and curiosity need to be strong. If they are individuals like us and we can communicate, wouldn't you want to talk to them? Ask them how they think? What their history is? Someone else mentioned in this thread, and I think it's likely, that they would be so different thatcommunication or common ground like this is probably not likely. But I don't think it makes it boring, just different. Even to be able to talk to another species and communicate complex ideas would be mind blowing. Honestly, I think the vast majority of people would take your stance, and actually, technically already do. There are other species on this planet like dolphins and whales that regularly talk to each other. They have names and make sentences. The fact that humanity largely doesn't care, and proceeds stomping on them and their habitats makes me think that the ridiculous unobtainium plot line from avatar is actually more likely than I think it is. In my mind, life and intelligence is rarer than any mineral we could ever use, but we don't recognize its value. It's fucking sad. We're all on this rollercoaster called life for a short time. I'd rather talk to dolphins than wear shiny golden Prada bags.💀
</rant>
Bold accusation.
Sure it would be mind-blowing, but society-wide awe about other(ed) societies on this planet has largely waned off and many people do not care about the lives of people deemed other.
I hear you, I don't mean to accuse or project anything on you. It is a valid question. But boredom by its very definition is something to do about our internal state and feelings, and not about the external object (or sentient race) in question. To some extent, we decide whether or not to be bored with something. A rock outside my house appears boring, but that is my lack of creativity. Maybe it is useful as a firepit stone, maybe I can split it open and there is a fossil inside, maybe I can study it and find out what type it is, maybe I can gather enough a make a pulley system to the roof. But boredom is a decision.
i think it's more likely that they are so different from us, that just a few nerds of both species keep communicating, because there isn't much to gain. for example, they could live in a gas giant and would instantly explode in our atmosphere and we would be crushed in theirs. they communicate with each other with radio waves and would go batshit near our planet with its many radio devices and they use echolocation to see because their atmosphere is not as transparent as ours. we couldn't see them if we visited, not even from space etc.. and that's just an example. there are so many ways we wouldn't match in a way that would make sense to spend time together.
I think the truth would be that they would be so utterly alien that we would never be able to truly communicate with them and also we would never find them not terrifying.
We bond with inanimate objects and people can find the ugliest animals we can and try to keep them as pets.
We’re such an overly empathetic and social species that I don’t think we will have too much issue wanting to befriend aliens if we could communicate.
we can and try to keep them as pets
more like the aliens will keep us as pets
How do you figure? Suppose they're just like us. There would still be twice as much media and history to look into.
Newness is always exciting, but ongoing friendship requires common ground.
Nah you can just rely on a revolving door of new shiny interests and peer pressure your friends into picking up the fad too.. because that’s healthy