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<v Anson>I think we also make two big mistakes</v>

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over and over in science fiction,

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when it comes to first contact situations.

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Number one,

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we assume that they're either going to want to kill us all

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and take our resources,

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or they're going to be perfect.

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And, it's the classic deification-demonization problem.

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The truth is much more likely to be a mixture of that.

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Of, not necessarily extremes,

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but a mixture of good and bad just like we are,

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of what is likely a part of any advanced species...

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will be communal, it will be herd-like,

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it will be a social animal in and of itself,

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therefore something that learned how to lie,

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a long time ago.

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The other mistake,

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that we tend to make in science fiction

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is assuming that the aliens are going to be

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a cohesive unit, (laughs)

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rather than recognize

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that they will probably have competing interests

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on their own planet, you know,

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there will be a version of North Korea,

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there will be a version of the United States.

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Not as exacting as that,

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but I think that it's important to remember

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in these first contact situations that we dream up,

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it's not necessarily going to be

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a concerted unified message.

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<v Dr. Doug>That actually makes, not only more realistic,</v>

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but a more interesting plot.

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So, it's not, "Oh, a message is coming in from Tau Ceti,"

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but which faction?

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Can we really believe them?

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You know, how well do they represent their world?