US vs. THEM: What Would Contact Mean?

4. Though intelligent or semi-intelligent life conceivably exists elsewhere in our solar system, if intelligent extraterrestrial life is discovered in the next twenty years, it will very probably be by radio telescope from other solar systems. Evidences of its existence might also be found in artifacts left on the moon or other planets. The consequences for attitudes and values are unpredictable, but would vary profoundly in different cultures and between groups within complex societies3 a crucial factor would be the nature of the communication between us and the other beings. by such a discovery is moot: societies sure of their own place in the universe have disintegrated when confronted by a superior society, and others have sur- vived even though changed. the factors involved in responding to such crises the better prepared we may be...." Brooking Report, 1960.

Discussions continue to this day about the impact discovery of other life forms might have on human life.

Post WW2 military leaders often viewed such a possibility, if an accepted reality, through a lens of conflict.  Contact is often viewed - from the view of those being contacted - as an invasive action. This crossing of turf, crossing the dividing lines, forcing interaction, and potentially forcing compliance or submission is seen in negative terms. When crossing cultural boundaries it can be hard to insure that your open hand of friendship is not perceived as a precursor to invasion and destruction. Even small measures are often viewed with skepticism ; with only a small leak a vast damned lake can be drained and so too can a group lose a sense of identity and individuation.

Scientists, for the most part, project an often idealistic frame of reference that discounts beliefs based on culture, history, or social structures.  Science is a free-exchange without regard to what a group might do with that information or what ignoring social or cultural values might mean. Gathering data simply to gather data has often put archaeologists and anthropologists at odds with cultures who do not see graves or burial sites as abstract "history" but as a real and vital connection to their own heritage and familial past.

Add to that the issues of morality and ethics. All have probably heard the phrase, just because something can be done does not mean is should be done. The inherent consequences to any action are sometimes not the primary consideration when exploring scientific possibility, social development, or technological innovations.