How do you think humanity would react with the obvious discovery and direct interaction with one or more alien or non-human intelligences?

How would our civilizations respond? What would the military reaction be? What would the effect be on our economy? What are the implications for the world's religious faiths?

Obviously, much of this would differ depending on the sort of non-human intelligence encountered (hostile/benevolent, organic/computer/energy, what it looks like, etc.) and the human civilization involved. Still, what do you think...

I voted for the go crazy and attack ourselves only because this is pretty much the human reaction to everything...because we are stupid...

No option for

"Go about daily business as per normal, merely sidetracked at the very interesting news"

I really do not think it will change te way the the world turns all that much. Business' still need to open, food still needs to get to the table, rents need to be paid. Mortgages wont go on hold because the aliens have landed.

The media will be very busy.

I think that the governments would try to destroy them. I mena, we already have had wars between ourselves over land, resources, etc, that last thing any world leaders would accept would be someone else here that MAY want any of it.

If such a being was to come here from light years away, performing feats of technology far beyond our understanding......
What do you think their defensive capabiities or weapons might be like? I do not think we would have a fair chance against such a hypothetical race, our weapons would be somewhat like throwing rocks at their spaceships wouldn't it?

I never said that they wouldn't have those technologies, I totally agree. BUT, it the question was how would the people of Earth react. I have stated what I thought would happen.

I picked destroy it. I don't think the powers in government and military like the idea of being inferior.

I know, but you did say the Governments would blow them up. Actually, I didn't base my response on technologies, I mentioned the reaction of the people in charge would not take on such a formidable opponent. I don't think the Government is that stupid, they would know the difference between a howitzer and a potato gun.

I firmly believe most people would go

"What, yeah that's great, very interesting, now you were saying...."

LOL, well, I guess I don't have the faith in the human race that you do.

Not anything to do with faith, in here it is a closed world where we postulate and speculate, but to a great deal of the world's population there are more pressing items to attend to. Easy to forget the rest of the world does not really care about other life, nor would they bat an eyelid. Well, maybe a bat or two...
I'd love to see it, but I would still go to work in the morning. I think it is outlandish to think the world would have such a wild reaction to it. I think it would share the front page with petrol prices.

Why do you think it would affect people so much? Do you know many people- not peole who you share this interest with, long term friends, neighbours, family - do you know many who care two cents about alien life? We stand by while we watch the planet being raped and burned, human attrocities still carried out daily in the name of tradition, murders, drugs, extinction of species for national pride, terrorists. How can meeting a new species be mre traumatic than that? Like I say, it is fun for those of us lucky enough to come in here and speculate on ideas and theories, the real world is faced with challenges you cannot fathom every day. Alien conspiracy theroies are pretty low on humaities list I'd say.
I maintain it would be mildly interesting as a global event. World peace, end of famine, an answer to the global warming issue, that is of far greater interest not to mention the biggest evil of all. If you said, through this door is a million dollars, through this door is a wormhole to a new planet, 99% of people would take the money.

I also think the religious angle is plain silly, with the exception of some extreme fundamentalists, I don't think it would rock the world like peple tend to dramatise.
So still where is the "I don't Give a" option, cause that is my vote.

A good point. Today we live with access to more knowledge then anyone in the past would have thought possible. Yet, how much study or interest do most people show (aside from the affairs of celebrities)? We have incredible technology now, but most people care about what is trendy or useful, not about what went into it, or any implications of such research.

I know a LOT of people who would care about alien life. What ever. You think your way, I think mine.

We will go crazy and attack ourselves. It will give some people a reason for chaos and they will spread it like fire. Church folks will be preaching end days gathering in number. We will hope our local govs & law can handle it. The chaos won't start right away but build up with extremist/religious groups and such. Maybe after the smoke clears we will see things clearer.

i think some may worry, but i really think we'd be in awe. especially the sceptics.
although alot could change like religious views and what not. maybe the military as well.
but who knows, i cant say for anyone. i just dont think we'd go crazy.

Hmm we will say corr blimey look at those little alien buggers aww they have little bug eyes and everything awww ain't they cute....KILL THEM KILL THEM ALL.

I voted ignore evidence of it.
But I'm just judging by the posts at UM...

I am not basing my outcome on thinking, I am basing it on the real world around me.

I doubt your parent's bank manager is one of those people that care. Unless you are Paris Hilton.

I voted try to destroy it, although, the world would likely have mixed views. Different nations and cultures would react differently than others, not everyone would act the same way IMO.

Almost sure that humans would think negative! They should think off 1 thing, destroy what have the power to destroy us before they do it!
Taking our chances to survive!
Thats how much people i know would react and i would to.
People kill eachother for things like hating eachother, they kill animals for fun... So if unknown things came from an other planet, wich we do not understand even, we would get guns as fast as possible!

Seriously, would you would go get a gun and shoot at an alien vessel or being?

Depends... If it was offering new technology i would learn from it. And than kill it.

I would meet one of them, and then trade something of mine for a weapon of unlimited power, destroy their species and ask them "Now what have you learned?"

Yeah, Im sure an advanced species would fall for that clever little trick.........


Gawsh, glad you are on our side !!!!

...im not

My apologies Mulder, not enough sarcasm dripping of my response there ........

Treat it as superior, obviously if they had the means to reach us and we didn't have the means to reach them this would suggest that they most likely have advanced technology beyond our own and thus weapons of greater destruction.