Post by Oriet on Jun 29, 2011 20:24:53 GMT -5
Higher technology does not require more intelligence than humanity already has, it just requires more time to get that far. You don't need billions of years either, or even millions. Human civilisation is only around 10,000 years old, and yet we've progressed tremendously beyond simple buildings and basic agriculture. Imagine what we'll be like in another few thousand years. If an alien species developed civilisation, say, a measly 100,000 years before we did, then even if they had less mental capacity than humans they could still easily have technology that outstrips our own.
As for their shape, I still find humanoid to be highly unlikely. Just because that's what we are does not mean it's some über form for technological capability. All that's really needed is intelligence, ability to sense the environment, ability to communicate (doesn't have to be verbal, it could be through pheromones, gestures, pulsating magnetic fields, or what have you), and ability to manipulate objects. One Earth example besides humanoid is corvids (like crows and ravens), which not only possess all of those traits but have been shown to create specialised tools and have complex social behaviour. If you want to get fanciful, there's really no reason that a technologically advanced alien species couldn't resemble a feathered caterpillar, or a cow with mouth tentacles, or is an emergent trait of a colony organism (similar to ants) where each individual part is no smarter than a fruit fly.
The universe is a very big, very old place, and humanity is so incredibly young in it that it's ridiculous. Evolution is merely a process of mutation with the elimination of traits that are too harmful (or because of random happen stance), not some laid out path to a singular ideal form.
As for their shape, I still find humanoid to be highly unlikely. Just because that's what we are does not mean it's some über form for technological capability. All that's really needed is intelligence, ability to sense the environment, ability to communicate (doesn't have to be verbal, it could be through pheromones, gestures, pulsating magnetic fields, or what have you), and ability to manipulate objects. One Earth example besides humanoid is corvids (like crows and ravens), which not only possess all of those traits but have been shown to create specialised tools and have complex social behaviour. If you want to get fanciful, there's really no reason that a technologically advanced alien species couldn't resemble a feathered caterpillar, or a cow with mouth tentacles, or is an emergent trait of a colony organism (similar to ants) where each individual part is no smarter than a fruit fly.
The universe is a very big, very old place, and humanity is so incredibly young in it that it's ridiculous. Evolution is merely a process of mutation with the elimination of traits that are too harmful (or because of random happen stance), not some laid out path to a singular ideal form.