If you were a pet would you know, would you care?

Not really, as long as I got a gaint threat mill, enough food and some cute female to breed with. O and a waterbottle, I'm allergic to the touch of water so I don't like getting wet. (yes, I can drink the stuff, no I 'don't like to touch it)

reply to post by Balkan


True, but in the scale of development we're speaking of, I would think we would appear utterly insignificant.

reply to post by OUNjahhryn


I beg to differ. I suspect you might underestimate any interstellar traveller coming to our solarsystem. The profound difference to our science and technological state is so vast, that we pretty much would be indifferent to their point of view. We can barely reach the moon, and the closest planet is still a ways to go for us. If we're hypothetically speaking of aliens being here already and cuddling us, that is exceedingly stupendously ridiculous in contrast to our development, that we're speaking of the scales that was mentioned in my previous response. I'm sorry, but I believe we're pretty much insignificant in relation to what we're speaking of.

If Aliens visited, our entire picture of reality would have to be re-drawn; things like free will, ethics etc. which all play a big role in defining what constitutes a 'pet' would all enter new paradigms of thought..
Under our current systems of belief, a pet is a pet because a human has taken RESPONSIBILITY (from a social perspective) for not only the animal's well being, but also its actions; this is the case because we do not consider any domestic species of animal intelligent enough to make ethically and logically motivated decisions (or even conscious decisions in general).
While this assessment is probably accurate and suits our purposes as a society, I think it's pretty arrogant of us to blanket something as complex as life with our race's superiority complex when most humans are less capable of rationality than the species of animals we share our quarters with.
The majority of pet owners consider their pets equal companions worthy of the same respect and love as any human, and if this was the case with the aliens I would probably adjust, however with our level of awareness it would be pretty upsetting to realise you weren't considered aware enough to take responsibility for your own choices, and perhaps even make them.

There are a lot of variables at play here and I think it's a fantastic thought experiment; I'll have to have a more in depth think about this later when there is more time, s+f for you OP.

reply to post by OUNjahhryn


That's what i am saying, they have no knowledge of the wild or what other possibilities there are in life.
Because we breed them and control them, make them "domesticated".
Maybe that was once the same with us, doesn't the evolutionists say we are domesticated apes? So who were our breeders?

It seems like you're an animal "lover" or carer or how you say that? Good with animals?
So you must have once thought these animals have a conscious, no?
All my life i had animals, pets, and i must say many times it shocked me ,in a way, how they socialy interact with fellow, other species. That i sometimes had to say, yes, they know who they are and why they are here.
That's true what you say, us humans, we just don't know anything, our minds are to mixed up so we began to (un) consciously forget? don't care? more fixated on making a life that only cares materialism. willing or unwilling.

inseparable, you see, they do have feelings or is it just instinct to do what they were suppose to?

Anyways, about that alien, pet thingy, you already know what im thinking of it, right?

Originally posted by Treespeaker
reply to post by Jinglelord

 

I owe you an appology, after rereading one of my replies to you.

Overboard by miles, was meant as ageneral comment after fist bit. Not at you personally.

Peace

No need to apologize, I should apologize for not correctly responding to it. I know there is more to what it is you're saying but I'm afraid I didn't understand the complexity of it so instead of asking simply didn't respond. My bad.

Originally posted by Droogie
reply to post by OUNjahhryn

 

I beg to differ. I suspect you might underestimate any interstellar traveller coming to our solarsystem. The profound difference to our science and technological state is so vast, that we pretty much would be indifferent to their point of view. We can barely reach the moon, and the closest planet is still a ways to go for us. If we're hypothetically speaking of aliens being here already and cuddling us, that is exceedingly stupendously ridiculous in contrast to our development, that we're speaking of the scales that was mentioned in my previous response. I'm sorry, but I believe we're pretty much insignificant in relation to what we're speaking of.

I like where you're going here.

A couple of little quibbles though: We really aren't that far from interstellar travel. With our current understanding and ability to reason I feel it is possible and could easily be as simple as a single invention or discovery away. Think for example the difference between modern man and stone age man. We can do things today that would more than awe a person who has never even seen steel. We would regard them as inferiors but the genetics are essentially the same in in a generation there would be no difference.

So if the aliens are as different as a modern civilization visiting a secluded stone age culture would be then we have precedent. Not really pets so much as teachers. That probably is more likely. The distinction being that a teacher tries to raise the pupil to his level while a pet is cared for with no chance of integrating into the level of the more advanced. (Lets not get into about how animals are not really inferior, I believe they are not but for the purposes of this discussion we need to gloss over it it is complicated enough).

Now with that said I love what you're saying about the level of advancement. My only disagreement is that it is necessary. It might not be necessary but is certainly very possible which I outlined earlier.

There is a line from Men in Black that says something to the effect of human thought being considered an infectious disease on some worlds. Granted its just a movie but just the thought is interesting and opens the door to really consider the possibilities.

The truth is everyone on this thread speculating about what they could be like is correct because every speculation is a possibility in an infinite universe.

Would I be okay being a pet? To the right species yeah I'd be okay with it. Same answer we all really have. It depends on whose pet...

reply to post by OUNjahhryn


if the aliens took over running the international community, national governments, uniform tax rate for the whole planet,

gave us an honest banking system, solved our energy problems, and declared all humans have equal rights.
no more national, ethnic,or racial categories, all are equal period.

i don't care if they are called aliens, demons or the anti-christ, they have my vote.

we humans could use help with the governance we so obliously are totaly incapable of.

we would still have more freedom than we have now with the politicians and bankers trashing our lives.

it's easy for me to see advantages in turning over the responsabilities humans are totaly incompetent at.

if they eat lobbyists, i'll help them catch them.

if that makes us pets, maybe that is all we are competent to be.