In search of ET: Fear of what’s out there causes split among space scientists

Counter argument:

So if we've been using radar since WWII, and radar has been capable of signalling our presence to alien civilizations, then we don't need METI. Alternatively, if METI is proposing a signal that can reach alien civilizations in a way that TV and radio signals cannot, then the original objections to METI still stand, and the TV/radio signal argument is a red herring.

But really, it's just common sense. Everything we know about the universe tells us that complex organisms exist at the expense of simpler organisms. As a nascent space-faring civilization, we are the minnows in the ocean, and signalling our presence to the bigger fish is the kind of mistake that a minnow only makes once. What exactly is the perceived positive outcome of making contact with a more advanced civilization?

> I haven't seen any anti-METI argument which counters this:

> "Humans, Vakoch said, have been using radar, which can purportedly be detected 70 light-years away, since World War II. Television and radio signals would long ago have signaled our presence to malevolent space ruffians, he said."

I think the key word there is "purportedly." Has anyone done an analysis about what kind of equipment would be required to detect those old signals at 70 light years? Has there been any analysis of how for out they could propagate until they were totally overwhelmed by noise?

Personally, I'm skeptical that those signals were transmitted powerfully enough or focused narrowly enough to likely be detected. This article (https://www.nature.com/articles/461316a) makes it sound that way:

> Indeed, SETI is marked by a hope, bordering on faith, that not only are there civilizations broadcasting out there, but that they are somehow intent on beaming their signals at Earth. An alien SETI project relying on a similar faith in Earth would be sorely disappointed. It's true that a random mix of radar and television signals has been expanding outwards from Earth at the speed of light for the past 70 years. But there have been only a few short-lived attempts to target radio messages at other stars — with each attempt arousing concerns over alien reprisals.

What possible resource does Earth or human civilization possess that ETs advanced enough to pose an interstellar threat would be interested in?

I figure it's all moot anyway. We are probably alone in the universe. Fermi's paradox is a thing.

I think the fears of some ET empire with Darth Vader (or similar) at the head is very misplaced. Just think of the economics... "let's go exploit that world 10 LY away from us that we don't fully understand and which will still takes us an insane amount of time to enslave and milk resources from!" What a scalable strategy given the size of space... one might even say it's astronomically large! The resource consumption alone would be a very speculative bet by any would-be invaders... unless they were already close at hand, but we're probably already too late to prevent that....

Naw... if there is any alien apocalypse to worry about it's that some advanced civilization saw a life friendly Earth through their telescopes, perhaps millions of years ago, and decided to seed the place with their own bio-material and without any regard to what life might be there. It won't be a marching army, but a "Terra forming" project that may well already be underway if its happening at all, I would expect.