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in reply to Do you really want to know if there is extraterrestrial life?

Liu Cixin's trilogy Remembrance of Earth's Past gives an interesting aspect to that question, comparing galactic civilizations with hunters in a dark forest:

In a dark forest, you have no way to identify if anyone you meet is peaceful or not. So the only rational way (if you want to survive) is to hide yourself - and to kill any other before they might see and kill you.

So I'm not so sure if I want to find out if there is extraterrestrial life ...

Rata