Spotted Ag said:
Fascinating. My big question is why all the secrecy? And the answer I keep coming back to is that if intelligent life is confirmed as "real", I believe many world religions will start to crumble. I'm a Christian and it certainly brings up a lot of questions.
I would keep it a secret too, tbh. At least initially. If there is life and irrefutable proof of it and the US government has it and plans to reveal it, slow dripping it over generations is the best course IMO. Which is likely what we are seeing and living through now. Priming us as a species for the greatest cultural shock we have ever faced, bar none. Even then, yes of course there would be religious rifts and who the hell knows what would happen to the world economy and markets. How could there not be? We go to war if someone threatens an oil supply. Life elsewhere off planet? Presumably intelligent and on a tech level at a minimum equal to us and probably more advanced?
Humanity would freak on a global scale in every way possible. I truly believe that and can't imagine any scenario that would not end up at that spot.
Or there is nothing and we forget about it again until the next election. Who knows. (Spyderman knows for sure)