15 things you need to know if you meet an alien

In (almost) every day you learn something new. Depending on how curious and ambitious you are, you probably often find things that complement your basic information about the universe, the world around you, or man, in its complexity.

But what do you do if you meet an alien one day? He appears in front of you and invites you to speak. You have nothing to do, you have to talk to him, right? What can you say if he says something like, "Quickly tell me everything you know about the world and about man!" You're not sure if he's going to hurt you, but it's better to respond to his request. Why risk it? What would you tell him?

If you don't have any better ideas, here is a list of 15 things you can try to please the alien with. If he already knows if what you are saying is true, in principle you will get rid of the clean scarf!

1. The universe began 13.7 billion years ago. At first it consisted of a dense, hot plasma, which, as the universe expanded, cooled, condensed matter, and slowly formed stable structures of fundamental particles (such as 95 atoms of origin). natural), stars, planets, solar systems, galaxies, swarms of galaxies and so on. Outside the Earth (in meteorites) organic molecules with up to 13 atoms have been identified.

2. Life appeared on Earth 4, 6 billion years ago. It is not clear how these lifeless organic molecules (composed of up to 13 atoms) came to give rise to living entities. Somehow, however, inert matter generated living organisms. We do not know if life appeared only once (and everything that exists today is a descendant of that first living organism) or life appeared several times, according to the same recipe (a variant that seems, however, more likely).

3. Life, once it appeared, diversified, growing in size and complexity, the culmination of this evolution being, we are convinced, man. Species of all kinds have spread all over the planet, but it is estimated that most of the existing species have become extinct (dinosaurs are just one case better known to the public).

4. Along with the complexity of organisms, a central nervous system has emerged, which has led to the emergence of consciousness for members of these species. Man is the notable exception, being the only species, as far as we know, that has the ability to reflect, to think in a structured way and to probe the universe through complicated instruments built by himself. The emergence of reflective consciousness has probably led to the emergence of other unique faculties, such as imagination, language, faith (in unseen beings), morality, the ability to think abstractly. Our species, Homo sapiens, appeared, as far as we know, based on an examination of the few fossils identified, somewhere in Africa 2-3 hundred thousand years ago.

5. The capacity for thinking and its use has known three stages, which cannot be clearly demarcated in time: primitive thinking, philosophical thinking and scientific thinking. This historical division can also be identified in the modern world, comparatively looking at communities or individuals.

Primitive thinking, which has helped to achieve goals such as survival and reproduction, has dominated most of our species' existence.

6. Only 10 thousand years ago primitive thinking led to the emergence of agriculture, proving that this way of life is more efficient.

An old way of obtaining resources, robbery, changed its size with the growth of human communities, became a war, with more victims and another level of destruction.

Human communities have established hierarchies, including: leaders, warriors, priests, craftsmen, farmers, merchants and slaves.

7. Man's ability to imagine, in a context lacking in understanding nature, has led to various forms of beliefs, from very primitive (animism, totemism) to more complex ones (religions).

The emergence of empires also led to the spread and imposition of religions over large areas and for a large number of people. Religions have also been coupled with power, with many leaders suggesting or claiming in the most obvious way that they have origin or at least divine legitimacy.

8. Philosophical thinking appeared about 3,000 years ago. Philosophy, in the beginning, tried to shed light on the darkness of knowledge, trying to answer questions that, some, even today are fundamental and without a definite answer: "how did it all start?", "How did man appear?", "How should we live? ”, with or without the involvement of some gods in formulating the answers. Exhortations such as "know yourself" have passed through time, and after thousands of years are still considered by many today. "Reason" begins to take hold and become dominant in educational institutions in Western Europe in the twentieth century. the twelfth.

9. Scientific thinking has taken shape in about 150 years, starting with sec. in the 16th century. Various nature and life enthusiasts have begun to systematically study certain natural phenomena, to study various animals and to look for solutions for the survival of the sick. Science has, of course, come into contradiction with ancient, sacrosanct thinking, often to the disadvantage of those who practice science. Even today, science is viewed with suspicion and distrust by many members of Homo sapiens.

10. The spectacular evolution of scientific research, accompanied by at least as spectacular an evolution of technology, has rapidly transformed the knowledge of nature into a type of knowledge that can no longer be delimited by many magic. Plenary knowledge has become impossible, with many scientists specializing in very limited fields.

11. Theories appeared in sec. The twentieth century completely changed the understanding of the large-scale universe and the small-scale universe. Albert Einstein's quantum mechanics and relativity theories have fundamentally changed the way we understand the world. Few similarities can be found between the way man understood the world 2,000 years ago and the way we understand the world today, no matter how hard some authors try to show that the ancients had intuitions close to the modern ones.

12. Our species took its first steps to function as a unitary species only after the most disastrous man-made event, World War II. Global organisms have been created that treat the human species as a whole. Various organizations have found a global mission. Globalization has brought to the forefront of cultures and countless transnational organizations: WHO, WTO, Amnesty International, etc. No one buys or eats just what has been produced locally in their area of ​​residence.

13. Modern technology allows quasi-instantaneous communication between members of our species, wherever they may be. This ability to communicate comes with an unprecedented ability to access information. Certain topics, such as global warming, are treated as subjects of the human species.

14. This complicated evolution of the human species means that human societies are not on the same level today. There are societies that value the individual more than others (those in the West). There are societies left in the trap of time (aggressive states, such as Russia, which is in a deadlock of the ruling class mentality, or North Korea, almost completely isolated from the rest of the globe). There are many economically backward countries that do not allow the full potential of their individuals to be exploited.

The modern world is no longer centered around states. Transnational corporations have sprung up, with tens of millions of members outside the borders of their home state, such as China. Thus, some people have become emotionally connected to other people thousands of miles away (extended family), but isolated in the neighbourhood where they live (where other ethnicities are).

The expansion of education in the 1970s in many societies gave independence to many women, who were able to decide their own destinies without being entirely dependent on their husbands; there were, of course, effects on family life and divorce rates.

Minorities of all kinds promote their rights and gain formal recognition.

Religion is on the verge of extinction in many Western societies. Respect for human rights and the right to a decent life seem to be the aspirations of the individual for much of the globe (with notable exceptions, however).

15. Overall, in constant transformation, human society seems to be slowly calibrating itself to overcoming evolutionary countries and progress.

Here you should stop and see what the alien has to say. If he tells you that we are just a computer simulation, which he coordinates, ask him for irrefutable proof! And send them to me. I guarantee their publication!