Slow news day :-) But, here:
Think about technological humans coming upon and conquering, say, rain forests. We see resources like land, some top soil, lots of sunlight. So, sometmes we denude the land, chase away all native life, and install cattle (or whatever).
Then later (or simultaneously, elsewhere) we realize what a tragically, stupidly wasteful thing we've just done. The native complexity of the life ... left relatively unmolested ... was of vastly greater value than what we put up instead. A more advanced civilization would have kept a cooler head and pretty much just explored the garden unless it was absolutely necessary destroy it and change the use of the land.
Why would Earth be different to intelligent, space-faring life? Might they not be frugal and greedy and experienced enough to, if they were "here", keep out of site and interfere as little as possible?
Think about technological humans coming upon and conquering, say, rain forests. We see resources like land, some top soil, lots of sunlight. So, sometmes we denude the land, chase away all native life, and install cattle (or whatever).
Then later (or simultaneously, elsewhere) we realize what a tragically, stupidly wasteful thing we've just done. The native complexity of the life ... left relatively unmolested ... was of vastly greater value than what we put up instead. A more advanced civilization would have kept a cooler head and pretty much just explored the garden unless it was absolutely necessary destroy it and change the use of the land.
Why would Earth be different to intelligent, space-faring life? Might they not be frugal and greedy and experienced enough to, if they were "here", keep out of site and interfere as little as possible?