Would Alien Technology Be Recognizable?

[cronus]

Certain things hold universally. A circle is a circle. A square is a rectangle. It is those that don't which means we could overlook alien technology. Whether it be vastly advanced production techniques or 'cultures based on different bio-social constructs' the reality of alien technology could be overlooked as we squander our gaze on nearest to human stuff. Would Alien Technology Be Recognizable?

[JimC]

"A sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"

(Gandalf was from Beta Centauri)

[laklak]

Depends on the alien. Mrs. Lak uses the same technology I do, and she's a legal alien.

[klr]

This instructional video will help you to spot illegal aliens:

[mistermack]

If it can take human form, and turn water into wine, and die and then rise from the dead, and levitate up into space, yes, I guess that would be recogniseable as alien.

The moral is, if Aliens do turn up, it's best to worship them. They like that.

[pErvinalia]

Intelligent alien plants. I don't think we'd be able to recognise that.

[JimC]

What evolutionary pressures could lead to plants becoming intelligent?

Very unlikely, IMO...

[mistermack]

I think cats are aliens.
They control us with ease.

[pErvinalia]

You're thinking inside the anthropomorphic (or at least the animal-morphic) box.

It would be interesting if there was intelligent plant life. It would presumably act over very long time frames. Spending 10million years colonising a moon, say, could be normal types of time frames for intelligent plants. We wouldn't be able to recognise wilful action over those time frames.

[JimC]

You're thinking inside the anthropomorphic (or at least the animal-morphic) box.

It would be interesting if there was intelligent plant life. It would presumably act over very long time frames. Spending 10million years colonising a moon, say, could be normal types of time frames for intelligent plants. We wouldn't be able to recognise wilful action over those time frames.

I didn't say impossible, I just said unlikely. For similar reasons, I would say it was very unlikely for sessile animals to develop intelligence. I too like speculative fiction about all sorts of weird alien possibilities, but the pragmatic zoologist in me suggests that evolutionary pressures towards intelligence are fairly rare, and most likely confined to active, mobile, social organisms facing challenging environments.

[pErvinalia]

I suspect you are right. But this is a scrumple thread!

[mistermack]

Since plants never developed nerves, it's hard to imagine how they could evolve intelligence.
For something to evolve, there has to be a payoff at every stage.
Plants on Earth have never even taken the first step towards intelligence.
Alien plants that had intelligence would be more like animals than plants. Maybe they would be classed as photosynthetic animals, or symbiotic colonies.

[pErvinalia]

Plants have neuron analogues.

[JimC]

Plants have neuron analogues.

But very slow, and unlikely to develop the requisite complexity, at least Earth-based plants...

[pErvinalia]

They're probably plotting against us right now!