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this all raises the question what do we want to do if we do discover life out there, more importantly intelligent life. Assuming for a moment there is life and that intelligent life is relatively common by galactic standards, do we really want to let it know we are hear? Contacting life of a intelligence the same level as our own would be slow and tedious and the information we could learn about the universe would be limited (since they would be roughly at our level anyway) we might learn stuff about biology but would most likely be unable to replicate it here on earth (depending upon the difference in biology/planet ect ect) and lastly we may just plain not understand them (and they us) given the scope of different methods of thinking within even our own species. The scary option that outweighs i believe this nicer one is finding a more technologically advanced race. One that not only can contact us but can visit. Anyone that believes such a senario would be good for us is kidding themselves, just look at us becoming more intelligent and advanced just gave us new ways to kill and conqure. If one assumes that the prime goal of life in general is to survive and to outcompete it is easy to realise that we might be done for in such an encounter. Even if the aliens we meet with the ability to vist turn out to be non-violent there is always the possibility they may destroy us for moral or ethical reasons. Remember we live on a planet teaming with life (which may indeed be very rare) on this planet live a species that is destroying the planets ability to support life, even a benign alien might make the judgement (particularly if they don't see us as sentient) that for the good of the planet and life in general to do away with the destructive speices. Just my two cents, i thought i would side with Stephen Hawkin
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