People always seem to forget about the more realistic zoo hypothesis. Something that even humanity would do if we made contact with a less developed species/​civilization.
I personally find the zoo hypothesis to be merely a convenient hand-wave instead of an actual attempt to answer the question. It relies on three assumptions that cannot be taken for granted. The first is that other intelligent life exists in the first place. The second is that they must necessarily be more technologically advanced than us. The third and final assumption is that they would share our moral values to the point that they would leave an underdeveloped civilization alone.
People always seem to forget about the more realistic zoo hypothesis.
Something that even humanity would do if we made contact with a less developed species/​civilization.
I personally find the zoo hypothesis to be merely a convenient hand-wave instead of an actual attempt to answer the question. It relies on three assumptions that cannot be taken for granted. The first is that other intelligent life exists in the first place. The second is that they must necessarily be more technologically advanced than us. The third and final assumption is that they would share our moral values to the point that they would leave an underdeveloped civilization alone.