If humans one day become extinct from a catastrophic collision, we would be the laughing stock of aliens in the galaxy, for having a large brain and a space program, yet we met the same fate as that pea-brained, space program-less dinosaurs that came before us.
More likely they would appreciate that we had more important stuff to get on with—and happened to be the victims of exceptionally bad luck.
Well, it depends on the details. We face other more pressing risks than asteroid strikes—and we do already allocate some resources to preventing such strikes—that’s part of how we know what the risks are.
Obliteration doesn’t prove negligence—it’s a risky universe out there.
The article says:
More likely they would appreciate that we had more important stuff to get on with—and happened to be the victims of exceptionally bad luck.
No, I don’t think that’s how they’d view an unwillingness to set aside a miniscule fraction of our resources to prevent absolute destruction.
Well, it depends on the details. We face other more pressing risks than asteroid strikes—and we do already allocate some resources to preventing such strikes—that’s part of how we know what the risks are.
Obliteration doesn’t prove negligence—it’s a risky universe out there.