Humans are not yet ready to make contact with aliens, says psychologist

Humans are not prepared to make first contact with an extraterrestrial species, a new study suggests.

Psychologist Professor Gabriel de la Torre questioned 116 US, Italian, and Spanish university students on topics ranging from astronomy, to the Earth’s place in the cosmological order, to religious topics and found them unprepared the the enormity of a meeting with an intergalactic alien species.

In his study published in the journal Acta Astronautica, De la Torre found that the students he interviewed lacked awareness of various strands of astronomy and the physics of the universe, and that their views of the place of the human race in the cosmos was coloured by religion.

Discussing the results, the researcher said:

“This pilot study demonstrates that the knowledge of the general public of a certain education level about the cosmos and our place within it is still poor. Therefore, a cosmic awareness must be further promoted – where our mind is increasingly conscious of the global reality that surrounds us – using the best tool available to us: education. In this respect, we need a new Galileo to lead this journey.”

Noting the continued influence of religion in hos people view the world and the universe, De la Torre continued continued:

Regarding our relation with a possible intelligent extraterrestrial life, we should not rely on moral reference points of thought, since they are heavily influenced by religion. Why should some more intelligent beings be ‘good’? In fact, it is a global matter with a strong ethical component in which we must all participate.”