The discovery of the existence of aliens is too often presented as some kind of potential moment of radical decentering of humanity, when in fact it's the exact opposite, a vindication of western science and imperialism: "see they too make starships, and they've come save us!"

It's also a vindication of scientists, who have abjured any kind of moral leadership and yet claim to be the ones who can talk to the aliens on behalf of humanity.

I know this is too sophisticated an argument for twitter.

A lot of "sci-fi" that deals with aliens – it's all in fact a way to work through the legacy of imperialism. We really want our aliens to be "very advanced", "explorers" and "scientists" – but also we pretend to fear them, because we know what our ancestors did.

The very notion that "advancement" necessarily means crewed interstellar space exploration is in itself absurd and dated. It's very much a dominant cultural meme, but it's absurd.

The true radical and de-centering position is to accept that for all practical purposes we are alone in the universe *right now.* Humanity is an accident, there is no plan or direction to evolution nor to the emergence of technological civilization, and our survival is luck.

"But Manu, where is the hope without belief?"
– There is no hope and there is nothing to believe in. That is the beginning of freedom.

NI DIEU NI MAÎTRE