Could there be some aliens that have no concept of war?
Cleary humans do. Even some insects, like wasps v bees, ants v ants.
This question assumes that there are many different aliens in our universe. Different in many ways from us and each other. These beings do not have to have the ability to travel space.
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34 Answers
Possibly. But in all likelihood they wouldn’t last long when they met other aliens.
As there are lots of species which don’t seem to have a concept of organised war even on Earth, I don’t think this is a stretch.
Of course, there could be.
There are creatures on this planet that don’t
Sure. Why not? Besides, war itself is an invented concept, and means different things to different people.
To clarify, these aliens would be sentient, self aware beings. Presumably with a society or tribe(s) simply coexisting . And i dont mean they have a hive mentality either.I suppose I’m asking is war inevitability a part of the evolution of a ‘higher’ being. It is with us I guess…
In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes speaks of ”. . .warre of every one against every one”, and of “a warre . . . of every man against every man” and of ‘a perpetuall warre of every man against his neighbour . . .”—saying that this describes man in a state of nature. It is worth noting that Hobbes wrote during the period of the civil wars in England, which lasted for more than a decade.
No, it’s not possible. Not in any way. All species always know about war, including all alien species that we don’t even know about yet.
Obviously that’s an invalid response. Because anyone can make plenty of cogent, rational and perfectly defensible arguments why it might be possible.
The question is a non-starter.
Cool picture though cwotus. Its a bat I presume (can’t make pic any bigger.)May I ask what kind of bat?
I disagree with the anthropomorphic idea that other species know and commit war.
Other species do not seek to expand territory merely for the sake of expansion. Other species do not crave power; they prefer to get along as much as possible.
Acts to ensure survival are not war as much as they are survival.
Only man craves hegemony.
@zenvelo
While not saying that all other species would necessarily be warlike, i see no reason to accept such an authoritative statement from you. Upon what basis you do make such a statement?
Yeah, lightlyseared, that was cool. I would love the idea of a peaceful civilization. But then here come the Vikings…..So much for the good guys.
@Setanta Because no other species has exhibited such behavior. Saying species “know war” implies that other species understand subjugation and dominance for no purpose other than power.
Are you then referring only to terrestrial species?
Hypothetical extra terrestrials. I was curious how flutherites me view how or if aliens would deal with conflict resolution without eventual organized, all out war to settle certain issues. It seems like on our planet, there are those attacking , and those defending cenerios. And all other types. Most of our wars seem to have been avoidable through diplomatic means . Others were wars caused by countries attacking others.If it just HAS to be this way here. Could a different way exist elsewhere in the universe? Or is it just a violent universe?
Ants I suppose carry out battles, mostly. But it is a ‘war’ sometimes between ant hills. If you’ve never watched, it’s facinating. Bees and ants have specific ‘soldier ’ bees, meant precisely for war.
@MrGrimm888
I don’t wish to be rude, but i was responding to Zenvelo, and his statement about other species and war. I’m not saying that you have no right to comment, obviously you do. But my response was to Zenvelo, and my post made that clear.
@Setanta I was only commenting on terrestrial species. People were extrapolating their views on terrestrial species behavior as the basis for traits of possible alien species.
I wasn’t going to opine on the existence or possible existence of alien species on this thread. That is a topic for a different line of questioning.
War is a part of every living being. Our bodies are fighting multiple internal wars against pathogens right now. War is life. We couldn’t live without it.
So we need a working definition of the word. Is war organized conflict? Otherwise in what way is war different from struggle? It somehow doesn’t seem accurate to state for instance that wolves are at war with sheep. And it’s probably wrong to anthropomorphize ants and bees simply because their behavior superficially resembles our own. If you take the question literally, you’re safe answering yes. The word “alien” is just vague enough to provide an out, because anything living on or from another world is an “alien”. So let’s ask the question, “are there creatures HERE on earth with no concept of war? Does a concept require intelligence?
Stanleybmanly, A concept, if you believe war is a concept. (I do.)Doesn’t require great intelligence IMO. I believe hate is a concept. One of the best examples in the animal kingdom is lions v hyenas. I’ve seen footage of lions killing them, and it’s brutal. They kill most of their prey by exphixiation. Hyenas they seem to torture and try to inflict great pain on. And they don’t even eat them most of the time. I think to them it’s more than territorial , it’s hate. The rage, and hate is palpable.
Wolves , or any other predators killing to eat was not intended to be considered war in this conversation.
The concept of war, at least for this question, is organized battles (many of one type vs many of the other ) over an extended period, with the purpose of making the other participant no longer a threat. Both sides fighting and dieing, both sides are all in. Assuming that conflicts couldn’t be settled otherwise.
But again, the question centers around alternatives to war. Could a intelligent race on a given area to coexist do so without the need for war? Or is it inevitable?
@MrGrimm888 To me, you just described a survival instinct. When you say “lions hate hyenas” you are stating an emotional cognitive process that most people would say is beyond the developmental level of almost all animals.
And ants and bees protecting nests is also survival. But a well fed pride of lions wth plenty of room does not decide to go take over the next Savannah because the lions over there worship a panther.
@MrGrimm888 What’s in a word? Rage and hate are emotions, and VERY primitive emotions at that. Rage for example comes along with the hindbrain gifted to us from lizards, and that’s probably the real answer to your question. Because, in our case, intelligence has clearly evolved much faster than our ability to check and control such emotions species wide. I have a suspicion that this one flaw might well spell the doom of us all. The reason being that it grows ever more simple for fewer and fewer flawed individuals to exterminate more and more of the rest of us. I very much fear that well before we are able to master our emotions the day will arrive (and may already be here) when one emotionally flawed individual will have the means to pull the plug on us all. It just may simply be the price of competition driven evolution.
As for the lion hyena thing, that one is almost certainly the equivalent to our own reaction to snakes. It’s been programmed into us and them. We are slaves to our instincts, and probably doomed as a result.
That was awesome stanleybmanly. Well said. Well said.
The only good example I can think of is any non-toxic, photosynthetic jellyfish. Floating in the sea, absorb the light to produce food, and making themselves available for predation.
Ants and wasps have a common ancestor. Roaches and termites also have a common ancestor. For more than 100,000,000 years, the two have been competing, and ants or wasps will attack any roaches or termites they encounter. The emerald cockroach wasp will attack a roach, injecting a neurotoxin which paralyzes the roach without killing it. It then lays its eggs in the roaches body. The larvae feed off the internal tissue of the roach, eating their host in order tor reach the adult stage.
So , the bottom line is that ‘war’ is a ‘instinctive’ or ‘programed’ behavior for human beings? But not necessarily for other (hypothetical , alien ) beings. War is passed down like how to swim? (Most non aquatic animals have a natural ability to use their buoyancy coupled with displacement of water to propel themselves though water. )
So . The concept of war is genetic? In other words, we can never expect a time in human existence when war will be a thing of the past? And no other alien race or humans could ever solve conflicts without all out war?
I don’t know. We already practice reining in our instincts.
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