Aliens, 3 possibilities.

Would contact with extraterrestrials benefit or harm humanity? A scenario analysis

Seth D. Baum, Jacob D. Haqq-Misra, Shawn D. Domagal-Goldman

(Submitted on 22 Apr 2011 (v1), last revised 16 Aug 2011 (this version, v2))

While humanity has not yet observed any extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI), contact with ETI remains possible. Contact could occur through a broad range of scenarios that have varying consequences for humanity. However, many discussions of this question assume that contact will follow a particular scenario that derives from the hopes and fears of the author. In this paper, we analyze a broad range of contact scenarios in terms of whether contact with ETI would benefit or harm humanity. This type of broad analysis can help us prepare for actual contact with ETI even if the details of contact do not fully resemble any specific scenario.

http://arxiv.org/abs/1104.4462
 
Or they might not have just one faction with unified goals. Maybe some from their society would want to study us, while others would try to negotiate to buy the moon from us...
 
Making certain assumptions about quality of life issues for alien cutures, the Earth with it's amazing diversity of life and liquid water could become a major inter galactic tourist attraction...[chuckle] That is of course if we don't totally screw it up before they get here. :)
 
I believe the zoo hypothesis mentioned in the article to be most likely.
Alternatively, the ETI could be intentionally invisible. The intentional form of this
solution is sometimes known as the Zoo Hypothesis [22] because it implies that ETI are treating
Earth like a wildlife preserve to be observed but not fully incorporated into the Galactic Club.
This idea has been popularized through the Star Trek series as the “prime directive” for noninterference
with a primitive culture. The Zoo Hypothesis thus implies that ETI could make
contact with humans at any time. Perhaps such stealthy ETI will reveal themselves once Earth
civilization has reached certain milestones. They may be waiting until we have reached a
sufficient level of sophistication as a society such as the start of a METI program or the
discovery of light speed travel [22-23], or they could be applying a societal benchmark such as
sustainable development or international unity. The possibility that the Zoo Hypothesis explains
the Fermi paradox has several important implications for contact scenarios.
2.2 Interstellar
Click to expand...
I believe we have achieved certain milestones as well if the above is the case:
  • Landing on Mars.
  • Sending a satelite beyond our solar system.
  • DNA mapping - advent of cloning. [ re: the possibility of clandestine genetic harvesting by ET in the past ]
  • Discovery of quantum entanglement phenonema [ probably the most significant ]
  • The potential discovery of the Higgs boson.
  • Launch and sustainable deep space telescopics [Hubble].

and no doubt there are more milestones to talk about...
However it is the social or societal milestones that are problematic. IMO
Is man emotionally equipped and capable of withstanding culture shock?
A minority I believe would be but most persons of the 8 billion on this planet would possibly not handle the inclusion very well and it is this facter if one assumes the zoo hypothesis that would prevent any contact what so ever with alien life as the consequences of such could be devasating and much worse that theorised in the Star Trek scenarios. [ especially if the ET possess significant psychic capability.]
 
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