Why is it that it doesn't bother us to see a new species of animals...?

Question

but it freaks us out to think about seeing an alien? Would it bother you LESS to see an animal...similar to a dog...from another planet ...than to see something more like a human? I guess it's because we know they are smarter than us and animals aren't. Got any ideas on this?

Answer 1

I think it's easier to justify. The world is huge and forests are deep. It is logical to accept the fact that there are species that we don't know about. But it's harder to believe in aliens because then you would have to accept the fact that they are more advanced than we are. It's hard for humans to wrap their heads around the fact that there could be life out there more intelligent than us, that have already figured out advanced space travel. The logic is blocked by ego.  ;)

Answer 2

I think ppl are so used to new species being discovered that the effect or shock has worn off. A whole species of non earth-dwelling beings would be a huge change from the normal...

Answer 3

well for one you are assuming all people react the same to the same subjects. seeing other life forms of any kind interests me and would alert cation in me If I met them face to face, but it would not "freak me out".  and heres a question for you, why is it that everyone assumes aliens are smarter than us? have you ever thought maybe there are creatures out there that are not smart at all? why is it they are always the ones in theory who find us? why, if all these various alien species are that much smarter then we are, are they all apparently trying to find us, what makes us so special? perhaps they are simply animals who have the ability to travel through space?

Answer 4

thats human psychology!!

Answer 5

Think about competition in the animal kingdom.  Each animal occupies a particular niche which they inherently defend evolutionarily.  At some point in history, more than one species of hominid lived on this earth at the same time.  Why don't we see this today on our planet?  The niche that the different species of hominid occupied were too similar and so the fittest species conquered the niche and the others died off (note other hominid species died off for many other reasons).  

Now to address your question specifically.  We fear other animals that can compete for our niche.  Just as two different species of hominid encountering each other for the first time in the distant past probably caused fear, humans today encountering intelligent beings from other planets/times/dimensions experience this same fear.  

Answer 6

I dont now how to explain this, but I find aliens interesting... we just dont really know much about them.. i guess thats why people freak out.

Answer 7

I don't think this is true... aliens have a lot of stigma.

I think people would be just as freaked out to have ironclad evidence of bigfoot.

A lot of this has to do with anticipation.

Answer 8

because of the horror movies we had seen.