Thank you Sussch for sharing. Very interesting story. I'd love to fly a spaceship like that! I often wish I could express my thoughts perfectly. Does your father have any other stories about the aliens? Do the aliens make war with their own species, or make war with other alien species / races? Does your father, or do you, know the aliens' views on the existential questions - like free will vs determinism, the "why" of consciousness, etc.? What gives the aliens' lives meaning - and what are their beliefs / what do they know - about cycles of life, death, reincarnation, etc.?
-- Edited by Goulap on Saturday 25th of May 2013 06:46:18 PM
Thanks, I would love to fly one of those too. Would be really nice to have some lengthy conversations with them as well..
An attempt at translating father's answers.
Do the aliens make war with their own species, or make war with other alien species / races?
This depends on the intelligence of the species.
Some do.
free will vs determinism
Nothing is deterministic, everything can be changed at will. However, in case of constant habits and thought-patterns, the outcome can easily be predicted.
In case there are problems one isn't capable of solving on their own (due to a lack of experience or knowledge in the field), then a more experienced group silently helps out. So that from a higher perspective, there is always a safe default in case there's no action.
the "why" of consciousness
This universe is a learning environment. In order to study the system as a whole, it's best to divide the task and experience it piece by piece.