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Comment by YeGoblynQueenne | Hacker News Reader

I don't disagree. But at least with a nuclear arsenal we have a bit more of a chance to react and protect ourselves -even just by blowing ourselves up- than we do without it.

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I think it's pointless to think like that. Humans, to aliens who want earth, are like hornets that are in the way. If you know what hornets are, and that they're mean bastards, you don't attack them with better stingers, and it doesn't matter how eager they are to sacrifice themselves for the nest.

Aliens would use pesticides and we'd never see them coming. See "The Screwfly Solution".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Screwfly_Solution

Hey. One of my all-time favourites :)

And it's a great point- but still, we have more chances with some sort of plan to defend ourselves than without.

> “protect ourselves - even just by blowing ourselves up”

Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?

The idea is that if the Earth was taken over by an alien species they'd exterminate us- we'd go extinct anyway. So we might as well threaten to do it ourselves _and_ take the planet with us, which greatly reduces the value of invading.

Ha, so the idea is to keep nuclear arms around so that we can bluff aliens and prevent an invasion? I don’t think humanity would opt for mass suicide if aliens showed up.

Who said anything about bluffing :)

But you're right- determining any degree of consensus for such a decision would be nearly impossible.

Then again- extinction event.

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