Headaches

When I was little younger (actually, I still do this) I used to think really hard about where the universe stops; where infinity stops. Even if there is a massive wall somewhere out there in the universe, there is still more space after the wall, and then more space after that space, and after that, and above that, and below that, and after that, and ... AHHHH. It always gave me a headache to think about such an impossible question! Similarly, this question  about aliens landing on the white house lawn also gave me a pretty bad headache. There are so many possible approaches to answering the question, but no real evidence to base those answers on. I know that the question is really a metaphor for how we interact with other nations – but even that has become so vague and unpredictable that it’s hard to give a definite answer.  I’m stuck on one particular point that Professor Jackson brought up in class. He noted that none of us were able to specify how we would actually know whether or not the aliens had good or bad intentions - and how could we be absolutely sure? It’s interesting to think about. In class and on our blogs, each one of us chose to either assume that the extra terrestrials would come in peace or that they would immediately nuke us – but how did any one of us come to that conclusion? I figure that our assumptions were all based on the identity we presumed the aliens to have, therefore pertaining to constructivism. We choose to act toward another nation or even just another individual based on how we perceive them; based on whether their identity presents themselves as an immediate threat or as an ally. But if this is true, then the whole metaphor of the question no longer works, for we have no previous experience with aliens and therefore cannot be certain of their identity. Then again, can we ever be certain of another nation’s or individual’s identity?