Contacting aliens could end all life on earth. Let’s stop trying

- All life desires to stay alive.

- There is no way to know if other lifeforms can or will destroy you if given a chance.

- Lacking assurances, the safest option for any species is to annihilate other life forms before they have a chance to do the same.

The universe is a dark forest. Every civilization is an armed hunter stalking through the trees like a ghost, gently pushing aside branches that block the path and trying to tread without sound. Even breathing is done with care. The hunter has to be careful, because everywhere in the forest are stealthy hunters like him. If he finds another life—another hunter, angel, or a demon, a delicate infant to tottering old man, a fairy or demigod—there's only one thing he can do: open fire and eliminate them.