Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl
The problem with that is that it anthropomorphosizes aliens. For an alien species to become technological, they really only need a) adequate intelligence to reasonably predict the short term future, b) a physiology that allows them to use tools, c) a physiology vulnerable enough to force them to depend on technology, d) a physiology strong enough to allow them to use large tools, e) a society capable of protecting enough members to allow for its own survival, and f) a society capable of transmitting technological knowledge across generations. On the Earth, humans are the only species that fill all six criteria (apes lack a, elephants lack c, parrots lack d, whales lack b, etc.).
Beyond that, feel free to speculate any psychology because it will be equally valid as any other speculation. Heck, languages shape emotions by changing the way that people interpret the world, so someone who just speaks English has subtly different emotions than someone who just speaks Cantonese, and I expect the same to apply to aliens. There will likely be plenty of aliens who find love and hate to be strange human concepts that give too much weight to attraction and repulsion.
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That's the Worf-Sapir hypothesis, and I don't think many professional linguists believe it much anymore.
I'm not anthropomorphising aliens. I just believe that, because they are physical life forms, they have to evolve certain basic features to attain advanced technological levels.
Aggression is necessary for any mobile animal-like creature to survive. Intelligence merely makes it more expansive and successful.
Curiosity is also necessary for advancement.
Strong parental/guardian desires are also necessary for early education and cognitive development. Turning this on and off for certain age/caste groups rather than just weakening it like in us would be less likely in my opinion but at least possible.
Attraction and repulsion are too innate to basic biological functionality, IMO, to not naturally evolve in complex life. It's the pleasure/pain response. I just do not see what could possibly take its place that wouldn't simply be the same thing but with a different name.