So here are a couple of thoughts that have been rattling around in my head re: 3i/Atlas.

Assuming it is not of natural origin:

1) There has been lots of speculation about why an alien race would bother to send a vessel here given the time involved. What if it was a mistake? What if someone just forgot to set the parking brake?

2) Maybe it is a "catch me if you can" scenario? It is sent out and if a civilization is advanced enough to physically intercept it then they are of interest to whoever sent it. If they can't then they aren't important enough to matter.

>>23794616

I'm not saying it is or isn't natural. In my view we have insufficient informative to draw any conclusion beyond "it exists"

>based upon what we’ve

which is essentially ad ignoratum

>>23794825

If you don't know enough to discard either possibility then one is free to assume either for the sake of discussion, so long as that assumption is not taken as true outside of the boundaries of that discussion and the assumption is clearly stated.

It is through the process of "what if" that we humans prepare for the unexpected. It is true it is a form of mental masturbation but it is a process which has both served us well and has at times resulted in horrible errors of judgement. Overall I would argue that the benefits have outweighed the costs.