Exactly. The human species mirrors its expectations and technological limits into the parameters it uses to conduct the searches for extraterrestrial species. Implicit guesses on the details of the alien species are done: for example, use of radio signals implicitly assumes the aliens prefer to use radio over lasers or some other technology.
Like the Ashen Lights (small glows on the unlit side) of Venus: these were theoreticized to be big fires used for agriculture or a form of celebration of the Venusian Emperor... Think about that for a second: a civilization on another planet would 1. use a slash-and-burn method of agriculture (why not hydroponics), and 2. would have a hierarchical society with an emperor (why not autonomous cells), and 3. require/facilitate celebrations of their leader(s) (why not leaderless), and 4. use possibly some evolved form of fire worship (why not water, why not nothing), and so on.
All these are Earth constructs. An alien race would likely not understand those concepts at all.
So, suppose we made contact, there would not be a common frame of reference at all, except by using mathematics, physics and chemistry and the like. Describing foundational things like numbers and carbon chemistry would be possible, but at some point that language would reach its limits. Anything abstract like "hate", or "love", or "exploring" would be impossible to describe.
Also, the technology levels of the two species would have to be close to each other. I mean, just try describing a transistor to a pet, or describing a cloud-based service to a person from the year 1700.
I'd say the chances of any kind of contact are very, very small, but still non-zero.
Like the Ashen Lights (small glows on the unlit side) of Venus: these were theoreticized to be big fires used for agriculture or a form of celebration of the Venusian Emperor... Think about that for a second: a civilization on another planet would 1. use a slash-and-burn method of agriculture (why not hydroponics), and 2. would have a hierarchical society with an emperor (why not autonomous cells), and 3. require/facilitate celebrations of their leader(s) (why not leaderless), and 4. use possibly some evolved form of fire worship (why not water, why not nothing), and so on.
All these are Earth constructs. An alien race would likely not understand those concepts at all.
So, suppose we made contact, there would not be a common frame of reference at all, except by using mathematics, physics and chemistry and the like. Describing foundational things like numbers and carbon chemistry would be possible, but at some point that language would reach its limits. Anything abstract like "hate", or "love", or "exploring" would be impossible to describe.
Also, the technology levels of the two species would have to be close to each other. I mean, just try describing a transistor to a pet, or describing a cloud-based service to a person from the year 1700.
I'd say the chances of any kind of contact are very, very small, but still non-zero.