The economic alien
Mr. Park and much of the SETI community tend to assume the only reason any civilization would develop space technology is to do scientific research. At some point, however, a technological civilization confined to one planet will likely be driven to look into space for energy, resources, new manufacturing opportunities in different gravity fields or in different physical environments, and more. Could off-planet economic development be accomplished using only robots in space? Perhaps. To be efficiently accomplished, however, those robots would need to be extraordinarily advanced from the start of space development activities. Otherwise, a motivated, educated member of that race would be able to do much more on site, much faster.
On a related note, I was amused to see Seth made to look like a minor idiot in "Did Aliens Build the Pyramids?," the Discovery Channel "documentary" I was to have appeared in. (The esteemed Shostak makes his requisite appearance trying to eavesdrop on interstellar chatter using a cup-and-string child's "telephone." The irony was by no means lost on me.)
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