Authors:

The worst mistake of first contact, made throughout history by individuals on both sides of every new encounter, has been the unfortunate habit of making assumptions. It often proved fatal.

"A Contrarian Perspective on Altruism: The Dangers of First Contact". David Brin's remarks at the conference "Encoding Altruism", September 2002.
The worst mistake of first contact, made throughout history by individuals on both sides of every new encounter, has been the unfortunate habit of making assumptions. It often proved fatal.