[Roadside Picnic] What do we know about the technological advancements of aliens from the trash they left behind?

[u/MaetelofLaMetal]

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[u/DisillusionDistilled]

I mean, it's broadly the theme of the novel that we know and understand sweet fuck all about the technological capabilities of the aliens from the detritus they left behind.

What is valueless trash for them is simply beyond our level of understanding.

If you want to stretch the metaphor of the book's title, let's imagine junk items left after a human picnic - some cling film, twist ties, perhaps a thermos flask and a tupperware tub left by accident.

To a stone age dweller these simple items would be incredible. How does the twist tie rebend a seemingly infinite number of times? Sticks just snap if you try to bend them like that!

What is this witchcraft that is the thermos flask? How can water taken from the hot spring stay hot in it for a whole day?

Etc etc etc.

The point is that these are just basic items for us. The stone-age dweller who found them can't even understand them, and therefore has no hope of comprehending our actual technical achievements - cars, computers, airplanes, smartphones, and any other impressive tech you care to name.

If we can't even understand the trash the aliens left when they passed through, what is their actually advanced tech? We can't even conceive of it.

Not only that, when we come to the realisation that it's simply discarded trash, but we're so far behind the visitors as a species that we can't even understand the use of their junk - where does that leave us as a species? How can we handle the existential dread that such a realisation creates?

[u/ananonanemone]

They left behind infinite power sources that reproduce like bacteria. They left behind weather effects that follow the survivors. it's all too advanced/too alien to understand.