Don, thanks for your reply. To think that “economics” is a human invention to me is like saying that gravity is a human invention. In a narrow technical sense, yes, the laws of economics are an invention but only in the sense of discovering what was already there before Homo Sapiens showed up 200,000 years ago.

With the same logic, you can also say that J. Maxwell “invented” the four equations of electromagnetism but he of course only discovered and formulated what was already out there in nature.

I believe “cost” is a universal concept. Wherever there are resources, there will always be a cost to use those resources for sentient beings since scarcity is also a universal concept. Zero cost means infinite and free resources. There is no such thing as “infinite and free resources” anywhere in the universe. I don't believe we found that yet. If you have data to the contrary, I’d be very interested to see that.

I agree with you that aliens (if they exist) probably do not think like us but whatever they think will still be constrained by the laws of economics just like gravity rules not only the way an apple falls from a tree on earth but also the way galaxies crash into one another, no matter how far away they are. Distance does not matter. That’s the whole thrust and beauty of Newton’s 3 laws of motion, isn’t it?

Also, how would aliens (if they exist) “bypass basic physics” exactly? Never heard of that possibility before. Would you elaborate with specific examples? Thanks.