How might contact with extraterrestrials redefine human identity and our ethical frameworks regarding life and intelligence?

ANSWER: Contact with extraterrestrials would challenge our understanding of life, compelling us to expand the concept of intelligence beyond human-centric views. It might lead to a reevaluation of human uniqueness and prompt ethical considerations about our responsibilities not just to ourselves but to all sentient beings. This encounter could force us to consider the rights of non-human intelligences, reshaping international laws and ethical frameworks to accommodate diverse forms of life and consciousness, thus redefining humanity's place in the universe.