Great article, but I can't avoid mentioning that your last sentence is absolutely spot on and the last phrase is worth expanding into all other debates and controversies out there including but not limited to social, political and philosophical issues.
Thank you :) Stanislaw Lem wrote great deal about that too, anthropocentrism getting in the way of knowing the alien - "Fiasco", "Solaris"... Recent movie "Arrival" also shows can happen when we think we know what aliens think. We are one arrogant species... By the way "Rescue Party" by Arthur C. Clarke underlines that point ;)