Indeed. That kind of totalitarian biological fascism and enforced conformity is the only way there could be other intelligent spacefaring life in the visible universe. But even that scenario has a built-it contradiction: Why has not Earth already been "blessed" in this manner?
I am a supporter of at least one form of uplifting. "Totalitarian biological fascism" sounds like name-calling. Totalitarian - only if conducted by a totalitarian government. Fascism - only if conducted by fascists. Biological - yes.
We would need to verify that animals already wanted things in the direction of uplifting, and then uplift them step by step. It would not result in homogeneity - on our planet, intelligent cetaceans, chimpanzees, elephants, etc. (since they are following close behind us) would surely liven the diversity. Ascension would only affect their capabilities and the formats available to them. Dolphins can't fly to other planets (unlike the funny THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH scene) as they are; if they wanted to, and had the power, they might choose a form different than a posthuman would choose for interstellar travel, but we can be sure the form wouldn't be a dolphin (or a human). Postdolphin, I guess you could say, but probably mingling with a vast explosion of posthuman clades.
Earth might not have been uplifted because aliens are only uplifting their own planets, out of a sense of common obligation. Besides, they might notice we are about to uplift ourselves - no sense in pushing a car after its engine starts.
The single most influential factor in my thinking on this subject was coming to an understanding of nanotechnology in the mid-1980s. With mature molecular nanotech, all it takes is one walnut-sized probe to terraform an entire planet, sending a thousand other probes just like it at near the speed of light to nearby star systems. All it takes is one company, or someday even one nanotech hacker, to get the idea of building such a probe, and the galaxy will be unmistakably changed. That's what I mean about totalitarian control of all intelligence being the only way to prevent such scenarios. And soon.
---BrianW
I am trying to understand why you think an alien civilization would want to send out probes to terraform (or alien-a-form) other planets. Sufficiently advanced interstellar travelers would surely not NEED terraformed planets, since they could live anywhere in space or on planets as-they-are (or inside suns or behind black holes, etc.). Besides, "greening" every other planet just because yours was green, well, there is some kind of homogeneity. But I won't call it totalitarian or fascist
Instead of colonizing, or polluting, alien planets, it could be that ascended aliens have other interests, related to their new natures, incomprehensible to us. 'Reproduce, spread, and multiply' is a longstanding evolutionary agendum on Earth, but it might give way after sentient beings come into control of their own evolution. 'Reproduce' is already starting to fall among humans, and we haven't even got indefinite lifespans yet. 'Multiply' might become superfluous after we become able to run simulations of huge numbers of permutations of life & intelligence possibilities - when you can play all variations of a theme on your own violin, you don't need any other composer. It would be reinventing the wheel, so to speak. Just a thought....
I don't care which way it turns out - there would be pluses and minuses of being the first, and also of not being the first. It will be a wild ride either way