Philosophy Now Forum

Belief in intelligent extra-terrestrial life says more about what we want to be true than any real possibility. There is no other intelligent life in the universe.

Why?
And why do you say "other"?

Knowing what I know about Universe, I would say that the "probability" of what many would call intelligent life is enormous, do you know how big is this? (if it has limits XD).

And what do you supose that I pretend something by thinking this? If some green little guys "more intelligent", with more technology etc, have looked us, they won't come, they'll think that there is some microorganism here that make people retarded or something..., nah, but they won't see any reason to come here, an, above all, we can't be a reason.

TSBU wrote:Why?
And why do you say "other"?

Knowing what I know about Universe, I would say that the "probability" of what many would call intelligent life is enormous, do you know how big is this? (if it has limits XD).

And what do you supose that I pretend something by thinking this? If some green little guys "more intelligent", with more technology etc, have looked us, they won't come, they'll think that there is some microorganism here that make people retarded or something..., nah, but they won't see any reason to come here, an, above all, we can't be a reason.

Consider the history of the earth, and how unlikely it was to come out exactly as it did, and how close to impossible it would be to be replicated:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Earth

Melchior wrote: Consider the history of the earth, and how unlikely it was to come out exactly as it did, and how close to impossible it would be to be replicated:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Earth

Yeah, I know the history of earth, and I know how big is this place. And I also know that there is no need to be in an exact earth to be life. Not intelligent life, but, as an aproximation, NASA says that it's expected to find some kind of life in 30-40 years (I don't konw were I read that, and I'm not sure, but I know a couple of things about how life begun, and that's not so strange).

Well, I don't know if intelligent life exist or not, but... what do you think that... shit, difficult sentence XD, I hope you understand:
What makes you think that thinking that there is a chance of intelligent life shows anything more than thinking that there is a chance?

Melchior wrote:Belief in intelligent extra-terrestrial life says more about what we want to be true than any real possibility. There is no other intelligent life in the universe.

...in which case there's NO intelligent life at all.

All we have are probabilities and our prejudice. My thinking is no as we've never detected intelligent signals from outer space. These scientists have a different opinion:

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/n ... ice=mobile

PhilX

Philosophy Explorer wrote:All we have are probabilities and our prejudice. My thinking is no as we've never detected intelligent signals from outer space. These scientists have a different opinion:

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/n ... ice=mobile

PhilX

They are deluded. 'Intelligent life' is a freak accident on earth, and there is nothing inevitable about it at all.

Melchior wrote:

Philosophy Explorer wrote:All we have are probabilities and our prejudice. My thinking is no as we've never detected intelligent signals from outer space. These scientists have a different opinion:

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/n ... ice=mobile

PhilX

They are deluded. 'Intelligent life' is a freak accident on earth, and there is nothing inevitable about it at all.

In a duplicate universe, intelligent life would arise again. I don't regard it as a freak accident on Earth as it would be in accord with all the laws of our universe (which is far from being completely understood by scientists).

PhilX

Philosophy Explorer wrote:

Melchior wrote:

Philosophy Explorer wrote:All we have are probabilities and our prejudice. My thinking is no as we've never detected intelligent signals from outer space. These scientists have a different opinion:

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/n ... ice=mobile

PhilX

They are deluded. 'Intelligent life' is a freak accident on earth, and there is nothing inevitable about it at all.

In a duplicate universe, intelligent life would arise again. I don't regard it as a freak accident on Earth as it would be in accord with all the laws of our universe (which is far from being completely understood by scientists).

PhilX

What is in accord with the laws of physics is not inevitable.

[Edited by iMod]

I'm with TSBU here.

We can say that it's likely that no intelligent beings with technology beyond radio waves exist in the parts of the Milky Way that we can observe. It's possible that we were the first, or that others have been and gone.

There is a very good chance that the Earth's freakish origins can be largely repeated elsewhere, given the numbers involved. It's also possible that more habitable planets than Earth exist - larger, more bountiful, under a smaller main sequence star with a longer lifespan.

Why are we so intent on finding "intelligent" life at all? How does that change our position here on Earth? If initial contact is made then what? It only proves there is or was some other intelligence out there. Probability alone based on virtually infinite possibilities already confirms as much. I'm not saying you shouldn't keep the phone lines open but why go out of our way to find something. It may even be possible that other technological beings may ponder the "for what" question and place this among their least priorities.

Melchior wrote:Belief in intelligent extra-terrestrial life says more about what we want to be true than any real possibility. There is no other intelligent life in the universe.

We are certainly not in contact with ANY significantly intelligent life (including human), in the universe.
But it is likely that the universe is chock full of it, but we will most probably never converse with it.

Melchior wrote:

TSBU wrote:Why?
And why do you say "other"?

Knowing what I know about Universe, I would say that the "probability" of what many would call intelligent life is enormous, do you know how big is this? (if it has limits XD).

And what do you supose that I pretend something by thinking this? If some green little guys "more intelligent", with more technology etc, have looked us, they won't come, they'll think that there is some microorganism here that make people retarded or something..., nah, but they won't see any reason to come here, an, above all, we can't be a reason.

Consider the history of the earth, and how unlikely it was to come out exactly as it did, and how close to impossible it would be to be replicated:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Earth

With a billion stars in each of billions of galaxies, with probably all containing several planets, it is close to impossible that life unknown.
It's a complete no brainer.
There is also a possibility that life (not as we know it) has emerged on other types of planet.

Hobbes' Choice wrote:

Melchior wrote:

TSBU wrote:Why?
And why do you say "other"?

Knowing what I know about Universe, I would say that the "probability" of what many would call intelligent life is enormous, do you know how big is this? (if it has limits XD).

And what do you supose that I pretend something by thinking this? If some green little guys "more intelligent", with more technology etc, have looked us, they won't come, they'll think that there is some microorganism here that make people retarded or something..., nah, but they won't see any reason to come here, an, above all, we can't be a reason.

Consider the history of the earth, and how unlikely it was to come out exactly as it did, and how close to impossible it would be to be replicated:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Earth

With a billion stars in each of billions of galaxies, with probably all containing several planets, it is close to impossible that life unknown.
It's a complete no brainer.
There is also a possibility that life (not as we know it) has emerged on other types of planet.

It's sure egocentric to think that intelligent life would like to know us. And we can't see very far, anything.

Dubious wrote:Why are we so intent on finding "intelligent" life at all? How does that change our position here on Earth? If initial contact is made then what? It only proves there is or was some other intelligence out there. Probability alone based on virtually infinite possibilities already confirms as much. I'm not saying you shouldn't keep the phone lines open but why go out of our way to find something. It may even be possible that other technological beings may ponder the "for what" question and place this among their least priorities.

It is exactly for this reason that I find SETI stupid. It's a waste of time.