Life out there? (Full Version)

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TheHeretic -> Life out there? (7/1/2012 12:33:07 PM)

This sorta came up elsewhere, but that thread is badly enough off into the minutiae of a tangent, already.

What are your thoughts on extra-terrestrial life? Do we have the whole universe to ourselves? Are we unique and special? For those who take that position, I'm most curious as to the basis for it. Does it come from a religious foundation that we were created in the image of God? Are there any atheists holding this point of view?

Some could say that they don't believe life exists beyond our planet, because there is no evidence of it, and that is a fair answer, but I would then ask if they believe in the possibility of such, and bring them right back in to being able to participate.

I don't think we are all that special, and I think it is extremely likely that there is life throughout the universe. We are an electrified soup, at the far end of some millions of years of evolution. No big deal.

What say you?



GreedyTop -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 12:39:58 PM)

I say that there is no way that we (by "we" I mean here on earth) have any way of determining what constitutes life elsewhere! just because WE require oxygen, IMO, does not mean that we should automatically assume that other lifeformsmight require OTHER forms of sustenance (whatever that may be).

Sadly, I think that we, as humans from Earth, are too plano-centric(is that the right word?) to allow for that.



TNDommeK -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 12:45:40 PM)

I definitely think there is life out there. It may not be as Hollywood depicts it. But anything that sustains life else where...is life. So yes, for sure.



MasterG2kTR -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 1:07:09 PM)

Ever since I was about eight years old I have believed that we are not alone in the universe. As a young boy, many things that I considered possibilities for extra-terrestrial life have, in now very recent times been explored and spotlighted in the History channel series Ancient Aliens.

With all the modern technologies we have today, modern man cannot replicate many of the feats and marvels that ancient civilizations accomplished. The building of pyramids is one example. Perfectly cut and fitted stones. Not so much a marvel in itself, until you consider the time-line in which they were built. The builders would have laid one stone every nine seconds! Many of the stones weigh in excess of 20 tons. Not to mention the fact that the quarries were miles and miles away.

How about Ethiopia's cross shaped stone churches? Carved from a single block of bedrock granite. Oh and it only took 20 years. Are we supposed to believe that stone masons working with primitive hand tools carved all this with perfect precision? Precision and detail so intricate that modern machinery cannot reproduce it!

These are just two examples of things modern man cannot replicate and many expect us to believe ancient man did this alone with primitive tools. I think not! We are not alone!!



TheHeretic -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 1:48:16 PM)

I keep the idea that not only is there life out there, but that they have visited our planet and influenced the shapings of our civilizations, in the realm of fun speculation. There may be Mayan carvings that we can easily interpret as space travellers, if we wish, but the Mayans were also into human sacrifice, which I'd like to think a far more technologically advanced civilization would have frowned on.

There was an interesting documentary a few years back, that established that the Egyptians had all the pieces of technology to actually fly the stones up onto the pyramid with kites. Whether that was a method they used is another question, but it seems more plausible.



AurumCaminus -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 1:59:27 PM)

We know next to nothing about what is out the. Just what we can detect with our passive instrumentation gives us only the most superficial understanding. For all we know there could be anything out there.



dcnovice -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 1:59:57 PM)

In my darker moments, I find myself agreeing with Calvin:

[image]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2458/4050726305_e56e744cd2_o.jpg[/image]



vincentML -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 2:43:24 PM)

quote:

I don't think we are all that special, and I think it is extremely likely that there is life throughout the universe. We are an electrified soup, at the far end of some millions of years of evolution. No big deal.


Agreed. We [carbon-based life] are not all that special. Life on this planet is probably an accident imo and it could just as easily be a one-off as one of many. So far speculation is based on probabilities but that could just as well be only wishful thinking until we have some shreds of evidence. That shouldn't be asking for too much.

I can't give much credence to evidence from ancient constructions. The belief that super beings came here in the past is similar to believing in pagan gods, I think.

Good thread, Rich.

Vincent



littlewonder -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 2:49:44 PM)

I think if life is out there then it's in the form of bacteria and protozoa but not intelligent, sentient beings. Most likely earth is an aberrant.



Rule -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 2:57:52 PM)

I have identified about five to eight (or more) alien species. I have lost count. A few may be doubles.



Owner59 -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 2:58:24 PM)

Considering it would take several lifetimes to travel "there",even close to the speed of light,it really isn`t an issue.


Think about it.


You send men and women on a space ship where it`s their grand children or great great grand children that are the ones to see the "others".......if they even exist.


Ok folks.......who wants to be born on a space ship and spend the whole of their lives on it and die on it.......so that your kids can do the same, so that their kids can do the same, so that THIER kids might see and meet "them"?


Pretty grim.





kdsub -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 3:30:42 PM)

I believe life is a natural consequence of the reaction of the combining of the basic elements of our universe over time. Because these elements react to each other in much the same way throughout the universe then I would expect life would follow a fairly common path. Otherwise I think we would recognize alien life and would understand the basics of its composition.

I do however believe intelligent life capable of looking for and finding life on other planets may be rare indeed. I say this because if there were another species of life comparable to ours within 50 to 100 light years in distance we should have already found them or they found and contacted us. Simply because the electronic noise of our planets should have reached each other by now.

It is very possible, in the vastness of the universe, that there are millions of intelligent species but we are too far apart from each other to recognize each others existence in our limited time…I don’t mean individual time of existence... I mean our species time of existence.

Butch



thishereboi -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 3:55:59 PM)

quote:

I don't think we are all that special, and I think it is extremely likely that there is life throughout the universe.


I agree with this and wonder how many other places, some other species is thinking the same thing about us.



LookieNoNookie -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 4:00:40 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: TheHeretic

This sorta came up elsewhere, but that thread is badly enough off into the minutiae of a tangent, already.

What are your thoughts on extra-terrestrial life? Do we have the whole universe to ourselves? Are we unique and special? For those who take that position, I'm most curious as to the basis for it. Does it come from a religious foundation that we were created in the image of God? Are there any atheists holding this point of view?

Some could say that they don't believe life exists beyond our planet, because there is no evidence of it, and that is a fair answer, but I would then ask if they believe in the possibility of such, and bring them right back in to being able to participate.

I don't think we are all that special, and I think it is extremely likely that there is life throughout the universe. We are an electrified soup, at the far end of some millions of years of evolution. No big deal.

What say you?


Who do you think created this?: http://www.alienware.com/Landings/desktops.aspx

(They've been here for a while).



Louve00 -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 4:05:40 PM)

You're questions made me think of a book I read once called "Chariots of the Gods" .

I think there is life on other planets, but life on other planets may not be conducive to life as we know it on earth. And then again, it might be. And then too, it may not even be in our solar systems as we learn that outer space is bigger and more infinite than we ever imagined.



littlewonder -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 4:18:20 PM)

quote:

How about Ethiopia's cross shaped stone churches? Carved from a single block of bedrock granite. Oh and it only took 20 years. Are we supposed to believe that stone masons working with primitive hand tools carved all this with perfect precision? Precision and detail so intricate that modern machinery cannot reproduce it!


They were actually carved from soft volcanic rock and rather easy to carve. And primitive people? They were built in the 12th or 13th centuries. That's not primitive. I think it's an insult to the people who carved them that you underestimate the abilities of humans to create wonderful and beautiful things without the help from aliens or magic. And modern man can easily recreate them now if they wanted to and I doubt with all that much difficulty.



vincentML -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 4:42:34 PM)

quote:

It is very possible, in the vastness of the universe, that there are millions of intelligent species but we are too far apart from each other to recognize each others existence in our limited time…I don’t mean individual time of existence... I mean our species time of existence.


If they are out there and we are too far apart now the problem of recognition and communication will become more difficult in the future because the galaxies seem to be speeding away at increasing acceleration.



LookieNoNookie -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 4:47:23 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: littlewonder

quote:

How about Ethiopia's cross shaped stone churches? Carved from a single block of bedrock granite. Oh and it only took 20 years. Are we supposed to believe that stone masons working with primitive hand tools carved all this with perfect precision? Precision and detail so intricate that modern machinery cannot reproduce it!


They were actually carved from soft volcanic rock and rather easy to carve. And primitive people? They were built in the 12th or 13th centuries. That's not primitive. I think it's an insult to the people who carved them that you underestimate the abilities of humans to create wonderful and beautiful things without the help from aliens or magic. And modern man can easily recreate them now if they wanted to and I doubt with all that much difficulty.



That's an interesting point.

So many think that we (whoever, but most importantly, whenever, we are) are the end all be all....and of course, every generation imagines themselves slightly more capable than those that preceded them.

I don't remember who said it (and I probably have the phrasing wrong) but it was something like "on the shoulders of giants...", usually said when trying to figure out how someone (like Einstein, Pasteur, Bell, etc.) figured out some incredible thing ("why, he/she's a GENIUS!"), when for them, certainly slightly more intelligent than the average bear, it was just an extension, or possibly the completion of what someone else got "almost done".

Previous generations were no doubt quite a lot smarter than history allows.

(However, I do think somewhere along the way....other life forms have visited :) )



LookieNoNookie -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 4:48:28 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: vincentML

quote:

It is very possible, in the vastness of the universe, that there are millions of intelligent species but we are too far apart from each other to recognize each others existence in our limited time…I don’t mean individual time of existence... I mean our species time of existence.


If they are out there and we are too far apart now the problem of recognition and communication will become more difficult in the future because the galaxies seem to be speeding away at increasing acceleration.


Just God's way of making sure only humans ever have to meet my ex.



erieangel -> RE: Life out there? (7/1/2012 6:44:00 PM)

We are but a tiny little speck in a solar system on the outer rim of the Milky Way Galaxy. How many more solar systems are in the Milky Way Galaxy alone?

How many galaxies are out there? How many solar systems in all the galaxies?

To believe that none of the planets in these fa r away solar systems have produced any form of intelligent life is a bit geocentric.

I, too, have watched the series Ancient Aliens. While I find some of the theories on that program a little far fetched, I do believe we have been visited throughout time and continue to be visited.

Perhaps we, as a species, did not even originate on this planet, but are the descendants of space travelers who continue to check on their "experiment" even thousands of years after it began.



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