Hello all,
I was reading this particular article in ScientificAmerican and wondered how others feel regarding other form of life in the vastness of space.
Do you think humans would react positively to contact of some sort?
Do you think complex life will ever be found, or just simple microbes?
Would this contribute to the downfall of theism?
Here's a link to the interesting article.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-humanity-ready-for-the-dis...
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Do I think there is other complex life out there? I think that is very likely in the incredible vastness of the universe.
Depends on the contact, people are already saying we will find life or signs of life on mars. There will be little reaction, but a bit of excitement from the science community on discovering life there. If we got into actual contact with intelligent life from another solar system the reaction would be enormous, biggest story of the century stuff. Although I think that is extremely unlikely to happen within our life times.
Ever? It really depends how long the human race is around (does not go extinct) and advancing. If the human race is around for millions of years advancing scientific knowledge at the rates we are now I give a good chance we will eventually find complex life.
I would like to think the theism nonsense will be long gone by then. If we can continue to advance at the rate we are now theism as we know it should be mostly gone within a few hundred years, and completely gone within a thousand. If by some extreme luck and random chance we find a species more advanced than us that is willing to communicate with us, in the next 100 years, then yes it will have very fast (relatively) and powerful impacts with theism.
If there is intelligent life somewhere else(and I'm sure there is based on the odds), I am quite sure we will do as we always do and try and exploit them, enslave them, use them, rape murder them, and go to war with them. That is the historical record of a faith-based population!
Hi Mykcob4,
Unless they enslave us first.
Yep, you're right Alembe`!
Nah. Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman will save us.
@Algebe Re: "Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman will save us."
Hey, don't forget about Will Smith. He helped too.
Personally, I think it would be awesome to make contact with intelligent beings from another world. Until, of course, they start squashing us like insects. At that point, I would have to admit it ain't fun anymore. Then again, it would still be kinda cool in a way. After all, you have to admit it would be a helluva lot more interesting than simply having some random meteor impact wiping us out.
mykcob4: Did you ever read Vonnegut? This:
http://kilgoretroutstories.tumblr.com/post/16852549207/the-dancing-fool-...
Given the size and age of the universe, the existence of intelligent life on other planets seems a certainty. For the same reasons, we are very unlikely to meet them directly. Our paths are unlikely to cross in the depths of distance and years.
However, there is a very good chance that we'll find traces, such as radio or laser communications, or physical signs in the atmospheres of exoplanets. That would be an amazing opportunity to learn more about the universe and ourselves.
For people conditioned to believe that their god created one special form of life on one planet at the center of the universe, I think such a discovery would be devastating. It would certainly nail the lid shut on their idiotic Genesis story. But the priests and theologians would eventually use their twisted logic to create another gap to shove their god into. Hopefully enough eyes will have been opened that they'll just get the derision they deserve.
Algebe,
Speaking of exoplanets IMO the people who have claimed to have discovered some in distant solar systems are spewing bullshit. Hell, they don't know how many planets are in this solar system. They claim to have found around 2,000 such planets with the closest ones being about 10.5 to 13.8 light years from us depending on the propaganda. That seems to be as believable as zombie Yeshua.
Diotrephes,
There are methods, based on sound science to discover planets now and very soon, with the new telescopes being built now it will be also possible to study their atmospheres.
https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/interactable/11/
@Diotrephes the people who have claimed to have discovered some in distant solar systems are spewing bullshit.
You're sounding like a fake moon landing conspiracy theorist.
There is solid science behind these discoveries. Planets can be discovered by observing the wobble in the parent star caused by the gravitational pull of planets. They can also be found by using spectroscopes to observe changes in the star's light when a planet passes in front of it. As the science gets better, we'll even be able to see atmospheres.
I've heard of the theory about another planet out beyond the Kuiper Belt. Sometimes the closest things are the hardest to find. That doesn't mean that science is "bullshit".
I don't think I can meaningfully speculate about the probability of life existing elsewhere in the universe. I only know that it has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the question of whether "god" exists, anymore than the knowledge that bacterial life vastly outnumbers human life.
"Would this contribute to the downfall of theism?"
It'd be interesting if it instead contributes to the rise of a new religion. Or what if the extraterrestrials have a religion of their own, would it mix with ours or replace ours?
@ Breezy
Depends on who wins the war. Where there is religion there is always bloodshed.
John: I am positive there are humans who would adopt extraterrestrial religions! There already are:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TphNS93ebqU
Be interesting to see a Muslim/Hindu/alien alliance warring with a human Catholic, Vulcan Jedi alliance....I would pay money for that.
But would the storm troopers be able to hit anything?
@Old Man Re: Storm Troopers
Storm Troopers actually hitting anything??? Now you are talking plain nonsense. Have you gone mad? I mean, I can totally see the possibility of a Muslim/Hindu/Alien alliance, for sure. But to even remotely suggest a Storm Trooper might hit something..... Dear lord, man! Go seek psychiatric help NOW! (Don't black out, buddy. Stay with me! Breathe!...)
@chimp3: I am positive there are humans who would adopt extraterrestrial religions!
What about the Mormons?
@ Algebe
* whispers* Not to mention the s c i e n t o l o g i s t s..
.I told you not to mention that! *sets off volcano with H Bomb* Take that THETAN!
@John Re: Extraterrestrial Religion
Well, if it has anything to do with the Predator aliens, then I'm all in! YES! They have an awesome warrior mentality, not to mention the coolest weapons!
Some interesting points here, thank you!
I will try to be cautious in my comments on it, but I do feel that some form of life out there is inevitable.
For example, if we just go by the drake equation, you can have an idea of the probability once you factor in key points such as the average number of star formations in the galaxy and the fraction of those being life bearing.
Or you could even add to this 'Biogenic gases' which was proposed by Sara Seager that focus on biosignature gases.
Once you consider these, you realise the chances are very strong in favor of some sort of life being out there.
My true hope is for distant contact, even if just in the form of signals.
Sure, there has been, there is, and there will be intelligent life on other planets. There are zillions of planets. But so what? Space is simply too vast for contact between worlds. For example, our main galaxy is 100,000 light years in diameter. So even if there was a planet on the other with intelligent life it simply doesn't matter. Traveling at the speed of light it would take 100,000 years to reach that planet. Traveling at 20 times the speed of light it would take 5,000 years. How much has humanity changed in the last 5,000 years? People at that time were not intelligent. And 100,000 years ago we were some truly pathetic creatures.
Then there's the gravity and atmosphere problems. Based on the physics of our world bipedal animals such as us are limited in physical size. For instance, we can never grow to be 90 feet tall. Dinosaurs were huge but they were four legged creatures that survived with a different atmosphere. It's doubtful if any could live in the modern world because the gases are different.
So given that we, as the current model of humans, will never meet intelligent space aliens. That's not to say that we won't meet space animals. There are no Vulcans in the neighborhood.
I suspect that simple, one-celled life arises almost automatically under appropriate conditions, possibly even in some of our outer moons with ocean interiors and heat sources. Life first appeared on Earth about as soon as physically possible, after the heavy meteorite bombardment. That strongly suggests that crossing the boundary from non-life to life may not be that difficult. On the other hand, getting past the simple cell stage on the way to dinosaurs or people took evolution more than 2 billion years! Perhaps certain conditions have to come into play to open the door to higher life, and a lack of them might stall evolution at a certain level. Technological civilization may require some freak breaks rather than being an expected result in the long run. Perhaps there are countless worlds in which life never rises higher in intelligence than, say, whales or octopuses. It's still the great mystery!
If facts could kill religion, the discovery that the Earth and planets revolve around the sun would have terminated Christianity. If facts could kill religion, the fact that the Mormon religion was started by a con artists would have been fatal. Unfortunately, religion adapts as it goes along. An immobile earth at the center of everything, indispensable to Luther and whole generations of Christians, is now routinely accepted by even the Bible thumpers. Discovery of alien life would also be worked into Christianity. A small remnant might go into deep denial, even as there is a flat-earth Christian group in the California Mojave Desert, but that would be it.
Is there life out there? Most likely!
I think Enceladus has a decent chance of at least having very simple single cell life.
But I don't think any contact with any other civilisation will ever happen.
Just my opinion though.
No matter what the conditions, theism will always exist as long as we have stupidity and/or ignorance.
We could have the Borg suddenly fill the sky with their space ships, and some people would flock to churches and pray.