Is There Life Out There??

[ShiningIce]

Anybody here believe that somewhere in this vast infinite universe, theres life besides ours? I personally think the universe is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too big for us to be all alone out here.

 

[Dave2112]

Yeah...

...I'm pretty sure. 🙄 😀

 

[Deleted member 2452]

the old "are we alone?" debate

i for one believe we are not alone.
i even go so far as to believe we (humans, not just ticklphiles) are not native to this planet, but are from another world. how we got here is another fun topic.
steve

 

[omega]

Let's imagine that on another planet somewhere there is a tree. Let's further imagine that this tree falls but no one is around. Does that tree falling to the ground speed up the destruction of rain forests here on our planet?

I'm sorry. That's what I get for thinking about these kinds of questions. They all get muddled together.

BTW, I think we would be pretty selfish to think that our life is the only life in the whole universe.

 

[Dave2112]

Re: the old "are we alone?" debate

...I even go so far as to believe we are not native to this planet, but are from another world. How we got here is another fun topic.

I actually subscribe to this theory. I don't believe that human life is indiginous to this world. But, as you said...that's a long story.😉

 

[qjakal]

An alternate view...

Nope..it's just us...I'll reveal why later... 🙂 Q

 

[Haltickling]

I agree, it is highly unlikely that we are the only ones in universe. There is sooo much organic material floating about in space (proven by astronomy), so the probability of life on other planets is rather high.

An entirely different question is whether there is intelligent life out there. I can't help to wonder sometimes if there's really intelligent life on Earth... 😛

But I disagree to the theory of human existence originating elsewhere. There's too much conformity in our genetic material with the genes of all other animals on Earth to believe in an extra-terrestric origin of humans. During our development in our mother's womb, we run through all the steps that evolution took. I think we agree that this confirms our evolution here. Maybe the original organic material arrived here. But humans developed on Earth.

Some theories say that intelligence was brought to us from outside. Okay, that's possible. IMO, our Earth possesses enough life-power to invent intelligent brains. If we don't prove that we deserve this gift, the Earth will get rid of us, like it got rid of a million other species which were useless and unable to adapt.

 

[strtbottomjim]

For anybody who thinks us hoomans come from someplace else:

The DNA says otherwise. Bigtime.

Other life out there? Heck ya, seems crazy to think otherwise, especially now that we know other planets are common (over 80 non-solar-system planets IDed so far!). The others are gas giants, that's all we can detect (so far) at this range...but still.

 

[Alex Warfield]

<---- Is living proof that life exists elsewhere.

Seriously though, a better question might be: "How long until we discover, and possibly interact with, other life forms?"

 

[BigJim]

Re: Re: the old "are we alone?" debate

I actually subscribe to this theory. I don't believe that human life is indiginous to this world. But, as you said...that's a long story.😉

It is Dave. A hell of a long story. 🙁 Right now, there's something I wanna say, that is gonna sounds even weirder than confessing to the world that I'm a ticklephile. Unfortunatley I don't have the courage yet, but depending on how this thread develops...........

 

[shark]

I don't see why there would not be other life forms out in the universe.Whether we are descended from them is another story,but I don't doubt that we have company.

 

[Ayesha]

hmmmmm

I'd have to agree with the views above that it is very arrogant of us humans to believe there isn't any other 'intelligent' life out there. Just my two pennies. 🙂

Ayesha

 

[evilqueen]

I am open to the theory that some sort of life exists elsewhere in the universe. I am less open to the idea that "they" are our ancestors. Believing in life in another galaxy far far away is great fun, but believing that it kindled life on earth is like believing in talking apparitions of virgins, IMHO. Our intelligence makes us like unto gods because we make the gods we are like unto. The brain has no problem mixing fact with fantasy, or learning with yearning. The brain is not to be trusted with anything other than empirical evidence, and even that you can't get twelve brains to agree upon. 😉

If there is a God, he must have created us as an example to the rest of the animals of what happens to animals when their brains get too big.

God: "Okay, you can eat dirt...or vote for politicians."
Worms: "Hmmm....."

 

[BigJim]

I am open to the theory that some sort of life exists elsewhere in the universe. I am less open to the idea that "they" are our ancestors. Believing in life in another galaxy far far away is great fun, but believing that it kindled life on earth is like believing in talking apparitions of virgins, IMHO. Our intelligence makes us like unto gods because we make the gods we are like unto. The brain has no problem mixing fact with fantasy, or learning with yearning. The brain is not to be trusted with anything other than empirical evidence, and even that you can't get twelve brains to agree upon. 😉

If there is a God, he must have created us as an example to the rest of the animals of what happens to animals when their brains get too big.

God: "Okay, you can eat dirt...or vote for politicians."
Worms: "Hmmm....."

Good points EQ, but sometimes for some people there is just a little bit TOO much proof.

 

[maverick83]

I think it is very possible that other life forms, perhaps even "intelligent" life forms, exist out there. However, due to the extraordinary circumstances that must be present to support known forms of life, I believe that if there is other life out there, it is spread VERY sparsely throughout the universe, making contact highly unlikely. Speaking of the universe, I'd like to introduce a thought...

Is the universe infinite? Now think about this carefully.
1)How can anything go on forever? Logic insists that it must end.
2)How would it end? It's just empty space. What end could it possibly have? And what would begin at that point? Logic also insists that it must not end.

I think the real issue is that our logic cannot grasp the concept of infinity, as everything we are familiar with is finite.

(Sorry for going off on a tangent like that.)

 

[ShiningIce]

Maybe ALL life on earth started on another planet and was carried here via meteor. Just a thought

 

[MadKalnod]

I am reasonably certain of other intelligent life in the universe. All that space with just us in it is an appallingly ineffeicient design, and all Earthly evidence points to nature/God/whatever as simply not being that wasteful.

I do however, also subscribe to Charlie Fort's dictum of Open-Minded Skepticism. I am open to the possibilty, yet subject all claims to strict standards of proof. Aliens are highly likely, but I also doubt that they regularly come here to give colonoscopies to clueless rednecks, or that they will be mamallian humanoids identical to us apart from some lumps on their foreheads. I've heard some noted SF authors and Big Science Brains postulate that when he do find extraterrestrial life, we will trip over it because we won't even recognise it as such by our standards.

 

[maverick83]

Not wasteful? Then will you please explain the purpose of all the other planets in our solar system, and their moons, and any stars that no not have life-supporting planets orbitting them? No offense intended, but I disagree, and find whatever/whoever it is that did it all to be very wasteful. I undrstand that you refer to Earth as an example, but the problem is that the description is limited to Earth.

I agree with your examples of skepticism, though.

"It's just that everyone who claims to have seen aliens are pathetic lowlives with boring jobs...oh...and you...dad..." -Lisa Simpson

 

[Longbaugh]

Yes, I beleive there is other life in the universe. The universe is so immensely vast that it only seems reasonable that life does exist elsewhere in it... Our galaxy is massive and it is only one in a universe of countless galaxies.

I find it hard to fathom that are little blue planet is the only thing in this universe that sustains life.

 

[Dave2112]

Hmmmm....another Fortean amongst us, Mad? Cool.😎 Hal brought up how natural selection got rid of species without enough brains to evolve (a paraphrase), but remember that many species...dominant species, were wiped out by accidental disasters and not exactly natural selection. When a species dies out because it hasn't developed the body parts or intelligence to eat what the planet currently has to offer, that's selection...when a big-ass meteor wipes them out, that's just shitty luck.

Assume for a moment, just assume, that all those people who claim to have seen the classic "Greys" aren't all lying. It seems strange that life on another planet would automatically develop the "head on top, two arms, two legs, etc." format of evolution. There are a million ways nature could give a species sight, locomotion, intake capabilities, etc. without resorting to our basic design. Are they human-related life just coming to check on their "garden"? Possible. Not likely, but possible. And it is something to think about.

😎

 

[Deleted member 2452]

maverick

wy do you assume there is no other life in our solar system,and none in others? couldn't it just be very different from our own, and we just don't realize it? back before earth's atmosphere was oxygen/nitrogin, there was life here, but i died out when the oxygen count got too high.
i think it is a egocentric trait in man that he thinks he's alone.
steve

 

[Haltickling]

Dave and Maverick

Hal brought up how natural selection got rid of species without enough brains to evolve (a paraphrase), but remember that many species...dominant species, were wiped out by accidental disasters and not exactly natural selection. When a species dies out because it hasn't developed the body parts or intelligence to eat what the planet currently has to offer, that's selection...when a big-ass meteor wipes them out, that's just shitty luck.

I beg to differ, my friend. Your remarks are certainly true for those species endemic to the area of impact. But most dinosaurs (I guess that's what you're speaking about) became extinct in the following dramatic climate changes to which they couldn't adapt. There were actually a few species which coped with that: crocodiles and turtles as direct relatives of the dinosaurs, birds (which either descended from them or were a separate sideline), insects, even early mammals. As long as SOME species survived because of improved adaptability, the extinct ones can be counted as victims of the selection process.

My own brand of open-minded skepticism dictates to keep an open mind for the possible "Grays". But as somebody else mentioned, maybe they are the only extra-terrestrial species we can identify as such. A lot of others could have visited us without catching our attention (or without even noticing us).

Maverick, just because we don't see the value of other planets doesn't mean they're useless to evolution or the universe on a much bigger scale. The universe doesn't exist FOR us, but we exist as an incredibly small part of it. Perhaps it takes millions of planets to develop one single world with life on it, then life on several planets can only be achieved by the sheer number of 'dummies'. Maybe life has existed on some of these now 'dead' planets in the past, or it will exist there in the future. Maybe the concept of "life" is just a natural byproduct of evolution on a universal scale, and not its only purpose. Who knows?
😎

 

[ShiningIce]

Plus Jupiter is useful, it filters out most harmful meteors because of its large gravity

 

[Dave2112]

Hal, it's true that the smaller species were able to survive the drastic climate changes. That's a valid point. But what if that meteor had never even hit? It's not as if the smaller species developed a defense mechanism for something that they didn't know was going to happen.

The problem with a debate like this is that there really aren't many truly invalid theories. Anything is possible in such a large Universe, but it sure is fun discussing the possibilities, ain't it? Perhaps it's something in me that goes beyond the scientific that needs to believe in life elsewhere. There doesn't seem to be a point in a huge Universe to house one dominant species, right? Science can be argued forever, but sometimes you just have to take that leap of faith.

 

[maverick83]

Right. And I apologize for seeming to not consider the possibility of other forms of life. But Hal, I think you misunderstood me. My reply was to the statement that a creator, if one exists, was not wasteful. Now, if there is an almighty being, it would be wasteful of he/she/it to create these "dummies" you speak of. If they are so powerful and perfect, they could just as easily get it right the first time. As for areenactor, I see your point, but find it hard to believe that every planet, star, comet, etc. has a form of life on it or serves a definite purpose. This was the point of my reply, that absolute efficiency would require EVERYTHING to serve a purpose. I never once claimed that there was no life elsewhere in our solar system, or in others.