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Do you believe there is intelligent life on other planets?

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Not sure about intelligent but life for sure. The real question in 2017 is if there's intelligent life on our own little marble.

14 ( +17 / -3 )

The size and number of possible planets makes it nearly impossible for humans to be the only "lucky ones". The size of the universe has also hindered in finding anyone as well.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

I am sure there is intelligent life out there and they are 'smart' enough to stay away from Earth until we grow out of our killing each other in the name of religion, money, land and ideological stupidity phase. The odds are out there just sadly too far away.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Of course there is

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Yes.  there must be.  There are BILLIONS of galaxies out there. Ours holds 8 planets.  Others might hold more, and there are billions of them.  So the law of probability says that there must be life somewhere else. I can't believe for one second that we are alone in the cosmos. No way

7 ( +9 / -2 )

There probably are, but without proof, it's only speculation.

One thing almost always left out of this question when it is asked, is the fourth dimension - time. The question is phrased in the present tense, but full alien species could have risen and fallen before we ever climbed out of the trees. Or they may come after us. In other words, the possibility also exists that there could have been or will be alien life out there, but no other alien life exists now. The universe is not only infinite in size, but also in time.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Definitely! I saw it on TV.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Strangerland Today  04:28 pm JST

The universe is not only infinite in size, but also in time.

Not technically true.

The amount of time before us is a finite span of time between the Big Bang and now. While it is absolutely possible that an intelligent civilization could have arisen before us, only smaller section of the lifespan of the Universe would have planets with heavy elements forming around stable stars long enough to develop life. While it's absolutely possible that intelligent life could still develop during that time, it's hardly infinite.

The universe, assuming our best current understanding of cosmology is remotely correct, will also have a finite duration. While that duration is likely to be far longer than the current lifespan of the Universe, our current understanding of spatial expansion suggests that there will be some time far before the heat death/big rip end of the Universe when intelligent civilizations could arise, but that the distances between them would be expanding faster than the speed of light, making them for all intents and purposes irrelevant to each other.

The scenario that worries me most though is a variant of your proposal - intelligent civilizations arose, but then destroyed themselves before they could expand enough to create signals we could recognize. That's a pessimistic view to be sure, but consider how little time it has taken humans to go from sending radio signals into space, to worrying that we could destroy our own civilization, to electing a Trump who could actually make that happen. In cosmic time, we've gone straight from announcing "We're here!" to almost plunging a knife in our own throats. If our experience as humans is at all typical for other intelligence species, then it seems entirely plausible that the universe is littered with the ashes very smart societies who almost figured out how to get off-world and get past scarcity, only for a tiny-handed petulant maniac in their own ranks to blow it up.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

The amount of time before us is a finite span of time between the Big Bang and now.

I get what you're saying, but what came before it? Non-existence? It's possible. It's also possible however that there was something before. Currently we can't know. And same with the end of the universe - what happens after?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I get what you're saying, but what came before it? Non-existence? It's possible. It's also possible however that there was something before. Currently we can't know. And same with the end of the universe - what happens after?

i read an interesting theory that posited a recurrence of the Big Bang/expansion/retraction scenario. Basically that the universe expands until it collapses under its own weight back to singularity to start the process again. I am not knowledgeable enough to critique the science, but there was nothing in the argument that a reasonably intelligent person would refute.

As for intelligent life existing, I am inclined to believe they do, though I have no proof, so I would say it is no more than an inclination. I have grown to believe that religion may have grown from ancient man's misunderstanding of alien visitation as gods rather that just more advanced life forms. If you look at how many western explorers were treated as gods when the arrived in the Americas(and they only had horses and primitively guns, can you imagine space ships, etc?)it is not hard to imagine ancient Earthlings thinking the gods have descended.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Somewhere out in the great void, there's another 'civilsation' asking just the same questiom...

Boy, are we ever gonna be a disappointment to them when and if they make it here.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

There had better be because there isn't much of it on this one........

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Yes, but we'll probably never know. Earth will almost certainly fail to develope interstellar travel.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Strangerland May 22  07:51 pm JST

I get what you're saying, but what came before it? 

According to our best understanding of physics, there was no "before" the Big Bang. Time would have come into existence in that moment.

zichi May 22  08:06 pm JST

No I don't because we are freaks of nature and only exist on this planet. The scientists know the edge of the universe so its not infinite nor timeless. 

Not exactly. There is an edge to the observable universe because the Universe hasn't existed long enough for light from more distant places to reach us. Scientists simply don't know what is beyond that limit, although for the moment we know of no reasons to believe it would be any different in terms of distribution of matter than the space that we can observe.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

According to our best understanding of physics, there was no "before" the Big Bang. Time would have come into existence in that moment.

I think that's along the lines of 'if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it...' type thing. If there is no universe, then there is nothing for which time to be applied to, which is why they say there was none.

I think it's a human attempt at trying to explain the (currently) inexplicable however.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Most likely. But probably far beyond our sphere of existence. They could be sentient pan dimensional beings composed of gas or light. Who knows?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The mathematics indicate a high probability that some where in the universe both observable and beyond our ability to observe, there is life. The frequency and conditions for its development are still subject of conjecture and study, the incidence of that life developing beyond the single cell ditto and the frequency of complex life then developing intelligence also ditto. On the evidence of the only biosphere we can study the probability seems to be low, but that is a sample of one. Whether sentience is ultimately a dead end biologically and whether complex societies are intrinsically unstable and non sustainable for more than a few centuries/millenia is something we can only posit the question but have no data sets with which to answer conclusively.

As others above have rightly pointed out there is also the question of time and distance, ETI's (extra terrestrial intelligence's) may have developed spatially so distant as to be un-observable in our timescale or alternatively there developement and existance will not coincide with our timeframe.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

While there is likely to be other forms of life in the universe, it is impossible that the life forms would in any way resemble humans. The circumstances behind human evolution are far too unique and complicated for them to be replicated on another part of the universe. It's always amazed me that humans would be so brash (and naive) to think that other 'intelligent' life forms would visit the earth in secret. It just doesn't make sense. If someone (or something) travelled across the universe to this little blue rock they would not keep it a secret. They would boldly announce their arrival and ask for a beer. Furthermore, it's extremely unlikely that other forms of would be carbon based life forms. They could be gas or even plasma based life forms.

My answer is: Life, yes! Intelligent life: Not possible!

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

My answer is: Life, yes! Intelligent life: Not possible!

I would agree that life is very likely, but don't agree that intelligent life is impossible.

The universe is vast, and we will never know exactly how many earth like planets there are out there. Even if there were only a hundred in the entire universe that gives a reasonable chance of intelligent life emerging.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

To adapt to environments or exist in a environment is intelligence. Anything living is intelligent . Some people will say a human is more intelligent then a fish. Not true. It is the intellect is different, not best nor worst. The fish intelligence has enable it the breath water and make the best out of the environment. Does that make it more intelligent then the human. No, it is different intellect.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Isn't that all those so call "Gods" supposed to be? Say, in 10 years we develop interstellar travel and we landed on a primitive planet, wouldn't we be seen as either Gods or Demons? Then, again, on how we behave here, any advanced civilization would do its best to limit us from going beyond this solar system and see us as a really bad case of cancer.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Aly Rustom May 22  04:24 pm JST

Yes. there must be. There are BILLIONS of galaxies out there. Ours holds 8 planets. Others might hold more, and there are billions of them. So the law of probability says that there must be life somewhere else. I can't believe for one second that we are alone in the cosmos. No way

If I may expand on that, the Milky Way (our galaxy) is 100,000 light years in diameter... 100,000!!! It would take 100,000 YEARS, travelling at the speed of LIGHT to travel across our galaxy!!! ...and there are over 100 BILLION galaxies out there!!! (scientists say there are possibly 200 billion!) Inconceivable! There has GOT to be other intelligent life out there. We just don't know how to reach each other...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I believe so, but I believe their 'intellect' is something we cannot comprehend. That, or else they are similar to us, but much smarter, and have looked at us and said, "Don't bother with them... they'll be gone before long, the idiots."

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Maybe there was and maybe there will be, but are they out there now? Where are they and if they are here now would I, oops they tell you, oops I mean us?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It's possible that life on earth began when cells sent from another world landed here a couple of billion years ago. Rather than sending a colony of humans across the galaxy, it would be simpler for us in turn to spread life to other star systems by doing a cosmic sneeze, sending multiple small craft containing frozen cells of simple organisms. It would hardly matter if the journey took tens of thousands of years.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I am not a skeptic so I believe in extraterrestrial life. There has been a myriad of documentaries and Eyewitness accounts from well respected people to back up this belief.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Life out there yes. Bacteria and Microbes been found asteroid fragments.

Intelligent life highly likely.

Anything resembling life on earth highly unlikely.

Space faring again likely but distance, etc would make meeting highly unlikely.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I think it's hard to say how likely it is until we have a better understanding of how life started on this planet. Was it an extremely rare set of circumstances? If so, then perhaps there's only us.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

In November 2013, astronomers reported, based on Kepler space mission data, that there could be as many as 40 billion Earth-sized planets orbiting in the habitable zones of Sun-like stars and red dwarfs in the Milky Way, 11 billion of which may be orbiting Sun-like stars.

Now considering that there are 100 million stars in the Milky Way galaxy alone and an estimated 100 billion galaxies in the Universe (that we can see) that's an awful lot of potential right there! Considering that odds and statistics get bantered around a lot in debates like this is it entirely scientific to declare outright that there is NO life what so ever and also just because we cant see or hear intelligent life doesnt mean it doesn't exist! For all we know we, as humans, don't fit into the concept of intelligent life and are being ignored!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The Drake Equation for intelligent, active, communicative life in the universe:

http://www.seti.org/drakeequation Run the numbers yourself. It is hard to say, but the universe is a very big place. I've run the numbers and believe it would be highly unlikely that Earth is the only planet with intelligent life in the universe.
0 ( +0 / -0 )

I think it virtually a certainty. I imagine the shock when we make that realisation though?

For example, how does Christianity's discourse shift with any kind of credibility to accommodate the revelation?

Over the years I have become increasingly interested in the genre of Science Fiction, partly for that fact that it quite often works around this very question. And it is a fascinating one.

Humans may not live long enough to ever find out, though.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yes and i believe they've been studying us.. I also think they've come the conclusion that we're all WACKO !..So, they 've decided it's best to just leave these beings (us) alone...Thus , we will never have direct contact with space aliens..only illegal aliens ..hahaha.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I don't know exactly whether intelignet life can exist on other planet or not, but I hope it's there. You know, there are about hundreds of billions of individual galaxies in the observable universe, and each one of those galaxies has about hundreds of billions of individual stars. So, I think it's not wrong to say that there cannot be intelignet life out there. Additionally, if there is human like life that can communicate with, we have an opportunity to learn something from it such as "how are we born in the universe?" "Why are we in the universe?"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

No offense to anyone but if you say there isn't a possibility of intelligent life out there than you're kinda stupid.That or just extremely vain. The universe is vast and infinite so the possibility is high. Especially towards the center of the universe. Besides we can't be the only ones,that makes no sense at all.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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