Do you believe in intelligent extraterrestrial life?

[rob]

Conne,


That's okay, I fully expected you to take at least seven hours to form a response


rob

 

[why]

Hey Rob,

You're a blowhard.

Goodbye

 

[Geoff Gander]

Although I believe in extraterrestrial life, sometimes I wonder whether they would even want to make contact with us. Seriously, if you knew that someone living down the street was throwing garbage out on their front lawn (pollution), and beating their spouse and children (war), would you want pop over and say hi?

But then again, maybe the ETs have too many of their own problems to worry about contacting us.

Just thinking aloud.

 

[CDFS]

Originally Posted by Connemara

I guess defining "intelligent" is kind of hard. Carl Sagan's definition was grounded in the ability of a civilization to send and receive radio waves. He argues, convincingly, that it is a pretty rudimentary measure of intelligence that is very easily understood.

So what do you think? Somewhere in the universe, does intelligent life exist?

Were we not 'intelligent' before the invention of the radio (transmitter)?

Just as easely it could be said only a race who has invented space money, is intelligent

 

[Piobaire]

I have a hunch there is, but no proof, ergo "other."

 

[whiteslashasian]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

I have a hunch there is, but no proof, ergo "other."

They are beings far too advanced to be leaving things like "proof" for our puny earthling minds to try to comprehend.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by whiteslashasian

They are beings far too advanced to be leaving things like "proof" for our puny earthling minds to try to comprehend.

Damn. Good point!

 

[Mark from Plano]

Believe in it? Meh. I'd say I hold out the possibility that it exists. Believe is a strong word in this case.

 

[Dakota rube]

Part of the problem with the OP is that many of us frame "intelligent ET life" in human, or at least human-like, form.

Who's to say IETL has a form at all similar to ours?

I gotta believe there is IETL somewhere.

 

[Dragon]

Like others have mentioned, the whole idea that "intelligent" life is like us is flawed. There has to be a major assumption that we are intelligent

We can`t even communicate with other forms of life (animals, bugs, plants, etc.) on our planet, so I don`t think we should assume we could communicate with life on other planets.

 

[JLibourel]

Originally Posted by MrG

I chose other. I can't imagine we're the only intelligent life in a universe that has dimensions beyond my comprehension, but I don't have any evidence in favor of their existence.

I would say I believe that it is highly improbable that we are the only intelligent life in the entire Universe, but I'm unwilling to state I believe in something of which I have no proof.

Sums up my own attitude to this topic about as well as I could.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by Dragon

Like others have mentioned, the whole idea that "intelligent" life is like us is flawed. There has to be a major assumption that we are intelligent

We can`t even communicate with other forms of life (animals, bugs, plants, etc.) on our planet, so I don`t think we should assume we could communicate with life on other planets.

+1, and thanks for all the fish!

Humans are a terribly arrogant and small minded people. Who's to say that we havent already been "contacted" by some form of intelligent non-human (maybe even non-corporeal) entity and simply weren't aware enough to recognize it/them?

Wouldn't the Christian God, in the most basic of definitions be considered "intelligent extra-terrestrial life"?

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by MrG

I chose other. I can't imagine we're the only intelligent life in a universe that has dimensions beyond my comprehension, but I don't have any evidence in favor of their existence.

I would say I believe that it is highly improbable that we are the only intelligent life in the entire Universe, but I'm unwilling to state I believe in something of which I have no proof.

bingo. I basically agree 100%.

I feel that it isn't something that we will know in our lives, so I dohn't think about it.

 

[philosophe]

Originally Posted by MrG

I chose other. I can't imagine we're the only intelligent life in a universe that has dimensions beyond my comprehension, but I don't have any evidence in favor of their existence.

I would say I believe that it is highly improbable that we are the only intelligent life in the entire Universe, but I'm unwilling to state I believe in something of which I have no proof.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

I have a hunch there is, but no proof, ergo "other."

Originally Posted by Mark from Plano

Believe in it? Meh. I'd say I hold out the possibility that it exists. Believe is a strong word in this case.

+1. The grounds for affirmation or denial aren't exactly solid.

 

[markbao]

Absolutely, without a doubt. There is nothing more certain than extraterrestrial life. Take a look at this image from the Hubble Space Telescope. Earth is in a solar system of many planets, which is part of a galaxy of an incredible amount of solar systems. Each body in that image is a galaxy. And that's only a small portion of the universe.

Given the law of large numbers, given the billions of years the Universe has existed for the development of life, given the various types of species that are able to grow in our current Earth, and given the fact that precursors of humans were able to develop"”from the beginning"”from one-celled organisms, there is definitely intelligent extraterrestrial life.

But to find them, there needs to be a lot of discovery and advancements. Carl Sagan said it best:

Originally Posted by Carl Sagan

The sky calls to us.
If we do not destroy ourselves,
We will, one day, venture to the stars.