Extra-terrestrial intelligent life

[calamity]

I'm not scared. :lol: I'll squash them like bugs.

We're probably safe. Odds are they won't find us.

 

[rhinefire]

It would shed light on existence and perhaps on the reason for life. I believe if there was a life form capable of such incredible distances it would send drones instead of life forms unless the time required for such travel was not harmful to the species. I believe it would humble mankind into at last respecting each others beliefs and life styles. I think overall man would rejoice in learning this one little blue marble now has company. How it would impact faiths is entirely dependent on what the visitors communicated to Earth.
Sadly, the topic of the mathematical odds of a visitor being peaceful are not in favor. The example related to this question is mankind as we explore the universe. If you were to explain to an alien planet what mankind was like how would you do it knowing our violent past and traits?

 

[jimbo]

What would it mean for humanity if an intelligent PEACEFUL alien race showed up here? What would they be like considering the know how it would take to efficiently travel across galaxies? Would it change your outlook on life? Would you be happy or terrified? It's possible they could be radically different from any life on Earth. Perhaps with an entirely different structure than life on Earth. Maybe instead of DNA, they would have something else. I think it's possible life forms advanced enough to travel around the universe could articulate thoughts, basic for them, but unimaginable and impossible to comprehend for us. How would this impact man kind as a whole? I know this is stretch, but I think it's fun to speculate about this.

I don't rule out the possibility that it has not already happened. With billions of galaxies each with billions of stars it seems mathematicaly unlikely that we are the only critters around. There are also huge leaps in technology over the eons that can perhaps best be explained with outside help.

 

[KevinKohler]

When you are going someplace, say, the mountains, would you stop at some back water town, population of 100, average IQ of 60, just to conversate with some locals, before getting back on your way?


No, right?

Neither would extra terrestrial beings stop here for coffee.

 

[Oftencold]

I suppose it would be briefly terrifying, since I can think of no reason they'd be here that would not be inimical to us.

Seen from outside, Humanity would not likely appeal to any kindly race.

 

[americanwoman]

I wonder how long it would take for the leaders in the US to start passing laws to make it illegal to marry an alien? That's the really important issue.

 

[sangha]

When you are going someplace, say, the mountains, would you stop at some back water town, population of 100, average IQ of 60, just to conversate with some locals, before getting back on your way?


No, right?

Neither would extra terrestrial beings stop here for coffee.

 

[rhinefire]

When you are going someplace, say, the mountains, would you stop at some back water town, population of 100, average IQ of 60, just to conversate with some locals, before getting back on your way?


No, right?

Neither would extra terrestrial beings stop here for coffee.

What if THEY were stupid?!

 

[rhinefire]

I wonder how long it would take for the leaders in the US to start passing laws to make it illegal to marry an alien? That's the really important issue.

I would not want to live next door to one. I hate their music!

 

[KevinKohler]

What if THEY were stupid?!

Then they would be able to travel through either space or time in such a way as to arrive at our planet. We've made it to the moon. That's it. By virtue of making it here from another planet, likely outside of our solar system, they are more advanced than us.

 

[sangha]

Then they would be able to travel through either space or time in such a way as to arrive at our planet. We've made it to the moon. That's it. By virtue of making it here from another planet, likely outside of our solar system, they are more advanced than us.

What if they're alien idiot savants?

They excel at space travel but can't remember how to spell their unpronounceable names?

 

[Buck Ewer]

Actually, have you heard of the Drake equation? According to this it's statistically unlikely we're the only life in the Milky Way, let alone the universe. A big part of this is understand just how massive the universe is. It's pretty audacious to suggest life only started here on Earth. Also, I'm not sure, but I think you're paraphrasing Winston Churchill.

Actually both Churchill and Twain are quoted with the same line except Churchill's version says while the truth is putting on it's pants and Twain says shoes.
The Drake equation is largely useless because most of the parameters expressed are unknowns...so no. There is no statistical evidence or mathematical model that can make the unknown , known. To try to is simply bad science. Good P.R when trying to get S.E.T.I. funded ...but bad science.
The audacity comes when someone claiming a scientific basis for their theory pulls the wool over the eyes of millions of gullible people and purports what is essentially a mathematical lie. Carl Sagan famously paraphrased the Drake equation with his "billions and billions of possibilities" quote, but when hard pressed on the real probabilities, even he had to confess that there is nothing scientific in the Drake equation's implied conclusions.
If there were at least one other source of life that could be unquestionably demonstrated in the universe then a mathematical probability equation could begin to be formulated based on the extrapolated size of the universe and the two data points. With only one known parameter, with no way to refute or disprove it's possible uniqueness, no such equation or set of probabilities can be drawn with ANY degree of certainty or accuracy.
The Drake equation is pure conjecture masquerading as mathematical and statistical science.
You have been duped.

 

[Buck Ewer]

I would not want to live next door to one. I hate their music!

I know... and then there are the cooking smells and their accents, and on and on...

 

[Goshin]

God, you must be so much fun at parties.

Buzz Killington!

 

[Buck Ewer]

God, you must be so much fun at parties.

Actually I can be a lot of fun at parties and elsewhere.
I tend to think outside of the box and in this case those who reside in the "box" love to blur the lines between science fiction and science fact ...
As an atheist I find some solace in the scientific process that separates what is believed from what is known and I am glad to dispel many faith based notions that disguise themselves as part of that scientific process.

 

[ChrisL]

Actually I can be a lot of fun at parties and elsewhere.
I tend to think outside of the box and in this case those who reside in the "box" love to blur the lines between science fiction and science fact ...
As an atheist I find some solace in the scientific process that separates what is believed from what is known and I am glad to dispel many faith based notions that disguise themselves as part of that scientific process.

Says you. :roll:

 

[Jredbaron96]

Buzz Killington!

I didn't get that joke until I learned 'Port' is slang for Portuguese wine.

 

[Sherman123]

Actually both Churchill and Twain are quoted with the same line except Churchill's version says while the truth is putting on it's pants and Twain says shoes.
The Drake equation is largely useless because most of the parameters expressed are unknowns...so no. There is no statistical evidence or mathematical model that can make the unknown , known. To try to is simply bad science. Good P.R when trying to get S.E.T.I. funded ...but bad science.
The audacity comes when someone claiming a scientific basis for their theory pulls the wool over the eyes of millions of gullible people and purports what is essentially a mathematical lie. Carl Sagan famously paraphrased the Drake equation with his "billions and billions of possibilities" quote, but when hard pressed on the real probabilities, even he had to confess that there is nothing scientific in the Drake equation's implied conclusions.
If there were at least one other source of life that could be unquestionably demonstrated in the universe then a mathematical probability equation could begin to be formulated based on the extrapolated size of the universe and the two data points. With only one known parameter, with no way to refute or disprove it's possible uniqueness, no such equation or set of probabilities can be drawn with ANY degree of certainty or accuracy.
The Drake equation is pure conjecture masquerading as mathematical and statistical science.
You have been duped.

I'm not sure I follow your skepticism. No one, least of all Drake, claimed that his equation was an attempt to quantify the number of possible extra-terrestrial civilizations in existence. The purpose was to raise awareness of the possibility that they do exist and begin an educational and professional dialogue on the subject.

Since that time (the equation was published in 1961) we have dramatically expanded our knowledge of the Universe, of our own planet, of biology, biochemistry, and the like. Therefore a new type of probabilistics has come into play which narrows the issue by focusing on planets their orbits, suns, water content, and the like. Which is how you get exciting calculations like the possibility of their being as many as 10^24 planets (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 planets) if not many more.

It is not and never has been held up as empirical evidence for their being extraterrestrial life. However it has been held up as circumstantial evidence that life is ridiculously probable given the timespan's, objects in question, elemental composition of the Universe, and the like.

If we were to discover that we were alone in the Universe it would by necessity prompt a major existential reevaluation of what and who we are.

 

[Hicup]

They'd probably just take all of our natural resources and beer and blow up our planet upon leaving.

Or who knows, they could be nice.

Natural resources I can live with, beer I cannot. If they come for our beer, thems fightin words..

 

[Buck Ewer]

If we were to discover that we were alone in the Universe it would by necessity prompt a major existential reevaluation of what and who we are.

There is no way that we could "discover" that we are alone in the universe...that has always been an unknown.
My "skepticism " is merely one lone voice pointing out that it remains, as it has always been, an unknown.
It matters not what Drakes intentions were in 1961 . Ask any one, anywhere if we are alone as a life bearing planet in the universe and they will regurgitate some folksy interpretation of the Drake equation as though that in itself was empirical evidence that our uniqueness is impossible.
It is not.
Drake was disingenuously implying a probability not just indicating a possibility, that is why he put his conjecture in the form of an equation ...but an equation has two sides, and with most of the parameters on one side being empirically unknown the conclusion on the other side must be empirically unknown as well. sh*t in = sh*t out.
The Drake equation, or for that matter, any conjectured conclusion based on the sheer magnitude of numbers alone is utterly useless in that it can neither indicate a probability nor a possibility of any degree .

Until real science can show conclusively that we are not unique, we must at least recognize that, whether we are alone or not, remains an unknown and that there a possibility that we indeed are.
Without real evidence, a conviction based only on possibilities leaves the realm of hard science and enters the murky waters of dogma.
No one else is recognizing that and I am glad to point it out.

 

[Sherman123]

There is no way that we could "discover" that we are alone in the universe...that has always been an unknown.
My "skepticism " is merely one lone voice pointing out that it remains, as it has always been, an unknown.
It matters not what Drakes intentions were in 1961 . Ask any one, anywhere if we are alone as a life bearing planet in the universe and they will regurgitate some folksy interpretation of the Drake equation as though that in itself was empirical evidence that our uniqueness is impossible.
It is not.
Drake was disingenuously implying a probability not just indicating a possibility, that is why he put his conjecture in the form of an equation ...but an equation has two sides, and with most of the parameters on one side being empirically unknown the conclusion on the other side must be empirically unknown as well. sh*t in = sh*t out.
The Drake equation, or for that matter, any conjectured conclusion based on the sheer magnitude of numbers alone is utterly useless in that it can neither indicate a probability nor a possibility of any degree .

Until real science can show conclusively that we are not unique, we must at least recognize that, whether we are alone or not, remains an unknown and that there a possibility that we indeed are.
Without real evidence, a conviction based only on possibilities leaves the realm of hard science and enters the murky waters of dogma.
No one else is recognizing that and I am glad to point it out.

Of course we could discover that, or rather we could ascertain that within a high confidence rate given our ability to make empirical observations of the surrounding Universe in conjunction with the hypothetical reach of our civilization. It is far and away beyond our current means to discern but that isn't the same as saying we could never do so. That being said our being 'alone' would be the most extraordinary and unexpected discoveries we could make because there is no reason we should be.

 

[ChrisL]

Of course we could discover that, or rather we could ascertain that within a high confidence rate given our ability to make empirical observations of the surrounding Universe in conjunction with the hypothetical reach of our civilization. It is far and away beyond our current means to discern but that isn't the same as saying we could never do so. That being said our being 'alone' would be the most extraordinary and unexpected discoveries we could make because there is no reason we should be.

Maybe we were just a fluke phenomenon.

 

[sangha]

Maybe we were just a fluke phenomenon.

That's just a fish tale