Lobowolf Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 Sorry...intentionally didn't leave a maybe or a probably or anything like that. But do feel free to post and elaborate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtvesuvius Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 I think there is. There are millions of solar systems/planets extremely similar to Earth, and I think that there is an extremely high chance that one of these are inhabited... Maybe not by Intelligent life forms, but we have to give it a few billion years. Even other moons in our solar system have been shown to have ice or water on them. Also, not only are there planets with ice and water on them, but they are at a relatively safe distance from the star in their solar system, and could, if the conditions were right, support life. I don't see any way to really explore this in the near future, but hopefully in my lifetime we'll make some progress on this. After all, what evidence do we have to prove the contrary? and NO I don't believe all the "alien" sightings. P.S. I am willing to bet that this will turn into a 30 page discussion about evolution AGAIN :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y66 Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 Mos def. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassedOut Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 Very likely. The huge distances make contacts difficult though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerben42 Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 If not, that would be a terrible waste of space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdonn Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 It would make for a better poll to ask if there is intelligent life on earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtvesuvius Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 It would make for a better poll to ask if there is intelligent life on earth. Obviously not! Well, maybe dolphins, but... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helene_t Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 I would have voted "don't know". Since I estimate the probability to be 53.754% I votes "yes". I doubt that we will ever get in contact with them, though. But it wouldn't surprise me if evidence of atmospheric free oxygen on an exoplanet was found within my lifetime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aberlour10 Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 a logical question for the unavoidable next poll : Could "they" better play bridge than us if they would know this game? :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helene_t Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 a logical question for the unavoidable next poll : Could "they" better play bridge than us if they would know this game? :( Bases on Jeff Rubin's "Bridge on the Moon" I would say no. The bidding systems described in that story are truly lunatic. Maybe their card play is great, I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trumpace Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 Of course there is. Don't you read the Enquirer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aberlour10 Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 a logical question for the unavoidable next poll : Could "they" better play bridge than us if they would know this game? :D Bases on Jeff Rubin's "Bridge on the Moon" I would say no. The bidding systems described in that story are truly lunatic. Maybe their card play is great, I don't know. Sure, but we dont know anything about Alpha Centauri Precision and how to defend it in the possible first Galaxy Bowl :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwnn Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 You obviously didn't read Helen's last thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenrexford Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 Strange to see any "no" answers. A man of science would think, IMO, that the odds are so high that "belief" is probably not too strong a word. A religious man would have to include their deity as "intelligent," I would hope. The only person to vote "no" would have to be a strict scientist, who cannot "believe" something without proof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al_U_Card Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 Didn't that alien use his "Von Neumann" probe on someone? :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotShot Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 It would make for a better poll to ask if there is intelligent life on earth. And would we recognize intelligent life, if we see it (elsewhere)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianshark Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 'Intelligent' life on our planet has been around for less than a million years. 1/14000th the length of time the universe has been around. How many countless civlisations could have risen and fallen even in our own star system before we came along and we would have missed them. And space is so big that you have to think in logarithmic scale to appreciate how far away things are... linear thinking doesn't quite cut it. There could be intelligent life on every second earth like rock around every star and we wouldn't have a clue they are there. We can't even see extra-solar planets the size of earth yet (maybe soon). Then again, whatever initially started out organic life could have been statistical fluke, unlikely to be replicated no matter how many planets and stars are in the universe, and the only thing we can do in the search for intelligent life as we don't know it is to define what 'life' means and what it means to be 'intelligent'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobowolf Posted April 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 I find the results of this thread to be interesting in conjunction with the Noah's Ark thread, with respect to the burden of proof being on the side ascribing to an affirmative belief and the posts focused on holding to beliefs unsupported by evidence. Is the support for the belief generally, "Well, it's a REALLY big place that's been around a REALLY long time, so it seems like there should be," or something else? If the former, does that constitute evidence? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdonn Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 Is the support for the belief generally, "Well, it's a REALLY big place that's been around a REALLY long time, so it seems like there should be," or something else? If the former, does that constitute evidence? In my case, that is partly what it is. I also recall hearing statistics that there are something like tens of thousands of planets in existence that are capable of supporting life as we know it (with god knows how many more capable of supporting life as we don't know it.) I think the difference between this and Noah's Ark is that if any good or even fair evidence were found in either direction, it would be VERY easy to change peoples' minds on this issue. I consider my opinion on this matter essentially a guess. I'll be the first to admit I have no good evidence in either direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassedOut Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 I find the results of this thread to be interesting in conjunction with the Noah's Ark thread, with respect to the burden of proof being on the side ascribing to an affirmative belief and the posts focused on holding to beliefs unsupported by evidence. Is the support for the belief generally, "Well, it's a REALLY big place that's been around a REALLY long time, so it seems like there should be," or something else? If the former, does that constitute evidence? It's an estimate of the most likely situation based on the information we have. It does not rely upon gods or magic. The Noah's ark story is most implausible based on the information we have. It does rely upon gods and magic. For most of us, either opinion would change based upon strong evidence the other way. For some of us, the evidence does not matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimG Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 So, if there is intelligent life out there somewhere, does it have access to salvation? That requires belief in Jesus Christ, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtvesuvius Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 (with god knows how many more capable of supporting life as we don't know it.) God? Luckily it's only a figure of speech :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdonn Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 (with god knows how many more capable of supporting life as we don't know it.) God? No, god knows. A belief in god is not implied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdonn Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 (with god knows how many more capable of supporting life as we don't know it.) God? Luckily it's only a figure of speech :lol: I wouldn't worry about it. While often having interesting points to make, I think it's been months at least since Tim made a post about the topic at hand, rather than some nitpicky distraction about something minor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimG Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 I think it's been months at least since Tim made a post about the topic at hand, rather than some nitpicky distraction about something minor. Point taken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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