FlexibleFlier wrote:We should not be so earthcentric (just made up a word here) as to think we are the only life forms that matter.
Depends upon perspective and which ones...napamule wrote:Do aliens sin? Cheat, lie, steal, murder, rape, commit adultery, assault, incest, homosexual acts? Do they have (or need) a Bible? Do they 'pray'? Do they get cancer? Are they subject to schiophenia, paranoia, insanity, dementia? Do they eat 'dead' animals? Do they watch 'Science Fiction'? Do they have, or need, 'money'? Do they have computers? Do they listen to 'music'? Do they die? Do they ;'l-=\].,987='.\[] ? Or are we 'ALONE' in all of those respects?
The Dread Tomato Addiction, the fatal tomato: the statistics were given for deaths in various vehicular accidents, as well as overall deaths past and present, stating that most all of them had eaten tomatoes; it then stated what happens if a goldfish is immersed in tomato juice — "and for those who don't believe what applies to [other creatures] applies to humans, [completely immerse] your own head in tomato juice for five [or so] minutes and see what happens."FlexibleFlier wrote:ftldave, yes, the numbers are staggering and, like any statistics, can be read - or made to be read - any way.
Unfortunately, that is not the simplest answer — a simpler answer would be "they are not here" but even that is moot. Trying to answer if they are 'there' would be a complicated query, since 'there' would be infinity...ftldave wrote:"Occam's Razor is a line of reasoning that says the simpler answer is often correct." The simplest answer to the Fermi Paradox, "Where are they?", is that they are not there, and assumptions that they've got to be out there are pretty much, for now, wishful thinking for those so eager to meet Klaatu on the Washington Mall.
FlexibleFlier wrote:Here's a really big picture thought:
Assuming that the Big Bang is correct, isn't it possible, even likely, that there were/are hundreds/thousands/billions of other tiny little bits of energy that have or also will explode creating hundreds/thousands/billions of other universes, each with billions of stars, etc., etc.?
In other words, we are not the only universe; we simply haven't created a means to see far enough to see any others. But, time and science march on and we eventually (not in this lifetime) will.
The point is, the likelihood of us being alone is so infinitesimally small as to be statistically insignificant. Which, IMHO, means there is lots and lots of life out there, both more and less developed than we are. I won't use the word "intelligent" about us because as a species we really aren't, what with endless war, the wanton eradication of wildlife, the persistent destruction of the planet in innumerable ways, etc., etc.
It has been posited that we have indeed been studied by visitor(s) from other worlds but that they were so horrified at what they learned about us that Earth has been placed "Off Limits". Perhaps after humans are gone the next species will do better.
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