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Debate Score:27
Arguments:23
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 Are we alone in the Universe? (21)

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SlapShot(2608) pic



Are we alone in the Universe?

I find this Science Forum to be severely lacking in good and interesting science debates. So I am going to make a concerted effort to contribute some debates to it. I will begin with the subject of Cosmology, as I think it might be more popular around here than my field, which is Biology. (But I'll do some Bio stuff later!)

 So..to begin...a hot button topic: Are we alone in the Universe? Or is it teeming with Intelligent life? Sure would be a waste of space if we WERE alone, right? The odds and pure stats would suggest that there is nothing at all special about us here on the 3rd rock, in the backwaters of simply a regular and common galaxy.

 What do you think? Are we very special? God's only beings? Or are we simply one of millions of civilizations? And probably less evolved than some?

Thanks for contributing!!\

(Oh, my opinion is that we are NOT alone. I will expand more as to why later on after you guys get a chance.)
Add New Argument
2 points

[insert incoherent militant atheist babble]

[insert highly regarded militant atheist quote here]

[insert capslock LOL]

daver(1771) Disputed
1 point

That'en musta gone rite over yer head didn't it😳

Iulmi(252) Clarified
1 point

Be kind with him people. In North Korea they only have ten computers with Internet, more or less. He's trying, at least.

2 points

i agree we are not alone there are just so many planets and universes that we just cant be alone its unethical in many ways.

3 points

Yeah, that's how I feel.

Look at the numbers: 200 Billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy alone. Most of those stars or star systems having planets.

And then you know that there are hundreds of billions of other galaxies, again with most of those galaxies comprising hundreds of billions of stars. and again, at least a few planets orbiting most of those stars.

So the number of planets in the Universe would be whatever hundreds of billions times hundreds of billions is. We're talking trillions upon trillions of planets!

And some would have it that WE are the only planet with life? I find this notion absurd.

If even one out a million of planets was in the "Goldilocks Zone" which is the perfect distance from their sun to harbor life, and then only one out of a million of those had life--and then only one out of a million of THOSE had Intelligent life....well, you are still looking at Billions of intelligent civilizations!

Saintnow(3684) Disputed Banned
1 point

We are looking at billions of intelligent civilizations? I only know of one civilization we can look at. If you are looking at billions, you are smoking too much dope. The one civilization we both can look at, excluding the billions you are seeing through your doped up brain, is such a mess it's hard to call it an intelligent civilization.

You need shake that dope out of your brain so those billions of intelligent civilizations you are looking at will maybe get out of your head.

1 point

I'm 12 and i believe that there needs to be a sustainable live space for there to be human life but that's my opinion!

1 point

As you said, by the numbers it seems that there is a strong probability that other life exists beyond our little rock. A more intriguing question is how do we find proof. 😎

1 point

Yep, that is the Million Dollar Question? How to find other civilizations.

The problem of course, is the vast distances. Over 4 light years to the nearest star, which is the Alpha Proxima/Alpha Centauri binary star system. This means of course that even if we--or they--could travel at light speed it would take over four years just to get there. Or here.

With our current fastest space propulsion technology, it would take us over 20,000 years (!!) to reach Alpha Proxima!

So....this is why even though I believe the Universe it teeming with life, I do not believe that we have been visited. None of the UFO or close encounter stuff. That's all pure bullshit fantasy stories--like the bible--or else people are making honest mistakes and really seeing things like weather phenomena or aircraft. Sure, some of said aircraft might be secret government stuff. But NOT ET's.

IF we have been visited, then the visitors are very very far ahead of us techno wise. As they must have discovered something other than traditional propulsion methods. Maybe like using wormholes or folding the space time continuum. All of which, is, for us, at least right now, purely the stuff of Sci Fi!

1 point

YES EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As vast as the universe is there is no doubt other forms of life somewhere out there.

1 point

If there is allegedly more than one galaxy in this universe, would it not make sense to have life in each galaxy? Or perhaps we MAY be the only ones in the universe, but evolution may take us farther from Earth...

SlapShot(2608) Clarified
1 point

There is no "alleged" about it. We KNOW for certain there are many many other galaxies, all of them with billions of stars, which are potential suns.

And could you pleae elaborate on what you meant by "...evolution may take us farther from earth?"

Thanks!

http://www.space.com/25303-how-many-galaxies-are-in-the-universe.html

Dyphs(55) Clarified
1 point

Oh sure, just as people, like all of us, believe cells are real but it still remains a "theory." (Ever heard of the cell theory?) Yes, where that belief has been around or years, the properties of a cell are still being questioned as "the basic units of all structures" in which organisms are formed. Same with galaxies. Sure, it's proven, but that's what only the eye can see. I'm not denying galaxies aren't real, I'm just saying that I need more intel, just as one would question God while believing in God. Sorry for my bad usage of vocabulary, saying "alleged" would give it a bad connotation and make it seem as if I am against the "idea" of there being galaxies amongst us. Anyways, what I meant by "evolution...tak[ing] us farther from earth" is that once our bodies evolve (using the basis of Darwin's theory of evolution), we would possibly become more adept and more intelligent , enabling us to advance forward into the art of technology. Thus we can venture out into other galaxies. With this traveling, we may be able to live in such other environments that we may become isolated from our species, Homo sapiens, in order to evolve into something more elaborate and suitable to such an environment outside of earth. But of course, I'm referring to a THEORY here so... Who knows?

1 point

What do you think?

I would say that there's more life out there. This Universe is so big, it's impossible that we are alone.

Are we very special?

I have no idea, but as far as we know, we can think that we are special, just because we haven't still found anything like us. If we are common... well, that would be AWESOME. Just think of what it could exist out there then.

God's only beings?

I would think so if I were a religious person...

But then are you referring just to humans? Or all animals? Or all the thing that are alive in our Planet?

Or are we simply one of millions of civilizations?

Maybe. But it's more probably that there's way more life that's not that complex. It's certain that the majority of the living organisms are very simple ones. They have also the most chances to survive.

And probably less evolved than some?

Yes, and that would be scary. I mean, if we were to meet those out there, we would not be the ones to found the others, they would find us. If they are more evolved, I'm not sure how they would treat us. Just think of nature, the way we treat the other animals, that are less evolved. Or maybe evolution also means more respect to the other forms of life.

Or maybe they would comprove that we are rational beings, and they would keep us as pets xD.

2 points

Good post! Thanks.

I agree with all of it. Though I would say it's not IMPOSSIBLE that we're alone. Like for some who believe in the multi-verse theory, i.e. that our known Universe is only one of many. So maybe we are the lone Intelligence in this particular Universe. But I don't personally really like that theory. It answers nothing, really, And maybe even poses more questions.

I like what yo said in your last point, that it cold be scary that we are not the most evolved or intelligent--or technically advanced as some other civilizations.

We are in good company, thinking this. Stephen Hawking himself has always been a staunch opponent of SETI: the search for ET life. You know, how we send out radio signals into space, hoping that they're answered someday.

Hawking reminds us that history shows us that when on technically superior peoples comes into contact with another--like the Europeans and the Native American peoples, as with Columbus, that it almost always turns out badly for the lesser advanced civilization.

If some highly advanced peoples came here, and happened to want something our planet had, like a natural resource, or whatever, who's to stop them? We could be enslaved or destroyed. And any ET's that DID make it here would almost certainly--scratch that, WOULD certainly--be more advanced than we. As witnessed by the fact they would have had to have something far superior to traditional space craft propulsion technology. Because of the distances they'd have to travel. (Again, over 4 light years to our nearest star system. Not including our sun of course.) So if they're doing some sort of quantum teleportation, or folding space-time, or using wormholes as short cuts..well, Wow!

That stuff is all Sci Fi to us Earthlings right now. Thus, any weaponry we could muster against a hostile ET visitor would probably be about as dangerous to them as, say, spit balls or throwing rocks are to us!

http://www.space.com/29999-stephen-hawking-intelligent-alien- life-danger.html

1 point

I think the theory that multiple universes exist is very interesting.

It answers nothing, really, And maybe even poses more questions.

Like philosophy :D

He says he wants to search it anyway. That's the spirit!

If we didn't take risks, we wouldn't achieve much. Anyway, if they are the ones to find us, we would have nothing to do againt them.

And it's not only about if they will be considerate with us. Even the interactions between us are not the most favorable ones, lol

1 point

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1 point

And we (humans) are not alone. The other living things keep us company in Earth. :P

1 point

Well as you know It is completely possible, given the expanding universe that we have. But it's quite impossible to have a living organism that easily, out of 10 to the power of 30 every chance that you'll get to form life using the basic building blocks of life. Given the futility of the majority of our universe I would say that It is highly Unlikely that there are other Civilizations out there at the universe.