2006-09-13 15:21:00 · 15 answers · asked by dancergirl302 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
I have answered this question in one form or another so many times.
1) Actually, MOST people do believe, in a whimsical sort of way. Surveys generally indicate that a lot of people believe extra-terrestrials probably exist, and plenty think that they actually visit earth.
2) Smart people know that ET's visiting earth, crop circles, abductions and all that nonsense is Hollywood fantasy. Space is so insanely huge that any intelligence that has achieved the unfathomable technology to reach near or super luminal speeds would likely NEVER bother with humans. We probably wouldn't even constitute life to them, let alone intelligent life.
3) There is a lot of ignorance concerning the statistical probability of extra-terrestrial life, so you will oft hear the phrase, "statistically there must be other life elsewhere in the universe..." or "the law of averages dictates..." Totally wrong. There is no "Law of Averages" when you only have one sample to average. People don't understand statistics. We only know of one planet that has life, earth, and we have no idea why life formed here (if it did at all) or whether what happened here was random chance. We don't know if it can happen somewhere else, so it's all guessing. It is impossible to statistically project how many other planets may have life because we only have this one example, and we don't know for sure why it happened.
We can say it's reasonable to *assume* there is life elsewhere because there are so many stars and planets, but it may be just as likely that there isn't. It would just be an assumption. Sheer numbers prove nothing. There are easily as many grains of sand on our planet as there are stars in a million galaxies, but you'll never find an ounce of lutetium on a beach because it doesn't exist there, even though it does exist on earth. Life may be as rare, or rarer. We simply don't know.
Not knowing is a good reason to doubt something, because it keeps you searching for facts. The only thing we do know is that if we are the only life forms in the universe, it seems to be a very big waste of space, but that's just our human perception. To a different type of being, the universe may seem very tiny.
2006-09-13 18:36:29 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Awesome question, and answers. I think that assumption is like looking in the water that is 200 feet deep, not seeing a fish in the first 2 feet, and saying there are no fish down there. Most people are pretty arrogant, and don't realize how insignificant we could be in this world. I have learned, and seen some amazing things that suggest there is more than just us. The idea of other forms of life or conciousness is exciting to me. I think the common reaction to these thoughts is fear. When you are a kid afraid of monsters, the fear goes away when you finally are told that there is no such thing.
2006-09-14 03:33:59 · answer #2 · answered by Tuan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Man has a hard time believing anything that suggests that he is not the most intelligent, unique, and important thing in existence.
We assume that our particular clump of planets, stars, and galaxies is the entire universe.
We assume that we are at the center of it.
We assume that it must be the size that our technology can detect.
We assume that other intelligent life forms would be using the same communications technology that we have developed and we can't hear them so there must not be any.
We assume that the universe was created for us.
2006-09-14 01:30:32 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
One good reason is that SETI have been listening into space for 40 years and have not heard a peep.
Also, nobody really knows how life started on Earth, so it is impossible to know for sure that it has happened elsewhere.
Even now, there is not one shred of evidence pointing to life anywhere but on Earth.
if you say you believe life exists elsewhere, but there is no indiciation of it, you are really applying the same sort of faith that religious people apply to their beliefs.
That aint scientific.
2006-09-13 15:59:23 · answer #4 · answered by nick s 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think part of the problem is our limited ability to think outside the box. We tend to rely on our senses to define reality. Since we have not seen examples of life from others worlds, we tend to think it does not exist.
By the way, one of your answers claims that creationists cannot believe because it is not mentioned in Genesis. I am a creationist who does not think this way. Genesis may not acknowledge life on other worlds, but it does not discount it either.
2006-09-13 15:59:28 · answer #5 · answered by Nemesis 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They didn't 50 years ago. Then all these movies start coming out that make them so off the wall that to some people, admitting you believe in aliens is your way of wanting people to label you as a nerd. Some people just have to see things with their own too eyes.
2006-09-13 15:30:12 · answer #6 · answered by Fitz 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
In my opinion, it's because Hollywood and fakes have made the concept a joke in pop culture. However, the universe is so big that the chances of there not being life other than ours seem like they'd have to be quite tiny.
2006-09-13 15:24:45 · answer #7 · answered by metropolispt314 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Most people subscribe to traditional religious belief systems.
2006-09-13 15:45:35 · answer #8 · answered by isaac a 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think the crationism tale in genesis doesnt mention other planets or lifeforms, so people refuse to believe their dumb book is wrong.
2006-09-13 15:30:32 · answer #9 · answered by slippie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask Captain Kirk this question, I think he woudl disagree with you!
2006-09-13 15:28:47 · answer #10 · answered by Michael S 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋