What level of ignorance or arrogance is it that assumes....?

Question

....that Earth is the sole inhabited planet in the Universe?

The question that always comes up from those of the ilk that believes such nonsense is usually,
"Well if there is inteligent life why don't they contact us?"
can be simply answered in the assumption that these life forms that have the capability to contact us are of advanced intelligence and simply "know better" than to make contact with such a primitive, warring species.

Perhaps the analogy can be made in comparision to any one of us going into the jungle and trying to communicate with wild boar.

What might be the resulting consequences of that?

How can a supposed "intelligent mind" come to the conclusion that throughout the entire expanse of this Universe, we are the "best" that could come from either some Intelligent Design or a random fluke?

Is there any logic in the idea that the Universe exists solely to perplex us?

Answer 1

You are so right. Who is anyone of us to say that we are the only ones in this whole entire universe. I'm almost certain there is "something" out there and they don't have to be little green men. I think the idea of aliens with big heads and metalic suit and the whole abbduction story has made it into a joke. Why do people assume that they are more intelligent then us. How come we haven't gone out there and found "them" there is about as much chance of them finding us then there is on us finding them. God (or whoever is the overseer of this universe, cause its too organised to have come about by chance) must have poot all the "intelligent" life species far away because he was afraid we would start innter galactic wars. just look what we do on planet earth , and we all look about the same. I think it's pathetic to assume that there is no-one else out there just because they haven't come knowing on our atmosphere and offered a peace treaty.

Answer 2

It is not assumption that makes some believe intelligent life may be extremely rare or non-existant elsewhere in the universe,it is non-biased reasoning.On Earth,the only planet currently known to have life,we can "set the odds"of intelligence rising to the technological level at literally billions to one.All of the species in 3.5 billion years,and precisely 1...Homo Sapiens sapiens has achieved any technology whatsoever,and the rise of mammals,to primates,to hominids,ultimately to man,was entirely dependent on the timing of a cosmic accident,the Yucatan impact 65 million years ago.If the impact had occurred sooner,later,or not at all,there is a good chance Earth would have no intelligent life today.

Next,where are they?We are certainly looking,diligently,yet to date,not a single signal,not one,has ever been detected that didn't come from natural sources,ever.

I see with your "we are the best"remark that you are under the mistaken impression that the "goal"of evolution is intelligence,that intelligence somehow means we are "more evolved"This is absolutely,positively,a complete misunderstanding of the theory of evolution.If evolution has a "goal"it is survival,that's it.A bacteria in your stomach is exactly as evolved as you are.This point really isn't even debateable.It is simply truth.At this particular point in time,it doesn't even appear intelligence is a good long term survival trait.Combined with an opposable thumb and aggression,it has led us to the destruction of our own habitat and may indeed lead us to a full scale nuke war eventually.Intelligence may turn out to be just another of a long series of "evolutionary dead ends"The jury is currently out if that will happen or not.Make no mistake though,intelligence IS NOT the goal of evolution.Bacteria are the most successful life forms on the planet by far,no intelligence at all.Understand that those bacteria are every bit as evolved as we.

None of this disproves the possibility of ET intelligence,but as you hopefully see,it is reason,with current facts,not assumptions,that lead me to this belief until some evidence comes around that shows otherwise.
I am not saying there cannot be intelligent life.But the assumption that there is,or must,is just that,an assumption,not the other way around.There is NO evidence,none,zero to suggest there is.This doesn't make the assumption that there is ET intelligence incorrect,it merely places the word "assume"in the proper context,that of making the positive claim(ET intelligence exists)as the assumption,as no evidence exists to support your claim.In debating,the burden of proof lies with the person making the positive claim(ET intelligence)As one cannot prove a negative(ET intelligence doesn't exist)Until such time that evidence is produced,the logical default position is to not hold a belief until evidence is produced.

I would love to live in a "Star Trek" universe,and indeed we may.But the only evidence you present is known as the "argument from incredulity"(The Universe is SO Big!!!)(google it) and that position is shown to be devoid of logic

Answer 3

I believe you are correct in assuming that the likelihood that earth is the only home of intelligent life in the universe is incredibly low.

However, I also believe that it is a specious argument to claim that any such species have visited earth. IF a species had the ability to travel the interstellar distances (thus overcoming the limitations of the speed of light), that species would be intelligent enough to either 1) wipe us out on sight, if that were their intention or 2) contact us and help us improve ourselves if that were their intention or 3) remain undetected. In none of these three scenarios do we have shadowy, unconfirmed stories of extraterrestials contacting lone citizens in the sparsely inhabited sections of the world. Since THAT seems to be the predominant form of UFO sighting, one must assume that that form of sighting is probably not fact-based. BUT, the fact that aliens are NOT randomly abducting farmers and cows does NOT mean there is no other intelligent life in the universe.

Also, science is not so much about speculating about what might be, but about hypothesizing about things that can be tested and proven or disproven. So, we posit the hypothesis that there IS intelligent life on other planets, and we set out to detect such life (SETI). Since no proof has come to confirm or deny the hypothesis yet, we cannot make any further claims about it.

Answer 4

I agree that it's arrogant to think that extraterrestrial life would want to contact us. Honestly if they did exist I would think they have better things to do with their time than to visit such a culturally backward, provincial and insane species like us.

I do believe there is life on other planets but I don't see it as a "Star Trek" kind of universe where they're all bipeds and every 3rd planet in the galaxy has intelligent life. If anything I'm thinking maybe a dozen other planets in the galaxy support life that has made it to at least our level of technology.

Answer 5

The requirements for the emergence of some sort of DNA are,time,chemistry and environment.
All these things are abundant in all corners of the universe,including here on earth.
Communicating with a boar is not possible,but an intelligent,objective entity,like us would be quite possible if contact were made.
Likely other life,like ours, would not be too much different in the range of intelligence.
Their technology could be greater or less than ours,depending on how long they had been technological.
They would likely parallel us in just about every way,with all our problems,wars and terrorism,etc.
They will always speculate about us as we do about them.

Answer 6

Intelligence and arrogance don’t particularly belong interior the same spectrum, so there can’t particularly be a “line” between them. some quite stupid people could be as conceited as they arrive. arrogance includes thinking of your own desires only before all of us else’s, and it could contain mind, money, kin tree, or beer-eating skill. /humor As a former national SIG Coordinator for American Mensa (see how conceited that can sound?), i know something approximately mind. Academia is something diverse, and an incredible style of people can’t tell the version. Academicians often “placed on” arrogance to guard a delicate shallowness. real intellectuals (Albert Einstein, Isaac Asimov, Robert Jarvik) are infrequently conceited, in spite of the undeniable fact that being specific of a actuality can often be mis-interpreted as arrogance. Amy Vanderbilt as quickly as stated that etiquette isn't something greater effective than making the different individual experience comfy. i like that definition, and can say that arrogance is the choice of that, and demands actual no intelligence in any respect.

Answer 7

The ultimate problem with the idea that assumes we're not is that we have no evidence whatsoever of other inhabited planets in the universe and some very good reasons to suspect that we're alone in this galaxy (there are also arguments that suggest that most galaxies are devoid of intelligent life).

Until we actually find aliens we have to assume that they don't exist, even if we think it unlikely that they don't exist we have to realise that it's quite possible, we should also probably act as though there aren't any aliens to save us from ourselves.

Answer 8

Equal to the level that assumes Earth is NOT the sole inhabited planet in the Universe.
Neither assumption has been proven, therefore it would be wise to view one's assumption as being a working hypothesis or unproven theory as opposed to being proven fact.
Personally, I think we are not the sole inhabited planet in the Universe, but I wouldn't dream of asserting I know this to be so.

Answer 9

The thing that irritates me is that so many people here automatically assume that any extraterrestrial life has to more technologically advanced than us.
It may be so but it is not for certain, nor is it necessary for the orderly running of the Universe.
By all the criteria involving social interaction and restraint from destroying the environment, Cetaceans are more intelligent than humans but we don't see them involved in Searches for extraterrestrial intelligence.
The technologically advanced societies on this planet are controlled by morally bankrupt war criminals who are supported by wastrels who are more interested in a new plasma TV than ensuring that their grandchildren have a place to live,food to eat and clean air and water.

Beam me up, Scotty, there's no intelligent life here!!

Answer 10

I think you already have the answer, to which I agree, I am stunned by some peoples ignorance on the YA pages and also by a lot of the completely incorrect answers given by so called intelligent people.

What happened to education?

I expect someone will blame it on aliens or Nostradamus or the Devil. At the rate of idiotic questions and answers I have seen I blame it on the idiot box (aka American TV) which is full of trash, no wonder they are going to get the shock horror when the US dollar slumps to junk status.