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RE: Disagree
By Ard on 4/26/2010 10:50:17 AM , Rating: 2
I would say the numbers are against you. Even if we surmise that the chances of life forming are one in a billion, that still leaves a billion times life will form/evolve (and that's taking the low estimate, as the high end estimates that there are a trillion, billion planets in the universe based on what we've observed so far).

As to the ability of sentient life to reach us, I would simply look to the anthropic principle (taken out of context for this example but useful nonetheless). If aliens were able to reach us, it is undoubtedly the case that they would have the technological means to do so. It also goes without saying that they would be far more intelligent than our species. And, when you get right down to it, if an alien species developed closer in time to the formation of the universe (there's about a 9 billion year gap between the age of earth and the age of the universe), it makes sense that they would be more intelligent because they would potentially have millions to billions of years of a head start on us.

While it's certainly delving into the realm of science fiction at the moment, who says that there isn't an ability to bend (or warp to use Star Trek parlance) space to effectively travel faster than light without breaking that "law". Just because we can't fathom, now, how to traverse ridiculous expanses of space in a reasonable time period, doesn't mean that we won't be able to someday.

All that to say, I think it's definitely more likely than not that there is other life in the universe of some of that life will undoubtedly be sentient. Is there any proof yet? Of course not. That's why I don't say it in absolute terms (nor do you in taking the opposite position). It's simply more likely that there is than there isn't based on the numbers. For me to think otherwise is to take a very egocentric and irrational approach to the sheer vastness of the universe.


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