atheist non-alien Intelligent Design

robocop (actually) said:

I'm just trying to keep open-minded to all possibilities that I haven't ruled out yet. Yes I believe natural processes leading to speciation perfectly fine, but I haven't ruled out E.T.. I'm not going to attribute divine qualities to my alien concept. I used to believe and sometimes dabble with the idea that extra-terrestrials made life easier because they could have evolved once and created life on other planets for awhile, making the odds of finding life per planet greater. As far as the idea that they've been here forever well, perhaps if the Universe is infinite (see next paragraph) everything occurs in ratio to its symmetry and simplicity. At least that's what I used to think. Being a being of many equivalent cells is one symmetry and simplicity, as well as 4-5 DNAs and 20 proteins, as well as our body shape.

The big bang is certainly true. The microwave background, galaxy spread, and Type IA Supernovae all date the Universe back to the same date with good precision, but I wonder if there were more big bangs. I even wonder if they intersect to create galaxies. If they can visit us, it is not up to us whether they interfere.

I believe I answered all your questions. Sorry for the sloppiness.

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There's a difference between not ruling things out and embracing them irrationally. We haven't ruled out invisible pixies either, do you want to incorporate them into your worldview too?

I see a difference... aliens would be people like us who, like we may be able to do someday, might travel to another planet and colonize it, using scientific principles.

Pixies, ghosts, leprachans, centaurs, snipe, banshees, sasquatch, the loch ness monster, the abominal snowman, etc... are either myths or even perhaps a sense of humor by aliens or humans to make some people believe in things. Aliens similar to us and purposive in how we would expect... other things do not have a purpose and may be pranks

robocop (actually) said:

I see a difference... aliens would be people like us who, like we may be able to do someday, might travel to another planet and colonize it, using scientific principles.

Pixies, ghosts, leprachans, centaurs, snipe, banshees, sasquatch, the loch ness monster, the abominal snowman, etc... are either myths or even perhaps a sense of humor by aliens or humans to make some people believe in things. Aliens similar to us and purposive in how we would expect... other things do not have a purpose and may be pranks

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You're leaving out a huge similarity between the mythological creatures you referenced and your benevolent alien seeders... neither of them have any credible evidence to support their existence.

Look, I'm a space geek and a naturalist. It would be my life's dream to discover substantial evidence for the existence of other sentient beings somewhere in the Cosmos. Hell, I'd settle for living bacteria on any other solar object than Earth simply because of the ramifications that it would have for the understanding of our own existence. What's more, when the latest images of Ceres were released, I toyed around with the idea that the two brightest spots could possibly be some other-worldly remnant. But as much as I would like that things to be, I'm also able to realize what part of my thoughts are fantasy so I can focus on the actual data that is collected.



While you can prefer one type of reality over another, you also have to recognize when your bias is clouding your judgement. In terms of almost everything you're speaking of here, you're letting bias hinder your progress towards understanding objective reality - it's akin to a Christian organization making a statement of faith on the Supernatural creation of the Universe and then setting out to prove their preconceived conclusions. It's detached from reality. It's not science. It's pseudo-intellectualism and it's very hard to take someone seriously who lives inside that bubble.

I would be surprised, if we ever had contact with aliens if they were anything like us in terms of motive.

I'm sorry... I need a vacation until Monday and then I will look at this!

Marisa said:

That's irrelevant. Here's what happens when you choke:

Choking occurs when a foreign object becomes lodged in the throat or windpipe, blocking the flow of air.

Why do food and air share a tube? What's intelligent about that design?

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It's God's way of getting rid of mouth-breathers.

Jumi said:

I would be surprised, if we ever had contact with aliens if they were anything like us in terms of motive.

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Certainly. From our own historical examples, has any group of humans ever gone somewhere and been benevolent and gentle with their exploitation?

jonathan180iq said:

Certainly. From our own historical examples, has any group of humans ever gone somewhere and been benevolent and gentle with their exploitation?

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Let's hope if we meet them that they aren't like humans have been on the history of the planet.

OK. You'll have to forgive me on this one. I am coming out of a religious group which used many verses in the Bible as E.T. representations. I also have seen many UFOs but they can be explained. I also have heard many accounts, but only now can I see that they are not consistent or proof. I guess there's nothing more to say. Thank you for being so nice with me.

The ten new commandments of being an atheist

1. Be open-minded and be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence.
2. Strive to understand what is most likely to be true, not to believe what you wish to be true.
3. The scientific method is the most reliable way of understanding the natural world.
4. Every person has the right to control of their body.
5. God is not necessary to be a good person or to live a full and meaningful life.
6. Be mindful of the consequences of all your actions and recognize that you must take responsibility for them.
7. Treat others as you would want them to treat you, and can reasonably expect them to want to be treated. Think about their perspective.
8. We have the responsibility to consider others, including future generations.
9. There is no one right way to live.
10. Leave the world a better place than you found it.

robocop (actually) said:

OK. You'll have to forgive me on this one. I am coming out of a religious group which used many verses in the Bible as E.T. representations. I also have seen many UFOs but they can be explained. I also have heard many accounts, but only now can I see that they are not consistent or proof. I guess there's nothing more to say. Thank you for being so nice with me.

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I hope you're on the right track, religion, any religion, can seriously screw someone's perception of reality up for many, many years, even after giving up those religious views. Follow the actual evidence and *ONLY* the actual evidence, go where it leads, don't try to make it go to a conclusion that you emotionally desire, and you ought to be fine.

robocop (actually) said:

OK. You'll have to forgive me on this one. I am coming out of a religious group which used many verses in the Bible as E.T. representations. I also have seen many UFOs but they can be explained. I also have heard many accounts, but only now can I see that they are not consistent or proof. I guess there's nothing more to say. Thank you for being so nice with me.

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It's a long and tough road to let go of something that has been an integral part of who you are for such a long time. Many of us have been there. Don't worry.

Marisa said:

I think if I'm intelligently designed, why do I eat and breath through the same hole, ensuring that at some point I will choke, possibly to death?
.

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Why do we even have to eat at all? We have the sun's energy bemaing down on the planet, and we have to wait for it to store up in other organic matter through the energy chain, and then masticate that organic matter, and churn it through the respiration process like a cheap coal furnace. It's a violent process. Some other life form has to die, so we can consume its body.

Photosynthetic skin would have made much more sense.

Kuzcotopia said:

Why do we even have to eat at all? We have the sun's energy bemaing down on the planet, and we have to wait for it to store up in other organic matter through the energy chain, and then masticate that organic matter, and churn it through the respiration process like a cheap coal furnace. It's a violent process. Some other life form has to die, so we can consume its body.

Photosynthetic skin would have made much more sense.

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Hmm . . . think I'll be eating vegetarian tonight.

At first I thought the half-life could change and the mutations would be seemless with it so you couldn't detect it, then the modern creation could have been 25,000 years. A paleontologist didn't even correct me. But if the sqaure root of N (number of mutations) = C * exp (-halflife *time), and if the half life is twice as fast, the RHS gets squared but the N gets multiplied by a factor of the square root of 2. What a relief to not have to look at nature and assume its so new, even if fossils do appear at the surface.