Life in the universe. Does it only exist on earth.

[We Never Know]

It seems we have two types of opinions here...
1. If it can't be seen or tested it doesn't exist
2. God created life on earth, that's all.

IMO both of those opinions are closed minded.

There are trillions of planets with many billions of earth like planets orbiting their own star. Odds are life does exist elsewhere...
-if life can naturally arise here, couldn't it naturally arise on one or some of the other billions of planets?
-if god created life here, couldn't he have created life on one or some of the other billions of planets?

The universe is 13.7 billion years old. Other planets have had billions of years headstart on the young 4.5 billion year old earth.

Whether you accept life arose naturally or believe a god created life, do you think life exists any where else in the universe? Why or why not?

PS.
I'm not looking for the science quack that will only answer "science can't show it, so it must not exist"
And
I'm also not looking for the religious quack that will only answer "God created life here and here only"

Be optimistic and open minded with your answers.

 

[McBell]

Seems to me with the size of the universe and the length of time it has been here, that it is quite possible that we are not the only life.

 

[sun rise]

I think it's inevitable that there's life elsewhere. Whether or not we'll manage to communicate with intelligent life elsewhere is a different question and the Drake equation is designed to conceptualize that:

 

[We Never Know]

Many accept nature created the universe, the stars, the planet's, life, etc

Many think god created the universe, the stars, the planet's, life, etc.

What if nature and god are synonymous?
What if nature is god, god is nature?

What then?

 

[We Never Know]

I think it's inevitable that there's life elsewhere. Whether or not we'll manage to communicate with intelligent life elsewhere is a different question and the Drake equation is designed to conceptualize that:

There are planets older and younger than earth. IMO there could be life way ahead of us and other life not even caught up to us.

 

[McBell]

Many accept nature created the universe, the stars, the planet's, life, etc

Many think god created the universe, the stars, the planet's, life, etc.

What if nature and god are synonymous?
What if nature is god, god is nature?

What then?

One of my fathers coven members believes that god and mother nature had a fling and that humans are the result.

 

[Subduction Zone]

One thing to remember is the difference between "life in the universe" which is all but guaranteed, and "intelligent life in the universe". That may be a very rare phenomenon. Look at our little planet. Intelligent life, at least detectable intelligent life, has existed for an exceedingly short percentage of the Earth's history.

If we ever get the ability to explore other worlds we may find that most of them only have unicellular life. For most of Earth's history that was the case. And for the rest we may find example after example of complex life, but no appreciable intelligence. Frankly it is a tough question to answer.

 

[Galateasdream]

Hmmmmmm ... Don't know.

Life is a tricky word, as is universe. Are we including God, if s/he exists? Or angels, spirits, ghosts etc. And by universe, are we thinking observable universe or a potential multiverse etc.

If we are including everything, then since I believe in God I'm going to say that life isn't restricted to earth. If we allow inclusion of a multiverse, then again since I think such is likely to be the case, it's inconceivable in a multiverse that life is restricted to earth.

However, if we limit ourselves to just our observable universe then it becomes much less clear. I've read books by Simon Conway-Morris and Paul Davies who argue that the goldilocks conditions required for life, and most especially human-like intelligent life, to originate and evolve are so astronomically rare that even the universe's vast size is no guarantee that there's any other life out there. Indeed, to both it seemed like we are probably the only intelligent life in the universe.

The Fermi paradox might also give one pause (or it does me!).

So, if we mean any kind of life anywhere in a multiverse - I think lots and lots and lots of life. If we mean intelligent life in our observable universe, I'm agnostic and don't know.

 

[danieldemol]

It’s possible there is life on other planets, but it would be nice to be able to explore them to determine for certain.

 

[We Never Know]

One thing to remember is the difference between "life in the universe" which is all but guaranteed, and "intelligent life in the universe". That may be a very rare phenomenon. Look at our little planet. Intelligent life, at least detectable intelligent life, has existed for an exceedingly short percentage of the Earth's history.

If we ever get the ability to explore other worlds we may find that most of them only have unicellular life. For most of Earth's history that was the case. And for the rest we may find example after example of complex life, but no appreciable intelligence. Frankly it is a tough question to answer.

Detectable to who, us?
Depending on how intelligent is defined we've been basically intelligent for what, maybe 200 years out of earth's 4.5 billion years existance(or maybe the bronze age could be considered intelligent too so then we have several thousand years). That's not saying much.
There could be life billions of years ahead of us in intelligence an technology.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Hmmmmmm ... Don't know.

Life is a tricky word, as is universe. Are we including God, if s/he exists? Or angels, spirits, ghosts etc. And by universe, are we thinking observable universe or a potential multiverse etc.

If we are including everything, then since I believe in God I'm going to say that life isn't restricted to earth. If we allow inclusion of a multiverse, then again since I think such is likely to be the case, it's inconceivable in a multiverse that life is restricted to earth.

However, if we limit ourselves to just our observable universe then it becomes much less clear. I've read books by Simon Conway-Morris and Paul Davies who argue that the goldilocks conditions required for life, and most especially human-like intelligent life, to originate and evolve are so astronomically rare that even the universe's vast size is no guarantee that there's any other life out there. Indeed, to both it seemed like we are probably the only intelligent life in the universe.

The Fermi paradox might also give one pause (or it does me!).

So, if we mean any kind of life anywhere in a multiverse - I think lots and lots and lots of life. If we mean intelligent life in our observable universe, I'm agnostic and don't know.

The Goldilocks Zone is quite often overstated for the Earth. Now we might not have evolved with slightly different conditions, but that does not mean that something else to take our place would not have evolved.

 

[We Never Know]

It’s possible there is life on other planets, but it would be nice to be able to explore them to determine for certain.

We need to think way beyond Mars to find it.

 

[We Never Know]

The Goldilocks Zone is quite often overstated for the Earth. Now we might not have evolved with slightly different conditions, but that does not mean that something else to take our place would not have evolved.

And it also doesn't mean it would have.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Detectable to who, us?
Depending on how intelligent is defined we've been basically intelligent for what, maybe 200 years out of earth's 4.5 billion years existance(or maybe the bronze age could be considered intelligent too so then we have several thousand years). That's not saying much.
There could be life billions of years ahead of us in intelligence an technology.

It would have to be detectable to us. I cannot say anything about aliens observing the Earth over its history.

And I would say that we have been intelligent even before Homo Sapiens. But we have not left any sign of it until more recently. I would say that stone tools alone are evidence of intelligence but it would take quite the search to find those if one did not live here. There could have been intelligent dinosaurs. Though brain size may argue against this. That is why I used a bit of a qualifier in my post. I did not want to claim that we were the only intelligent life form ever on Earth. We may be. Or we may find that intelligence has existed several times. But right now we do not know of any others.

 

[We Never Know]

It would have to be detectable to us. I cannot say anything about aliens observing the Earth over its history.


And I would say that we have been intelligent even before Homo Sapiens. But we have not left any sign of it until more recently. I would say that stone tools alone are evidence of intelligence but it would take quite the search to find those if one did not live here. There could have been intelligent dinosaurs. Though brain size may argue against this. That is why I used a bit of a qualifier in my post. I did not want to claim that we were the only intelligent life form ever on Earth. We may be. Or we may find that intelligence has existed several times. But right now we do not know of any others.

I see. Then an otter that uses a rock(stone tool) to break open a muscle is intelligent right?

If we can't detect it, does that mean it doesn't exist?

Earth is billions of years behind billions of planets, meaning we are billions of years behind any life, if life formed on them.

 

[Subduction Zone]

We need to think way beyond Mars to find it.

Mars may show us that life has arisen on other planets than Earth. It had a short window for life to arise. I too sincerely doubt that there could be anything beyond simple single cellular life on that planet, but it could answer at least one question.

 

[Subduction Zone]

I see. Then an otter than uses a rock(stone tool) to break open a muscle is intelligent right?

If we can't detect is, does that mean it doesn't exist?

Earth is billions of years behind billions of planets, meaning we are billions of years behind any life, if life formed on them.

Now now, don't troll your own threads.

 

[Galateasdream]

@Subduction Zone
Well, I'm not a scientist so I can't really comment as to whether the goldilocks conditions for intelligent life, that seemed to involve a lot more than just being a certain sized planet a certain distance from a certain type and age of star, are often exaggerated or not.

But given the credentials of Conway-Morris and of Davies, and the apparent strength of their cases (as much as I could understand) when I read them (and promptly forgot them in any detail), it certainly gave me pause for thought.

At the moment I don't think it's clear eitherway.

 

[We Never Know]

Now now, don't troll your own threads.

No trolling here brother. You were asked legitimate questions. Answer or move on. Your reply is very trollish

 

[Subduction Zone]

@Subduction Zone
Well, I'm not a scientist so I can't really comment as to whether the goldilocks conditions for intelligent life, that seemed to involve a lot more than just being a certain sized planet a certain distance from a certain type and age of star, are often exaggerated or not.

But given the credentials of Conway-Morris and of Davies, and the apparent strength of their cases (as much as I could understand) when I read them (and promptly forgot them in any detail), it certainly gave me pause for thought.

At the moment I don't think it's clear eitherway.

At least in the case of Conway Morris he may not quite know what he is talking about. Yes, intelligent life is likely to be extremely rare, But he may have underestimated the size of the universe. One huge problem is that travel or even communication may be all but impossible between intelligent species so we may never know. For example with current technology, and this is barring some huge major change in our understanding of physical laws, interstellar travel appears to unfeasible. I love science fiction but am willing to admit that such travel may be the purest of fictions.

In other words this is an interesting thought problem, but it probably has no real world solution.