OT: Contact

[dogscoff]

OK... moving on a little:

Who here thinks that indisputable evidence of life (whether microbial or bigger, past or present) will be found on Mars? Show of hands please.

If we imagine for a minute that such evidence *is* found, what does that do to everyone's beliefs regarding extra-terrestrial intelligence? If life can appear on *two* different planets within a single star system, surely that pushes the Drake equation figures way up.

Would that be enough to change At's mind?

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by narf poit chez BOOM:
Oh, a second point...I find that most people don't seem to be able to understand that nothing means nothing and therefore does not have a value. Note that I did not say cannot have a value, but does not have a value. Doesn't have a place to put a value, either. Doesn't have anything, isn't anything, because it's nothing!

Actually, while I was having a little fun with it in my manner of speaking, but that is exactly the point I was trying to make. The universe can be finite and have a distinct border out there somewhere. That doesn't mean there is more space beyond the border as some here have said. It could mean there is simply, well nothing beyond it. But nothing outside the universe does not mean "more space" anymore then the space inside the universe is nothing. Space is not nothing, it's simply the absence of any matter. Nothing on the other hand, is nothing. It's the difference between zero and not having a number at all.

[geoschmo]

I think it's almost a probability given what we know that we will someday find evidence of past life on Mars. It may not happen until we can have a permenant presense on the planet with scientists digging around in the dirt and checking out caves and stuff.

[Atrocities]

What if there is no universe? What if it is just our minds way of rationalizing the emptiness of our own souls?

I don't think we will ever find evidence of humanoid life on Mars or any other planet for that matter. When you figure out how unique events had to be in order for the universe to spawn us, then you begin to understand how truly rare we are. We are so rare that the chances for having another humanoid race, or any race remotely similar to us is about 1 followed by enough zeros to circle the known universe into infinity. That’s a very large number, so large that we currently do not have a definition or name for it.

I hate how shows like ST, SW, B5, and other make the galaxy out to be this thriving utopia of life when in fact and more likely than not, we are the only sentient being, that is similar to us, in the galaxy.

Think of it this way, you have a 7 number lotto with a number range from 1 to 99, and everyone in the world has submitted a ticket with their 7 numbers. The chances for there being more than one wining number are about 1 in 5 billion. That my friends could also be the odds of a planet like earth existing else where in our galaxy.

Mars lost, or perhaps never had a strong electro magnetic field and any vegetation or life would have been swept away by the harsh solar winds long ago. If not for our own electro magnetic shield we too would be a dead world.

No when you think about how rare our planet is, and how unique we are to it, then the logic of our exsistance comes into focus, we are an oddity, an enigma of the universe. We are perhaps the only sentient race in our galaxy and I believe this firmly.

I sincerely doubt that we will ever build a space fleet and explore the stars because I fear that we will have destroyed ourselves long before we could have invented the technology to do so.

We are so arrogant to think that there is life out there because we can imagine it. It can also be said that we are arrogant to believe that there is no life out there, but right now, there is NO proof either way. There is only speculation and hope. And until one of them contact us, or land on the white house lawn, I am resigned to the belief that we are alone.

[ May 19, 2004, 14:10: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

[Grauzone]

If Atrocities has right, we have a heavy burden on our shoulders. We have to spread life in the whole UNIVERSE. A big duty...

Before we do so we schold stop to throw bombs on our neighbours and pollute our unique biosphere, and concentrate our power on more important areas of human possibilities...

[Atrocities]

LOL - A true 4 x player if I ever heard of one.

[Suicide Junkie]

Who here thinks that indisputable evidence of life (whether microbial or bigger, past or present) will be found on Mars? Show of hands please.

Indisputable, never.
Evidence good enough for 99% of the people here, probably.

There are bound to be more conspiracy theorists than you can shake a stick at...