Life Beyond III - Alien Worlds

[Philo Sofee]

This leads me to suspect that it is likely that on any planet suitable for life, evolution, given enough time, some kind of sentient species would eventually arise.

I hope intelligent life is common in the galaxy, but it is doubtful.
I suggest you watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFx3r32r-GU

If intelligent life is very rare in the galaxy, then it means there is no dark forest.

Considering there are now understood to be over a trillion galaxies, if each only had just one mere planet with life on it, that's astounding... Hopefully all the other don't have Trump's on them...

[Gunnar]

I hope intelligent life is common in the galaxy, but it is doubtful.
I suggest you watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFx3r32r-GU

If intelligent life is very rare in the galaxy, then it means there is no dark forest.

Considering there are now understood to be over a trillion galaxies, if each only had just one mere planet with life on it, that's astounding... Hopefully all the other don't have Trump's on them...

You're right, of course. Even if life is so rare that the average number of sentient species per galaxy is as little as one (which I think is overly pessimistic), there would still be trillions of sentient species in the universe. Of course, it still remains true that, given the size of the known universe, even trillions of sentient species is such a low number compared to size of the entire universe, the chances of us detecting or encountering any of them is vanishingly small.

[Philo Sofee]

Considering there are now understood to be over a trillion galaxies, if each only had just one mere planet with life on it, that's astounding... Hopefully all the other don't have Trump's on them...

You're right, of course. Even if life is so rare that the average number of sentient species per galaxy is as little as one (which I think is overly pessimistic), there would still be trillions of sentient species in the universe. Of course, it still remains true that, given the size of the known universe, even trillions of sentient species is such a low number compared to size of the entire universe, the chances of us detecting or encountering any of them is vanishingly small.

Agreed, but the issue isn't contact, it is actual life, which, I suspect, is vastly more numerous than we could even suppose, even though, most unfortunately, we will probably never get to meet. Damn it man, the Mormon missionaries are chompin at the bit to get called to the galactic mission field too!

[Gunnar]

Agreed, but the issue isn't contact, it is actual life, which, I suspect, is vastly more numerous than we could even suppose, even though, most unfortunately, we will probably never get to meet. Damn it man, the Mormon missionaries are chompin at the bit to get called to the galactic mission field too!

Yeah, right! But you realize, I'm sure, that if Mormon doctrines are true, no LDS missionaries from this world will ever be called to proselyte to and convert sentient beings on any inhabited worlds other than their own earth on which they were conceived and raised, with the possible exception of worlds that have been colonized exclusively by humans from our own earth. Other worlds with sentient beings, according to LDS authorities, will worship and be subject to the same Heavenly Father that we worship, who will have established churches and ordained prophets, leaders and perhaps even a savior or Christ, uniquely responsible for the one particular world to which they were assigned to fulfil their mortal probation.

[Father Francis]

I hope intelligent life is common in the galaxy, but it is doubtful.

I suggest you watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFx3r32r-GU

If intelligent life is very rare in the galaxy, then it means there is no dark forest.

Yes, I understand what they are saying and the sound logic of their conclusions, but all I am really contending is that if intelligent life in the universe is exceedingly rare, it is only because life is itself exceedingly rare. If any planet exists on which life has appeared and has existed for billions of years under conditions anywhere similar to earthlike conditions, I think it highly probable that at least one sentient species will eventually emerge on such a planet.

I always liked Arthur C Clarke's take on it. It was something like "for nature's problem, nature finds a similar solution."

[doubtingthomas]

You're right, of course. Even if life is so rare that the average number of sentient species per galaxy is as little as one (which I think is overly pessimistic).

I guess we will soon find out how common life is in the universe.

[Gunnar]

I guess we will soon find out how common life is in the universe.

Will we though? Unless and until we actually find really credible evidence of extra-terrestrial life, I doubt we can estimate with any degree of certainty how common life actually is in the universe. I do think it likely that life exists elsewhere, but I can't honestly say that this is any more than a gut feeling until such life is actually discovered. Unfortunately. my strongest gut feeling is that few things are more unreliable than gut feelings.

[doubtingthomas]

I guess we will soon find out how common life is in the universe.

Will we though? Unless and until we actually find really credible evidence of extra-terrestrial life, I doubt we can estimate with any degree of certainty how common life actually is in the universe. I do think it likely that life exists elsewhere, but I can't honestly say that this is any more than a gut feeling until such life is actually discovered. Unfortunately. my strongest gut feeling is that few things are more unreliable than gut feelings.

I was hoping the JWT would provide some answers.

[Gunnar]

I was hoping the JWT would provide some answers.

I hope that as well.

[Res Ipsa]

I was hoping the JWT would provide some answers.

I hope that as well.

It can examine the composition of atmospheres of so-called super earths: planets larger than earth but smaller than Neptune. It might give us some more evidence, but I don’t expect answers.