Is there intelligent life in the universe?

[RunningValkyrie]

I believe that there might be no life (other than perhaps bacteria) in our solar system but since the universe is so big I believe it would be implausible that we are alone.

As the universe is quite old it’s also possible that there has been life that has died out and that we are the remnants of life in the universe.

If there is life out there, why haven’t they found us? Or have they without our knowledge? Or are alien abductions real?

What would be a probable reason for intelligent life to seek us out?

If there is intelligent life out there, that wanted to make contact, what is the most probable way we would hear from them. SETI? An alien probe or starship? A message directed to us from outer space?

Or does intelligent life annihilate itself before being able to develop the technology for long range interstellar travel or messaging?

Is life on earth a freak local aberration, so unlikely to happen, that it is unlikely to happen again elsewhere?

What do you all think?

 

[Kilana2]

Maybe we are observed and considered unworthy of contact. I don't think that anyone wants to be involved in a welcome party lead by Donald Trump. He would be above such things like Prime Directive, trying to get his hands on as much strange technology as possible.....
Too much war and inequalities still going on on Earth. I like to think something like the Aegis agents are among us...

 

[Avro Arrow]

since the universe is so big I believe it would be implausible that we are alone.

I agree with this. When you consider the entire vastness of the cosmos, the thought that our little planet would be the only place that intelligent life ever evolved just seems to strain credulity too much.

Being in any kind of contact with other intelligent civilizations is a whole other issue, though.

 

[Timewalker]

Or as Carl Sagan put it almost 30 years ago in his Cosmos series, "Maybe we're the first."

It is possible that we're the first, and right now we have nobody to talk to. Personally I doubt this, but that's no reason not to keep trying.

 

[Jayson1]

Of course. I am in the universe.


Jason

 

[Butters]

My suspicion is that the universe is teeming with life, but the distances are so vast that we’ll just never detect each other, and that there is a tiny window of detection opportunities, and that any nearby civilisations that would be close enough to detect wouldnt coincide with our ability to detect them.

It’s the one breakthrough that hope most will happen in my lifetime. That, and an over the counter cure for mortality.

 

[zombiemalkshake]

I think the universe is infinite and that it would be stupid of us to think we are alone. Although there may be life elsewhere it doesn’t always mean it may be advanced life. The shear distances involved are great barriers. And in life times to come contact will happen, that’s if we don’t destroy ourselves first. People call us dreamers for believing but I call us the future.how far have we come in the past two hundred years. Imagine In the next two hundred. I’m just sorry I won’t see it.

 

[Timewalker]

People call us dreamers for believing but I call us the future.how far have we come in the past two hundred years. Imagine In the next two hundred. I’m just sorry I won’t see it.

I have a button that says "The meek will inherit the Earth. The rest of us will go on to the Stars."

 

[RunningValkyrie]

My suspicion is that the universe is teeming with life, but the distances are so vast that we’ll just never detect each other, and that there is a tiny window of detection opportunities, and that any nearby civilisations that would be close enough to detect wouldnt coincide with our ability to detect them.

Our distant position in the Orion spur is probably like the “countryside” of the galaxy. Who knows what is going on in the denser parts.

 

[RunningValkyrie]

Maybe we are observed and considered unworthy of contact. I don't think that anyone wants to be involved in a welcome party lead by Donald Trump.

We are an arrogant species. And “very young” as the Nox from SG-1 calls humans.

Or as Carl Sagan put it almost 30 years ago in his Cosmos series, "Maybe we're the first."

Other civilisations would hopefully learn from our mistakes in the event that was true.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Our distant position in the Orion spur is probably like the “countryside” of the galaxy. Who knows what is going on in the denser parts.

 

[Terok Nor]

I believe there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. However, I haven't found any signs of intelligent life on Earth yet.

 

[zombiemalkshake]

It totally depends how you define intelligent

 

[Nyotarules]

yeah and the cat world judge humans as unworthy even for cat litter

 

[JirinPanthosa]

There probably is, and the reason they haven't found us is probably that you actually *can't* get around relativity.

 

[RunningValkyrie]

There probably is, and the reason they haven't found us is probably that you actually *can't* get around relativity.

Are you thinking about the time aspect of relativity or something else?

 

[Australis]

Space is big. Reallty big. You have no idea how mind-numbingly huge space is.

Google deep space images. Some of those stars are entire galaxies.

Also:
https://www.wired.com/2009/07/galaxycollision/

 

[Nyotarules]

The Sol system is under quarantine from the rest of the universe, considering our history I do not blame them.

 

[Marynator]

I'm open to other life existing, but I'm extremely skeptical, I guess you could sort of think of me as being "agnostic" about extra terrestrial life. And even if life does exist somewhere else, I'm even more skeptical we'd ever discover or interact with it, so I feel it doesn't even really matter and I feel searching is pointless (I only love ideas in fiction)

I don't feel you prove anything about life existing by talking about how big the universe is, I don't feel that really makes a difference. I mean I agree with such a large universe and if you know what all criteria is needed for life to exist you've got a good mathematical chance of finding such conditions, but I feel you have a big difference between "right conditions for life" and "life existing", you know what I mean?

I don't know what really sparks life, you could have perfect conditions, but how does life really form out of nothing? I don't know, and I don't believe we know right now, and I'm very open to a possibility that we're totally unique.

What I do find incredibly fascinating is how convinced some people are about alien life existing, and oh please don't feel I'm passing judgement, I don't mean it like that at all. What I mean is I feel it's very similar to religious faith, how without any proof at all I see so many people feeling so absolutely certain alien life must exist, because you want it to and you can rationalize such a belief to yourself, and I do respect your right to believe in alien life even if I feel completely differently.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

I pray that there's intelligent life somewhere out in space, cause there's bugger-all down here on Earth.