FWIW: If intelligent life requires at least a half-dozen conditions with 1:10⁴ odds (right star, right planet, outer gas giants, et cetera), then the odds for intelligent life are 1:10²⁴. Compared to about 10¹¹ stars in our galaxy or about 10²² stars in the visible universe (assuming 10¹¹ galaxies). Intelligent life might be exceedingly rare.
But perhaps not. Certainly we have found no convincing evidence for such life. But we should consider intelligent life need not be space faring, need not employ the electromagnetic spectrum, need not even be technological. Mathematicians far greater than ours may exist who are indistinguishable from oysters living in marshes!
It’s a fanciful and much-loved vision from science fiction, but one has to pose the question: why would oysters develop consciousness, let alone higher mathematics? The best guess at why we developed it is that it helps us navigate and survive reality.
But mathematical octopuses, now we’re talking! Or at least advanced philosophers, anyway.
It's odd that science has so much interest in who might be living on distant planets, while being largely uninterested in the visitors from somewhere who are already here.
Whatever UFOs are, they are likely the biggest story in human history. I find it interesting and entertaining that the crazy haired UFO kooks turned out to be right, and the professional scientific community totally dropped the ball, and is still dropping it.
UFOs may represent an existential threat to human science. If the UFO pilots ever come out of hiding and decide to share their knowledge, a lot of people are going to start wondering what we need human scientists for.
FWIW: If intelligent life requires at least a half-dozen conditions with 1:10⁴ odds (right star, right planet, outer gas giants, et cetera), then the odds for intelligent life are 1:10²⁴. Compared to about 10¹¹ stars in our galaxy or about 10²² stars in the visible universe (assuming 10¹¹ galaxies). Intelligent life might be exceedingly rare.
But perhaps not. Certainly we have found no convincing evidence for such life. But we should consider intelligent life need not be space faring, need not employ the electromagnetic spectrum, need not even be technological. Mathematicians far greater than ours may exist who are indistinguishable from oysters living in marshes!
It’s a fanciful and much-loved vision from science fiction, but one has to pose the question: why would oysters develop consciousness, let alone higher mathematics? The best guess at why we developed it is that it helps us navigate and survive reality.
But mathematical octopuses, now we’re talking! Or at least advanced philosophers, anyway.
It's odd that science has so much interest in who might be living on distant planets, while being largely uninterested in the visitors from somewhere who are already here.
Whatever UFOs are, they are likely the biggest story in human history. I find it interesting and entertaining that the crazy haired UFO kooks turned out to be right, and the professional scientific community totally dropped the ball, and is still dropping it.
UFOs may represent an existential threat to human science. If the UFO pilots ever come out of hiding and decide to share their knowledge, a lot of people are going to start wondering what we need human scientists for.