KI4MVP
formerly LJ4MVP
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2005
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Well we quite clearly haven't been visited by aliens in the recent past...... so....
I'm just not sure how you can definitively say that.
Well we quite clearly haven't been visited by aliens in the recent past...... so....
I'm just not sure how you can definitively say that.
The same way we can definitively say a lot of things; there is no evidence whatsoever supporting it. That doesn't mean its not true, but it does mean its highly unlikely. Bigfoot would be another example where its quite clear "he" doesn't exist because there is 0 evidence, but we cannot formally say that there is 0 chance of him existing.
Also the issue isn't so much whether aliens could find earth/us, its what they would do when they did. How do you travel thousands/millions of light years without taking millions/billions of years? It may be possible, but it also may not be. Both of those are legitimate possibilities.
Dude, Bigfoot exists... and that monkey man loves oranges.
This one time, I left an orange in the woods.... I came back... and it was gone! I know it was Bigfoot, because Bigfoot loves him some oranges.
I assume this has to have been done before, but....have meteors ever shown any signs of past life on them? I believe that some day in the next 20-30 years we discover some kind of fossil on another planet or evidence of bacteria.
I assume this has to have been done before, but....have meteors ever shown any signs of past life on them? I believe that some day in the next 20-30 years we discover some kind of fossil on another planet or evidence of bacteria.
The same way we can definitively say a lot of things; there is no evidence whatsoever supporting it. That doesn't mean its not true, but it does mean its highly unlikely. Bigfoot would be another example where its quite clear "he" doesn't exist because there is 0 evidence, but we cannot formally say that there is 0 chance of him existing.
Also the issue isn't so much whether aliens could find earth/us, its what they would do when they did. How do you travel thousands/millions of light years without taking millions/billions of years? It may be possible, but it also may not be. Both of those are legitimate possibilities.
For the first bolded part... yes we currently use telescopes to examine the heavens, optical, radio, whatever they may be. But why would I use a shovel? Why not create a machine with some optical sensor that identifies the color orange? Or a machine that searches for the chemical compounds of the paint? You are using the most advanced technology for one, and the most rudimentary technology for the other. Which is silly.
As for the second bolded part, you assume a new civilization can find life on other planets... but for some reason they aren't using like technology to search for the grain of sand. Which is silly again.
Regardless of technology, finding a grain of sand on a beach is a much much much easier proposition than finding life on other planets.
Assuming I can use a set of advanced technology for one task, but am forced to use rudimentary technology for another task is the exact convolution I was referencing.
KI4MVP said:I think they'd find time to visit all planets with life.
Cafemerald said:More to your point Jigo_oi, there are numerous organisms here on Earth that survive extreme conditions. Organisms that can live in glaciers, valcanoes, organisms that can survive extreme radiation (which would be required in space), and organisms that can hibernate for decades in a cryo-like state to be revived when conditions are favorable.
I'm convinced that there is just a certain segment of the population that always votes for the ridiculous answer on these polls. Essentially 50% of the population sits down and goes:
Aliens? Real and among us. See OP.
Evolution? Fake and full of holes. http://www.gallup.com/poll/21814/evolution-creationism-intelligent-design.aspx
Global warming? global BULLSH*T! http://www.gallup.com/poll/153608/global-warming-views-steady-despite-warm-winter.aspx
Obama's religion? Don't know/Muslim http://www.gallup.com/poll/155315/Many-Americans-Cant-Name-Obamas-Religion.aspx
And perhaps the scariest poll in my mind is when people are asked whether they would vote for an otherwise well qualified candidate who was ___, what is the most hated group? Blacks? Psh, only 4%. Gays? No, only a mere 30%. Muslim? Psh, whatevs. No, the greatest feared group is Athiests at 43%. http://www.gallup.com/poll/155285/Atheists-Muslims-Bias-Presidential-Candidates.aspx
Why would they bother? There'd be a near infinite supply of life throughout the universe, and they'd likely have bigger issues on their mind than stopping by to say hi to everyone.
two possibilities
1 - life on other planets is rare, so advanced life on those planets would seek out all of the other planets with life
2 - life on other planets is abundant, thus there are more sources of advanced life on other planets than have a chance to find and visit earth.
The answer of being certain that it hasn't happened is the hardest to understand of the three answers. You pretty much have to be 100% certain that earth is the only planet with (intelligent) life to claim certainly that we haven't been visited.
two possibilities
1 - life on other planets is rare, so advanced life on those planets would seek out all of the other planets with life
2 - life on other planets is abundant, thus there are more sources of advanced life on other planets than have a chance to find and visit earth.
The answer of being certain that it hasn't happened is the hardest to understand of the three answers. You pretty much have to be 100% certain that earth is the only planet with (intelligent) life to claim certainly that we haven't been visited.
If we are talking about alien life capable of harnessing the power and technology to travel immense distances in very small spans of time, we wouldn't be classified as "intelligent" on their radar yet. We can't properly harness the power of our own planet, much less our solar system. We'd be inconsequential.