Do you believe there are aliens?

[Ziggy Stardust]

Yes. Yes indeed.

Shapes as well.

 

[Rashiminos]

Yes. Yes indeed.

Shapes as well.

Let me be a little more clear:

Are we expecting a given alien to have only one form (as opposed to multiple forms for that given alien)?

 

[El_Machinae]

Well, honestly I expect a 'dominant' species in any extra-terrestrial cohort. If there's an interstellar species that originated from one source, then I'd think that most of the life associated with their influence will because of one species. I mean, sure, they'll have robot probes in some places, and fungal infestations elsewhere. So, there could be interactions with life that are not of the 'dominant' species. But I think there will still be a dominant species.

 

[Rashiminos]

Well, honestly I expect a 'dominant' species in any extra-terrestrial cohort. If there's an interstellar species that originated from one source, then I'd think that most of the life associated with their influence will because of one species. I mean, sure, they'll have robot probes in some places, and fungal infestations elsewhere. So, there could be interactions with life that are not of the 'dominant' species. But I think there will still be a dominant species.

And for members of that species, only one general (particular) form?

 

[El_Machinae]

And for members of that species, only one general (particular) form?

Um, no? Am I missing something in the question?

 

[CavLancer]

I've seen parallel columns of red lights that started low, perhaps 100 meters, and extended up into space. The lights were observed by me in northern NJ during a night football game between the Jets and Miami. The final score was 51 to 49, iirc the Jets won. It was so good I only observed the lights during the commercials. Sometime late in the 4th quarter they disappeared.

Edit: It was the mid 80's.

 

[Rashiminos]

Um, no? Am I missing something in the question?

Probably. Try "a given individual who is alien to Earth-based humanity."

Is this individual expected to have one form?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Let me be a little more clear:

Are we expecting a given alien to have only one form (as opposed to multiple forms for that given alien)?

Expecting one form, but only because it's a familiar context for me as a human. So it's an irrational expectation.

(Providing you don't mean a changing form as for instance caterpillars->butterflies.)

 

[Tee Kay]

Yes. Not Hollywood aliens though. Actual aliens. Like, life outside of Earth.

 

[Rashiminos]

Expecting one form, but only because it's a familiar context for me as a human. So it's an irrational expectation.

(Providing you don't mean a changing form as for instance caterpillars->butterflies.)

That change tends to be permanent, rather than a transient whim.

 

[Colonel]

If there truly were Aliens would they not have contacted us by now? The idea of Aliens is simply highly improbable. To believe otherwise is to entertain a fallacy which has preoccupied the human mind for far too long.

 

[Lillefix]

If there truly were Aliens would they not have contacted us by now?

You see, the distances in space are rather big, and we have an upper speed limit called "light speed". That alone is a good enough reason why aliens haven't contacted us yet even if they exist,

 

[Colonel]

You see, the distances in space are rather big, and we have an upper speed limit called "light speed". That alone is a good enough reason why aliens haven't contacted us yet even if they exist,

The idea that the speed of light is really a limit for which no can exceed is simply a fallacy as well. People one hundred years ago that the sound barrier was a limit that was unbreakable. We will reach and exceed the speed of light eventually.

 

[El_Machinae]

Probably. Try "a given individual who is alien to Earth-based humanity."

Is this individual expected to have one form?

Yeah, I don't get what you're driving at. Your question seems to be dripping with implication. The answer seems to be an obvious "no".

 

[Perfection]

I think they exist, because the chance is so high.
I also think intelligent life exists, because the chance is so high.
I doubt they are visiting/watching us, though.

Why do you believe the chance is so high?

There are an approximate 300 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy alone. Trillions in the Local Group.
708 extrasolar planets have been discovered to date. It is estimated that 40% of Sun-like stars have small planets, that is only accounting for Yellow Main Sequence stars. We've detected planets around red dwarfs and many other types as well. This places the estimate number of planets in the galaxy in the tens of billions.
Of those 708, several (I can't find the exact number) have been in the habitable zone of their star. Most recently the discovery of Kepler-22b, a rocky planet only 2.4 times the size of the Earth in the middle of its star (G-Type like the Sun) habitable zone, has decreased speculation that Earth-like planets are rare.

We are getting a better handle on the chances of Earth-like planets, but we don't have a handle on the chances of life developing or intelligence evolving. Without that info it's just guesswork.

Yes, I absolutely believe alien, and even intelligent alien life exists out there in the cosmos. It is perhaps the greatest arrogance of man, in my opinion, for us to assume that in all of creation God chose only this little rock out in the fringes of our own galaxy to populate. In fact, I suspect the universe is simply teeming with intelligent life.

Isn't arrogant to assume the opposite as well? Why do you assume to know what God has intended for the rest of the Universe? Could God have made us alone in the universe so we could populate it?

If there truly were Aliens would they not have contacted us by now?

There are quite a few reasons why they might not, the simplest is that they're present but quite rare, say one every billion galaxies.

The idea of Aliens is simply highly improbable. To believe otherwise is to entertain a fallacy which has preoccupied the human mind for far too long.

What fallacy is that?

The idea that the speed of light is really a limit for which no can exceed is simply a fallacy as well.

What fallacy is that?

People one hundred years ago that the sound barrier was a limit that was unbreakable.

People one hundred years ago killed each other with bullets that traveled faster then the speed of sound.

We will reach and exceed the speed of light eventually.

Why do you believe that? Do you believe we must also be able to at some point build a perpetual motion machine or a device that violates conservation of momentum?

There appear to be laws fundamental to the workings of the universe, and it appears that the speed of light provides a hard limit to them. Why are you so confident that that is not the case?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I can travel around the world with ease. So that must mean I have met Colonel. To believe otherwise is some sort of fallacy I heard.

 

[classical_hero]

Of those 708, several (I can't find the exact number) have been in the habitable zone of their star. Most recently the discovery of Kepler-22b, a rocky planet only 2.4 times the size of the Earth in the middle of its star (G-Type like the Sun) habitable zone, has decreased speculation that Earth-like planets are rare.

Venus and Mars are also in the Habitable zone of our solar system and yet you don't find life on them. Venus is about the same size as earth, but the atmosphere is unsuitable for life. Mars is smaller than earth, but again the atmosphere is unsuitable for life, since there is none. Just being in the habitable zone is not enough.

 

[Leoreth]

The idea that the speed of light is really a limit for which no can exceed is simply a fallacy as well. People one hundred years ago that the sound barrier was a limit that was unbreakable. We will reach and exceed the speed of light eventually.

Big difference here: people thought the sound barrier was unbreakable for human aircraft. That there are particles moving at speeds way above Mach 1 was commonly known at that point.

Moving faster than the speed of light on the other hand is a physical impossibility, not an engineering impossibility.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

To add to Contre and Perfections posts , the sheer enormity of the universe and it's massive amount of stars and potentially habitable planets still leaves a gaping hole in the equation to determine the chances of alien life . As Contre said , if the odds of life forming are 1 in the number of habitable planets , then it's more likely that we are alone(as an example . It could be 50 or 1,000,000 times that). We are simply not in a position to quantify this number yet.

You could multiply the size of the universe by a squillion , but until we know more about how life forms and it's mathematical likelihood , the actual numerical chances of finding alien life remains pure speculation . Find ONE other life form , no matter how primitive , and then the likelihood of more massively increases . But until then..........

 

[timtofly]

People one hundred years ago killed each other with bullets that traveled faster then the speed of sound.

Kind of hard to hear something in order to duck before it hits you?

People also thought that a motorized vehicle would harm one due to it's speed. I think that distraction has to be added into the equation though.

Do you think that we are near the center of the universe? I would imagine that those on the outer rim would never reach those closer to the center, unless they could travel faster than light. They would have developed at a later stage, or the drift (if developed at the same time) would be impossible to overcome. While development may be fast and punctuated, wouldn't it have to evolve in basically the same way?