Does Intelligent Life Exist Elsewhere In The Universe?

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**Muhr**

I'm interested in learning how many of you have an opinion on this. I personally can't imagine a universe that's completely sterile of life because WE wouldn't be here if that was so. Explaining a universe that only had us in it would be far, far harder to explain than one that has life wherever possible and as the late, great Carl Sagan once wisely said upon hearing someone say "If they existed then they would be here by now": Absence of proof is not proof of absence.

I find it hard to get my head around it but some people actually seem to believe that there's nothing out there! If there is anyone with this belief then I would be grateful if they could say if this belief is based on religious grounds or scientific.

**Coolyo294**

I'm sure it exists somewhere.

**Swordwind**

Most likely yes. There's a hundred bajillion gazillion googolplex planets out there. There's probably at least one with some intelligent life on it.

**4M2A**

Both Yes and We will never know. Life is rare but the universe is big. Chances are it's out there but it's probably so far away we will never see it.

When people go on about what the requirements of a planet are for life they are usually talking about life as we know it. If there is other life it will probably be nothing like us, have different requirements and so live on a planet we would believe is completely unable to support life.

**Soladrin**

Yes, it´s out there, it´s just to damn big. Will we ever find any? Nobody knows, depends on when we blow ourselves up.

**GalacticDefender**

If we are here, then there is life elsewhere. Also the universe is too big for there not to be. The question is not "if" there is life elsewhere, it is "where is life elsewhere".

**juraigamer**

Statistically speaking, other lifeforms are out there besides us.

**purplefood**

Sure as hell isn't any down here...

**lord commissar klimino**

purplefood wrote:Sure as hell isn't any down here...

i believe so...maybe they watch us,or maybe they have never seen us. were so violent any peace loving race would kill us on sight if you ask me.

**purplefood**

lord commissar klimino wrote:
purplefood wrote:Sure as hell isn't any down here...

i believe so...maybe they watch us,or maybe they have never seen us. were so violent any peace loving race would kill us on sight if you ask me.

Why would a peace loving race kill us?
We are a race of contradictions...

**lord commissar klimino**

because we would kill them.they kill us to stop us from spreading are violent ways off are planet,therefore by killing us they do an act of peace.

**purplefood**

Except a race of peace lovers would likely be so bad at fighting we could feasibly win... or at least kill a hell of a lot of people.

**Coolyo294**

purplefood wrote:Except a race of peace lovers would likely be so bad at fighting we could feasibly win... or at least kill a hell of a lot of people.

"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it."
-Jack Handey

**lord commissar klimino**

coolyo294 wrote:
purplefood wrote:Except a race of peace lovers would likely be so bad at fighting we could feasibly win... or at least kill a hell of a lot of people.
"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it."
-Jack Handey

see? humans...nope,cant say nothing good,then dont say anything.

**Do_I_Not_Like_That**

There was a very good documentary on BBC4 a few months ago that covered this. Basically, the experts said that there is a 99.9% chance of other life out there (advanced stuff not bacteria before someone mentions it) but because of the vast distances, we're unlikely to ever encounter it. Plus, looking back at our own history, civilizations come and go, so there is a good chance that any life out there may have had their version of WW3 and as such, no longer exist.

**purplefood**

lord commissar klimino wrote:
coolyo294 wrote:
purplefood wrote:Except a race of peace lovers would likely be so bad at fighting we could feasibly win... or at least kill a hell of a lot of people.
"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it."
-Jack Handey

see? humans...nope,cant say nothing good,then dont say anything.

Clearly the temptation would be there but if we did get into space and were established i would like to think we would be a united and enlightened race by that time... a man can dream...

**Lord-Loss**

The universe has been around for 13 billion years, thousands of civilisations have probally risen and fallen in that time, I doubt we'll encounter anything but it's defintely out there.

**Cannerus_The_Unbearable**

I'm going to be a dick and say both no and prove otherwise without using the word "theoretically."

**lord commissar klimino**

Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote:I'm going to be a dick and say both no and prove otherwise without using the word "theoretically."

cannerus,we all already knew you were a dick,you just a dick that knows stuff.

**Avatar 720**

No; because I said so.

**Wolfun**

I'll go with 'Yes', and add that it's foolish to think otherwise.

Then go with the 'We're one world in a solar system of 300-400 billion in our own galaxy, in a universe of 200-500 billion galaxies.'

I severely doubt we'll see anything in any of our life times, however.

**Slarg232**

I think the surest sign of Intelligent Life existing elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us....

**Avatar 720**

Slarg232 wrote:I think the surest sign of Intelligent Life existing elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us....

**iproxtaco**

Scientists I believe have proved mathematically that there are several million planets in our galaxy that could be in the habitable band by our way of existence.

**Zyllos**

Here is some food for thought: If we do find any intelligent life far away from us, what we will be observing is the history of their existance, not the present.

For planets that are only a few thousand light years away, we will be seeing that many light years in their past in the present due to the distance from us and the speed at which light travels. We could be seeing a civilization destroy itself and have the means to communicate with them but all attempts would be in vain as they would receive it the same number of light years in the future, and we all know what a few thousand years can do to a civilization, especially if they are self-destructive. Of course, this is barring any FTL (faster-than-light) communication using quantum entanglement theories (not a whole lot unlike Mass Effect 2) that can be deployed remotely (now that would be amazing!).

While I believe it is stastically impossible for there to not exist life in the universe else where, I believe it will be incredibly hard, likely impossible, to communicate with other intelligent life due to the inhospitable environment we live in and our current technology. But the goal to find other intelligent life has too many benefits to out weight the risks and cost in finding one. We could see the technological break-throughs at the speed we have seen in our recent history from the early 50's to today happen within a single year!

But to get off that subject and to speak about the question, yes, I do believe intelligent life exists.

**JamesMclaren123**

i went to a lecture with a professor and one of the leading experts in astro-biology and he said that there are 1000's of possible life bearing planets in our galaxsy alone to say no is a bit narrow minded,

**The Foot**

I would say yes...

**wanax**

the pretext for this discussion is that "we" are intelligent. I'm not sure that is a valid assumption. Even by our own standards, people are on average fairly gullible animals just one step above ape. If you dislike what I'm saying, I point to--as a simple reference--dancing with the stars and real housewives of orange county...

**Grakmar**

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox

Yes, there is almost assuredly intelligent life out there, somewhere. But, if it is out there, why hasn't it contacted us?

The most obvious answer is that there isn't other intelligent life out there. There are a few other logical answers, but most are rather unsatisfactory, IMO.

The only ones I really buy are the "zoo hypothesis" and the idea that it is the nature of intelligent life to exterminate itself in some way.

**Coolyo294**

The Foot wrote:I would say yes...

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn