Opinions - Any Good Reason to Believe Aliens Exist?

[Salad]

I wouldn't say we have any real evidence that there are sentient lifeforms besides ourselves, but hey, there might be something else out there. There's just nothing that points to it being even plausible yet.

[GenghisKhan44]

Our universe and all other universes are just little extremely high technology tamagotchis, mass produced. Thats why there are unlimited parallel universes because new ones are still created. Our universe probably belongs to a little 4th grader who bought it because its cool.

That first statement is actually pretty true.

To appreciate a thing as beautiful is to appreciate it as useless, not because it is trash, but because it is real treasure. That which is beautiful is good in and of itself. We do not appreciate the beautiful in regards to how we can use it, change it, or by what it can do for us. We appreciate the beautiful for being, for presenting itself to our intellect — for existing.
...
If a man were to view a Degas solely with the mindset that by purchasing it, he would become famous, respected, and mentioned at cocktail parties, he does not consider the painting beautiful. It is a means to an end. It is merely useful. The man who travels miles to see the same Degas for no other reason to see the Degas — he has come to see beauty, for the Degas is useless to him.

However, I would ask you to define the term "universe". Depending on how one defines a "universe", one either makes a logical contradiction - for there cannot be multiple "everything that ever existeds", for a thing either is or is not - or one says nothing particularly extraordinary - the equivalent to saying "all other seas" or "all other galaxies". and meaning the latter, but pretending it's the former is deceitful.

[sxasaaa]

The truth is out there.

[MagicManICT]

Carl Sagan put it pretty succinctly when I watched him on Cosmos when I was a kid*. Odds are there is or has been at least one sentient life form per galaxy at a technology level of humans (capable of space flight, if not interstellar space flight) given the age of the universe. Whether all those lifeforms currently survive or thrive in the universe is hard to say. As a genus (Homo), we've existed a few million years (approx 2.8 posted on Wikipedia), and given the number of known galaxies and age of the universe, then at least a few sentient life forms do exist right now at various levels of technology.

Another discussion this leads into is whether or not realistic interstellar flight is possible. There are some conflicting views on this. There is some practical research going into theoretical Alcubierre warp engines. This then at least gives a probability of whether or not we actually have been visited by other civilizations.

All said, I think you need to come up with a compelling argument as to why we are alone in the universe, not the other way around. Most people thought the Earth was the center of the universe, but were proven wrong. Most people thought the Earth was flat, but were again proven wrong. Most people think we're alone in the universe... do we really need to be proven wrong yet again, or can we just say third time is a charm and we've learned our lessons about making assumptions?

For an interesting philosophical look at this through fiction, I'd recommend the book "Anathem" by Neil Stephenson.

*This was science news reported from the works of several other scientists from the 50s and 60s, and I believe it also appeared in his book "Cosmos."

[sxasaaa]

If we believe that the Universe is infinite (constantly spreading, non-stop), that would mean chances for every single event occuring in this Universe (allowed by physical laws, although Newtonian theory of same physical laws applying everywhere might not even be true) is also infinite. That would mean, the odds that alien life existed/exists/will exist is basically infinite%.
That's of course if events don't exclude each other (seems logical that they do from our perspective, considering some events just can't happen twice on Earth - you are 2 once, you are born once etc.). This becomes more and more complicated with hypothesis of parallel Universes, multiverse and such (or maybe less complicated - that could basically mean that every event that didn't occur here, could happen in another Universe). Pure sci-fi really, until we actually confirm anything, beginning with the Big Bang theory.

I think the question should be rather: how do you imagine aliens? Are they just a bacteria that managed to become super-resistant to space or generally, other environments than what we know on Earth and observable Universe, or are they something that we might not even consider an alien. Or maybe you want to think of them as super advanced beings, living in another part of our Universe or even watching us right now. Technically, humans and other life forms on Earth come from space - does that mean we're aliens?

What if The Rake is actually an alien??
I'm such a philosopher, omg.

[MagicManICT]

The universe isn't infinite, though, though there may be infinite universes, thus a limited set of probabilities exist for our universe. The odds that alien life exist isn't infinite, and it doesn't even come close to approaching infinity.

Since it was mentioned, the current theory is that the universe is still expanding and that expansion is still accelerating. Physicists still aren't completely sure about the why. However, the mass of the universe is believed to be constant. I'll grant that over time, anything that is possible will occur, but then does time actually exist? (Quantum physics is giving indications it may not.)

[sxasaaa]

The universe isn't infinite, though, though there may be infinite universes, thus a limited set of probabilities exist for our universe. The odds that alien life exist isn't infinite, and it doesn't even come close to approaching infinity.

Not yet, obviously (well, not ever from the logical point of view). That's only if we assume it is indeed going to be expanding forever. But hey, how many physical theories are marked as "laws" and are strongly based on assumptions? Let's take it further - how many of them are based on nothing but assumptions?

I also like to think of it as a limited set of things that could happen in one Universe. But if that set is finished, does it replay events that have already happened? Time tells us it can't just stop, so events will also have to happen, forever. That's what makes time - the constant movement of it. Stopping any events from happening would basically mean, I don't know, nothing?

Since it was mentioned, the current theory is that the universe is still expanding and that expansion is still accelerating. Physicists still aren't completely sure about the why. However, the mass of the universe is believed to be constant. I'll grant that over time, anything that is possible will occur, but then does time actually exist? (Quantum physics is giving indications it may not.)

That's a tough one. If we consider time as just a human thing (I'd call it a feeling), created as a response to events that made no sense to us - the question of, why is this happening? - then we also assume that it's not universal, doesn't exist everywhere, doesn't set events. I don't like that explanation.
But if we consider time as a dimension perhaps, something that also creates everything around us (including our Universe) - "spacetime" - it all suddenly makes sense. I mean, it's just one of the building materials of our Universe, the one that also supports all other components. Time is the events and events cause everything that's around us. That's also why time might be dependant on gravity, for example, because it's all connected.

Then, we could also assume that every body can basically be in any state, at any time and we can't confirm it. That's basically quantum physics. Time doesn't exist, it's all just a possibility.

[Thedrah]

Arthur C. Clarke — 'Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.'

i think we are not alone. and i like to think the earth had a history once like tolkien writes

[NOOBY93]

I don't think there's another creature capable of philosophical thought and self reflection. As huge as space is, and this is only my uneducated opinion, the odds of life happening and then adapting itself acquiring this level of intelligence are too low.

[GenghisKhan44]

I think the question should be rather: how do you imagine aliens? Are they just a bacteria that managed to become super-resistant to space or generally, other environments than what we know on Earth and observable Universe, or are they something that we might not even consider an alien. Or maybe you want to think of them as super advanced beings, living in another part of our Universe or even watching us right now.

I think that's actually what I was aiming for. Not so much whether, but what kind.
And when I say it is "possible even in a theological context", the emphasis is on the theological context. I have in mind hard humanists, people who believe our genetics are divine, who would probably be in for a shock - or commit all manner of crimes against other immortal souls - if they met an extraterrestrial. Probably an afterthought considering the forum I am on.

The universe isn't infinite, though, though there may be infinite universes, thus a limited set of probabilities exist for our universe.

Again, define "universe". If a "universe" is just a type of other extant things, it's not really a "universe" - a collection of all extant things. If other collections of time and space also exist, they're still part of the same contiguous universe. The term "multiverse" is nonsense.

The odds that alien life exist isn't infinite, and it doesn't even come close to approaching infinity.

Again, I don't doubt the potential for the universe to have many species of sentient life. It's not really a big concern for me just now, but I nevertheless was curious if anyone had any empirical proof or evidence thereof. Philosophical musings are not bad - I am a Thomist - but if anyone has anything that has a good chance of being artificial outside of human work, that is what I am interested in.

Since it was mentioned, the current theory is that the universe is still expanding and that expansion is still accelerating. Physicists still aren't completely sure about the why. However, the mass of the universe is believed to be constant. I'll grant that over time, anything that is possible will occur, but then does time actually exist? (Quantum physics is giving indications it may not.)

I've heard at least three different physics models of the universe with different outcomes than expansion. Not one is widely accepted yet, and certainly none has been foreseen. I personally find resonance in the oscillating universe model, but I really have no idea.

Considering God's nature is present - neither past nor future - I can buy that time, as we understand it, is not the ultimate reality. It's not an "illusion"; it is a type, a shadow. The progression from future, to present, to past is real enough - just as matter is, whereas an illusion is not - but it's only a picture of reality. A picture is real, but it is not the thing itself. Even though the past is forever lost to us, we know the past is real, even if we know we understand it improperly.