New Spielberg movie - Transformers

[gareth19 (imported)]

I just thought of a compromise assertion that might cool this debate:

"Life exists nowhere else in the universe except here on Earth as far as we know."

That's the equivalent of saying that the the Universe only exists in front of my face as far as I know. The Logical Positivists are relics from the last century.

[BossTamsin (imported)]

That's the equivalent of saying that the the Universe only exists in front of my face as far as I know. The Logical Positivists are relics from the last century.

Hmm.... According to some aspects of quantum physics, he may be right. I'm willing to accept his assertion, with the hopes that he is willing to reconsider his position should information change.

[kyennamo (imported)]

Ya know........noone ever said" life" has to be little grey men with bulging eyes or that they have to have space ships. Plant life and single celled organisms are still considered life where I come from so its pretty much a give in that there is definitely life elsewhere. As for intelligent life........im not so sure that even exists on earth but for the sake of arguement there could be billions of other civilizations in the universe in varying stages of development. Who said they had to be more advanced than us. Human kind COULD be the most advanced civilization in the universe ( isn't that a scary concept given mankinds sorted history )

[Uncle Flo (imported)]

I would suggest that the absence of evidence of life elsewhere than earth is more likely to be a failure to detect the evidence than the complete lack of evidence. It says more about the state of practical science than it does about the state of the universe. --FLO--

[kyennamo (imported)]

I would suggest that the absence of evidence of life elsewhere than earth is more likely to be a failure to detect the evidence than the complete lack of evidence. It says more about the state of practical science than it does about the state of the universe. --FLO--

yeah........what he said

[twaddler (imported)]

Unless the massive and omnipotent and disembodied head of Orson Welles appears in one of these new Transformers movies, I'm not interested.

Really though, when they changed Bumblebee from a meek VW to a fucking Camaro, that was seriously going too far. And Megan Fox is practically a turnip.

[morganster (imported)]

I would suggest that the absence of evidence of life elsewhere than earth is more likely to be a failure to detect the evidence than the complete lack of evidence. It says more about the state of practical science than it does about the state of the universe. --FLO--

What strikes me FLO is the almost universal DESIRE to believe in life beyond the Earth. Granted that the lack of evidence reflects the limitations of practical science, why do we WANT to believe in this particular unproven, and possibly unprovable, notion? There are limitless things that might be true: faery dust, reincarnation, multiple universes, Elvis and Lennon still alive, etc. etc., but none of them are actually true. Why do we insist on the truth of this one, that we are not alone in the universe?

I suggest that this is a byproduct of our evolutionary biological drive to believe in a supreme being (or beings) of some kind. It's been God (or gods) for most of human history, now its space aliens.

I also suggest we would be better stewards of the Earth if we understood that it was the only place that harbors life.

[morganster (imported)]

Hmm.... According to some aspects of quantum physics, he may be right. I'm willing to accept his assertion, with the hopes that he is willing to reconsider his position should information change.

Absolutely not! Even if they beam me up I will continue to deny their existence.

[Uncle Flo (imported)]

What strikes me FLO is the almost universal DESIRE to believe in life beyond the Earth. Granted that the lack of evidence reflects the limitations of practical science, why do we WANT to believe in this particular unproven, and possibly unprovable, notion? There are limitless things that might be true: faery dust, reincarnation, multiple universes, Elvis and Lennon still alive, etc. etc., but none of them are actually true. Why do we insist on the truth of this one, that we are not alone in the universe?

I suggest that this is a byproduct of our evolutionary biological drive to believe in a supreme being (or beings) of some kind. It's been God (or gods) for most of human history, now its space aliens.

I also suggest we would be better stewards of the Earth if we understood that it was the only place that harbors life.

I see the possibility that instead of a drive to believe in a supreme being that and the desire to believe in space aliens (or whatever other mysterious beings one may believe in) are both manifestations of a drive to reject finite limits - ie: this can not be all there is, there must be something else. --FLO--

[BossTamsin (imported)]

Absolutely not! Even if they beam me up I will continue to deny their existence.

Aha. Sorry, I do not wish to join the Flat Earth Society at the moment.