Are we "really" alone in the universe?

I recently purchased a cottage along Lake Huron. It's great being outdoors, away from "civilization" even if it's for the Summer and the occasional weekend. But one thing really strikes me about being in the country. Being away from the city lights, it's amazing just how many stars and constellations I can see. It's absolutely amazing! But when I gaze up at all of those stars, the concept that we are alone in the universe becomes unimaginable. There are simply too many starsystems, too many stars and too many potential planets to be alone. What do you think?

All of those stars that you see that make you think it is unimaginable that we are alone in the universe only make up about 0.0000000000000001 % of the known universe. Imagine that!

I completely agree with you.

From what I've seen, society has in general accepted the notion that we are most likely not alone in the universe. Just the sheer number of stars in this galaxy, let alone the remainder of the known (and unknown) universe highly discounts any ideas that we are alone.

I think the more problematic question is whether there is life that is intelligent enough to be able to let us know its around, either via some type of interstellar communication or through physical travel between worlds. I personally think the evidence is mostly in favor of this, whereas most of the 'evidence' to the contrary boils down to "that's just a crazy idea." Granted, there are more than a handful of hoaxes and misinterpretations, but there's still quite a bit that isn't explained. But whether we are being visited or not, there has to be something out there, even if it's something we'd never view as "intelligent." I also am still searching for intelligent life on earth; my efforts have yielded little, and I'm thinking what I have found is more the exception than the rule...

benevolent tyrant....
You have the cottage...now buy some good books about UFO's and Aliens and read them while you enjoy yourself up there....you'll find the answer
Have a nice summer.

well that's just it.......why is it that some people simply dismiss the very possiblity of life on other planets? Why are people, obviously intelligent ones at that, dismissed out of hand when they say that they believe in UFO's or aliens? Pure and simple logic clearly indicates that life on other planets must exist. Why a simple look at the night sky on a clear night will tell you this. We've had a UFO culture since Roswell with no clear answers but only more questions. What will it take for definitive information one way or another to be revealed to the populace?

Originally posted by benevolent tyrant
Why are people, obviously intelligent ones at that, dismissed out of hand when they say that they believe in UFO's or aliens?

Because so much time has been spent on discrediting people who make these claims that it's become second nature for most people. The subject has also been hoaxed and Hollywood-ized so much that it's generally unbelievable aside from any discrediting that's been done.

Pure and simple logic clearly indicates that life on other planets must exist. Why a simple look at the night sky on a clear night will tell you this.

I wouldn't go so far as to say it must exist, but the odds are most certainly extremely high. And just because life does exist on other worlds, that doesn't mean it's intelligent by any comparison, let alone smart enough to travel between stars. The first extraterrestrial life we may find might be something like a slug with wings or a five legged cat. We have absolutely no proof in the public eye that there is anything higher. All we have to go on are a relative handful of eyewitnesses and the occasional news report of unidentified flying objects and wierd lights. There is nothing to show that these are extraterrestrial in nature.

What will it take for definitive information one way or another to be revealed to the populace?

Unfortunately that's the problem; we have no proof that there is definitive information. That's the underlying problem with any call for disclosure: how can you be sure there is anything to disclose? I mean, for every piece of evidence that can be found to say there is something going on, there's an equivalent logical (or close enough) argument to dispute it.

I know I'm coming out sounding like a skeptic, and I am. Although I do believe that there's something out there, it's more faith than knowledge. Just because there's little green (or gray) men running around doesn't even mean they're from another planet. And we don't know what the government hides from us regarding their own technology; we could be 50 years behind them as far as public technology goes and never know it. Maybe, maybe not. I don't know if we'll ever find out the absolute truth, and I am more inclined to doubt we will.

Originally posted by benevolent tyrant
well that's just it.......why is it that some people simply dismiss the very possiblity of life on other planets?

Because some people like like sheeps.And because this is not something that interest them at all,since there is no benefit on asking yourself this kind of "stupid" questions.Because most people haev been conditioned to believe only what they see and only the information given to them through official channels.

Why are people, obviously intelligent ones at that, dismissed out of hand when they say that they believe in UFO's or aliens?

Because'like anything else during our history,we were told by people a lot smarter than us(?) that this is impossible and we are the only ones,the smartest and blah,blah,blah..and see above,most people chose to believe that.It is a lot simpler this way.And i think,mostly because the ones claiming otherwise do not have the kind of "proof" which every Joe Blow will be willing to accept.

What will it take for definitive information one way or another to be revealed to the populace?

I think that the information will be released only when it will serve a purpose to the people in power...that or if a few millions of people from around the globe,not only the US are willing to get togheter and knock on the doors of their respective gouvernments at once and ask to be shown the truth...care to give the odds of that happening anytime soon ?

You guys ever heard of gnomes, fairies, vampires, spirits, ghosts, imps, elves, no, nothing?

The point was not for any of those examples to be taken literally.

The point is, mankind never thought it was alone until science and religion forced us that if we can't catch a demon, it can't exist.

Yes, you heard right.

Oops...looks like the science tries to fix it now ?

www.space.com...

Uhhh,and last i heard,even religion tries to say that aparently WE understood their message wrong,and they never said that we are alone..

I think that when we do more exploring, we will find that if it is possible for life to exist, it will. I think that life is a rule in nature than occurs, it's only a matter of time. We may be too late, as in the case of Mars, but I bet we find remnants or fossils of lifeforms. Europa would probably be the next place to find life living under the ice sheet.

But to find intelligent life, we will probably find the answer to that here by them visiting us, again being only a matter of time. If life can evolve as we have, the probability is high that another species on another planet has been around longer than we have, given the age of the universe.

by Stephen W. Hawking, Physicist and Author
One piece of evidence that suggests the probability of primitive forms of life appearing may be reasonably high, is that life seems to have appeared on Earth shortly after the Earth cooled sufficiently for life to be possible.
If life was very improbable, one might have
expected life not to have appeared until late in the ten billion or so years that the Earth has to live.

i can understand what you are saying about the stars.

born and raised in the middle of nowhere saskatchewan. great views of the skys.

but i was living in a city for some time. its just not the same.

The universe is a big place. And we happen to live in it. It would seem to me to be rather airagont to say that we are alone in it. Life came about hear, dont really see why it could not come about else where.

But that is not proof, and I am one who does want proof. I dont know if evidence is being kept from us. I would like to think the evedence is out there. If it is I doubt anything will change with regards to it being reliced.

So I guess I will just half to enjoy looking at the night sky and dreaming

I still believe the human race finds the word infinite difficult to grasp.

I think we'll find species in different stages of their evolution as we start to expore, with the more advanced further out into infinite space.

Just a hunch.!!!

To answer the question - No we are not alone.

Fact: We are not alone in the universe!

Yes, i agree....

the notion of being the ONLY ONES in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE is just absolutely depressing.......

And enjoy that cottage! dam your luckey...

I live in Tokyo......when i look out the window i see another persons window......and the air is so thick IF IM LUCKEY i can see ONE STAR.

We are the only ones...............that think we are alone...

We have brothers everywhere in the universe.

[edit on 18/5/2005 by Musclor]