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evman150 · 03-23-2007, 06:22 PM

Some people in this thread would be well served by reading Carl Sagan's "Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark".

It is my belief that our galaxy is teeming with life, some of which is, inevitably, intelligent. Hundreds of billions of stars of which maybe 1/3 are suitable for the development of life. Maybe 100 billion stars? How many of those stars have planets in the habitable zone? 1 in 20? That is a possible 5,000,000,000 clement worlds in our galaxy alone. Does this mean the lights we see in the sky that we don't recognize are aliens? No.

The main point here is that any alien civilization so advanced as to be able to visit here could surely decide for themselves whether to be seen or not. I don't see why there couldn't be hundreds of civilizations watching us from wherever they may be, but they certainly are not producing a couple flashes in our skies.

Any civilization capable of interstellar travel is farther ahead technologically than us than we are from Neanderthals.

03-23-2007, 06:22 PM	#74
evman150 #1 Goaltender Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Richmond, BC Exp:	Some people in this thread would be well served by reading Carl Sagan's "Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark". It is my belief that our galaxy is teeming with life, some of which is, inevitably, intelligent. Hundreds of billions of stars of which maybe 1/3 are suitable for the development of life. Maybe 100 billion stars? How many of those stars have planets in the habitable zone? 1 in 20? That is a possible 5,000,000,000 clement worlds in our galaxy alone. Does this mean the lights we see in the sky that we don't recognize are aliens? No. The main point here is that any alien civilization so advanced as to be able to visit here could surely decide for themselves whether to be seen or not. I don't see why there couldn't be hundreds of civilizations watching us from wherever they may be, but they certainly are not producing a couple flashes in our skies. Any civilization capable of interstellar travel is farther ahead technologically than us than we are from Neanderthals. __________________ "For thousands of years humans were oppressed - as some of us still are - by the notion that the universe is a marionette whose strings are pulled by a god or gods, unseen and inscrutable." - Carl Sagan Freedom consonant with responsibility.