This is brought up a lot, and while there is likely some truth to it - with plenty of fun examples in science fiction - it seems to me there is a strong counter

This is brought up a lot, and while there is likely some truth to it - with plenty of fun examples in science fiction - it seems to me there is a strong counterpoint in that the mechanics of physics, biology and even civilization have many mathematically predictable properties. The environments capable of supporting life will nearly all likely have certain similar features which shape how that life behaves. Finite resources are one of the better examples. It has always been interesting to me how there are several prominent instances of architectural feats or scientific/technological breakthroughs which arose independently from people groups who had no contact with each other. I don't think extrapolating this to potential life in other star systems is too much of a stretch-- and there are certain behavioral traits you can reasonably expect in such scenarios, like large scale cooperation. Some of the most capable & best equipped minds we know of, when faced with how to communicate with intelligent extraterrestrial life, decided that math and basic physics were the best initial overtures. From those basics (along with the assumption that someone eventually perceives them) I believe a great deal more about such life can be probabilistically inferred.