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May I ask why you find it so troubling? I mean, what if we were the only life in the universe? Would that be bothersome? What if we weren't? Is that more bother

by Rury 2y ago

May I ask why you find it so troubling? I mean, what if we were the only life in the universe? Would that be bothersome? What if we weren't? Is that more bothersome? Or is merely the fact of not knowing bothersome?

nis0s 2y ago
Per my understanding of how Mars used to be [1], I don't understand how there aren't even any records of microfossils. I also don't understand why the rest of the universe looks pristine. For example, intelligent life on Earth has created so much space junk in just ~300000 years since the earliest human civilization. It appears that intelligent life, once it forms, doesn't take much to go from pre-civilization to space exploration, at least based on human civilizations. [1] https://www.livescience.com/space/mars/mars-may-have-been-more-earth-like-than-we-thought-discovery-of-oxygen-rich-rocks-reveals https://www.livescience.com/space/mars/mars-may-have-been-mo...
- deleted 2y ago
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- Rury 2y ago
  I don't understand either. Personally, I believe the rare earth hypothesis is more credible than it seems at first glance. But the matter is warped by our own definition of life, in that we're looking for familiar things (i.e. humanoids or bacteria or radio signals) out there. For me, when looking deeply at viruses, kinesin or even something like fire, the line between living and unliving seems like a pretty arbitrary definition in many ways. Which is fine, but if we decide the definition is something resembling us, or life on earth, then I think the rare earth hypothesis seems as credible as any other theory. Not to mention when you think deeply about physics, or just how inhospitable the vast majority of space seems to us. But on the other hand, I guess finding anything extraordinary or complex is all that we're really looking for. But, regardless, I guess I am just confused, as bothersome to me sounds a bit like worry. I am not worried (i.e. bothered) about the matter, as it seems irrelevant to my livelihood. I believe I will die without knowing either way and have no qualms about that. But if you are bothered by the matter in the sense that you're just very interested, curious, and desiring to know, that's very understandable. It would be truly awesome if we found concrete evidence of life elsewhere.

by Rury 2y ago

nis0s 2y ago

Per my understanding of how Mars used to be [1], I don't understand how there aren't even any records of microfossils. I also don't understand why the rest of the universe looks pristine. For example, intelligent life on Earth has created so much space junk in just ~300000 years since the earliest human civilization. It appears that intelligent life, once it forms, doesn't take much to go from pre-civilization to space exploration, at least based on human civilizations. [1] https://www.livescience.com/space/mars/mars-may-have-been-more-earth-like-than-we-thought-discovery-of-oxygen-rich-rocks-reveals https://www.livescience.com/space/mars/mars-may-have-been-mo...

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
Rury 2y ago
I don't understand either. Personally, I believe the rare earth hypothesis is more credible than it seems at first glance. But the matter is warped by our own definition of life, in that we're looking for familiar things (i.e. humanoids or bacteria or radio signals) out there. For me, when looking deeply at viruses, kinesin or even something like fire, the line between living and unliving seems like a pretty arbitrary definition in many ways. Which is fine, but if we decide the definition is something resembling us, or life on earth, then I think the rare earth hypothesis seems as credible as any other theory. Not to mention when you think deeply about physics, or just how inhospitable the vast majority of space seems to us. But on the other hand, I guess finding anything extraordinary or complex is all that we're really looking for. But, regardless, I guess I am just confused, as bothersome to me sounds a bit like worry. I am not worried (i.e. bothered) about the matter, as it seems irrelevant to my livelihood. I believe I will die without knowing either way and have no qualms about that. But if you are bothered by the matter in the sense that you're just very interested, curious, and desiring to know, that's very understandable. It would be truly awesome if we found concrete evidence of life elsewhere.