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theedgeofthefreud t1_j96l2n6 wrote

Reply to comment by just-a-dreamer- in AI - Artificial Intelligence by FreshAirCoolWater

🤦‍♂️ so anyway. I was just saying that we don't know if there are aliens or not, but you are now half tree and shooting dna to foreign stars. Can you tell me some of your other ideas? I'm bored.

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meshtron t1_j96ncc7 wrote

(Assume this was directed at our friend who's celebrating the 60% of his DNA that matches a banana, but it's something I enjoy thinking about as well)

You're right that the physical distances involved mean it's impossible to rule out alien consciousness elsewhere in the universe. But despite what u/just-a-dreamer- seems to understand, you ALSO have to consider how infinitesimally small human existence is in time compared to the universe.

VERY generously, we've had the ability to receive any wavelength of signal arriving at earth from outside our solar system for maybe 200 years. Our planet has existed for less than 1/3 the life of the universe. It's entirely possible that other civilizations evolved, flourished, then died out (including their plante and even solar system) long before Earth ever existed, and likely that happened before we were able to even know the signal got to us.

We're still at the very beginning of trying to detect life beyond our planet, much less our solar system (and really not at all beyond our galaxy). The real question is whether humanity survives intact long enough to continue this search. I'd wager the chances of that happening are far less than the chances that intelligent life exists in the universe outside Earth right now.

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theedgeofthefreud t1_j96nvn6 wrote

Very eloquent! Hey, if you like thinking about this, have you ever read the Issac Asimov "Foundation" series? u/just-a-dreamer might enjoy it as well. I also like to wonder about these questions and Foundation was just awesome!

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just-a-dreamer- t1_j96ngb7 wrote

Yes, from the time we branched away from trees till our miserables present day bodies we haven't detected any alien activity.

And that is for a wide universe. For there probably is nothing out there to detect. Or very far away beyound any usefull interaction.

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theedgeofthefreud t1_j96oj6k wrote

So you acknowledge that there very well could be alien life, beyond a distance at which we could interact with or detect it? Thanks, I think we agree now.

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just-a-dreamer- t1_j96pqpv wrote

There could be, but way beyond our reach. Who knows how big the universe actually is.

In a practical sense alien existence won't matter. If we didn't detect anything near or close to our own galaxy by now, there is nothing within our reach.

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theedgeofthefreud t1_j96qdvb wrote

If you understand how, "There could be," is different from "There are no," then my work here is done. Check out "Foundation," I can tell you would like it!

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