Re: News: Is there anybody out there?

On 2008-04-21, dkomo <dkomo871@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Robert Karl Stonjek wrote:
Is there anybody out there?

Is there anybody out there? Probably not, according to a scientist from
the University of East Anglia.

A mathematical model produced by Prof Andrew Watson suggests that the
odds of finding new life on other Earth-like planets are low, given the
time it has taken for beings such as humans to evolve and the remaining
life span of the Earth.


An argument could be made that Earth throughout its history has not been
a very life friendly place. From bombardment by asteroids to sporadic
spasms of hyper-volcanic activity spewing huge amounts of methane and
other greeenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Solar luminosity
increasing by 30%. Snowball earth. The Permian, KT and many other mass
extinctions. Periodic ice ages. Drifting continents.

Throughout deep time it's been one thing or another -- Mother Earth
giving its living inhabitants a very rough time. No wonder it's taken
billions of years to evolve intelligent life, and a rather unremarkable
example of such in humans.

This sad story does not necessarily have to be repeated in other solar
systems. On halcyon planets it's possible that life goes from
abiogenesis to beings much more intelligent than us in a few hundred
million years.


I've often thought that this whole debate is based on the hidden
assumption that it's somehow the "purpose" of the universe to produce
intelligent life. Is this perhaps the last refuge of anthropocentrism,
the ultimate hubristic delusion? As J.B.S. Haldane remarked, if we look
at the reality of the situation it suggests that the main aim of
evolution is to produce beetles. It hardly seems that the goal is the
production of intelligence. The dinosaurs had 150 million years to do
so but didn't take the opportunity.

Do insects, bats and birds think that the purpose of evolution is to
produce creatures capable of flight?

Anthony


--
Anthony Campbell - ac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Microsoft-free zone - Using Debian GNU/Linux
http://www.acampbell.org.uk (blog, book reviews,
on-line books and sceptical articles)


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: I have another argument that needs refuting
    ... God destroyed all of life on earth except for Noah, his family, and the ... Evolution states that everything in the universe came from nothing ... do is study the evidence and see which religion makes the most sense. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • The uncertainty of evolution
    ... The whole Universe evolves, so does life on Earth, and so does human ... It has been evolution toward complexity. ...
    (sci.bio.evolution)
  • Re: I have another argument that needs refuting
    ... God destroyed all of life on earth except for Noah, his family, and the ... Evolution states that everything in the universe came from nothing ... do is study the evidence and see which religion makes the most sense. ... No. Tee geologic timetable proves the great age of the earth. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: I have another argument that needs refuting
    ... God destroyed all of life on earth except for Noah, his family, and the ... Evolution states that everything in the universe came from nothing ... do is study the evidence and see which religion makes the most sense. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • EVOLUTION - TRUTH
    ... HISTORY OF LIFE ON EARTH ... Rise of biological diversity ... Many of the important fossils telling the story of the Cambrian ...
    (alt.politics)
Loading