Where are the Aliens? Fermi Paradox. Great Filter. Are we alone?

[BehindBlueI's]

What happens to the Abrahamic faiths if we find out that we aren’t the top species in the firmament, that the creation myth has been missing the last step?

No issue for Islam.

Maybe you see that God created only this single world and that God did not create humans besides you. Well I swear by God that God created thousands and thousands of other worlds and thousands and thousands of humankind. - Imam Muhammad al-Baqir.

The Qu'ran calls Allah the "Lord of the Worlds" and states "He has created other things of which ye have no knowledge" as well as "And of his signs is the creation of the heavens and earth and what He has dispersed throughout them creatures." There's also indications that creation has happened multiple times: "And it is He who begins creation; then He repeats it, and that is [even] easier for Him. To Him belongs the highest attribute in the heavens and earth. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise."

So even a literal reading anticipates life off of Earth, and has been discussed among scholars for centuries. A literal reading also states we'll meet eventually, though no indication where and when, and it can be argued it doesn't specifically say we'll be alive when we meet.

[Joe S]

No issue for Islam.

Maybe you see that God created only this single world and that God did not create humans besides you. Well I swear by God that God created thousands and thousands of other worlds and thousands and thousands of humankind. - Imam Muhammad al-Baqir.

The Qu'ran calls Allah the "Lord of the Worlds" and states "He has created other things of which ye have no knowledge" as well as "And of his signs is the creation of the heavens and earth and what He has dispersed throughout them creatures." There's also indications that creation has happened multiple times: "And it is He who begins creation; then He repeats it, and that is [even] easier for Him. To Him belongs the highest attribute in the heavens and earth. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise."

So even a literal reading anticipates life off of Earth, and has been discussed among scholars for centuries. A literal reading also states we'll meet eventually, though no indication where and when, and it can be argued it doesn't specifically say we'll be alive when we meet.

Well said.

On the folk side, djinn are distinctly non-human entities that are possessed of intelligence and seemingly, whatever level of free will people have.

[Baldanders]

No issue for Islam.

Maybe you see that God created only this single world and that God did not create humans besides you. Well I swear by God that God created thousands and thousands of other worlds and thousands and thousands of humankind. - Imam Muhammad al-Baqir.

The Qu'ran calls Allah the "Lord of the Worlds" and states "He has created other things of which ye have no knowledge" as well as "And of his signs is the creation of the heavens and earth and what He has dispersed throughout them creatures." There's also indications that creation has happened multiple times: "And it is He who begins creation; then He repeats it, and that is [even] easier for Him. To Him belongs the highest attribute in the heavens and earth. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise."

So even a literal reading anticipates life off of Earth, and has been discussed among scholars for centuries. A literal reading also states we'll meet eventually, though no indication where and when, and it can be argued it doesn't specifically say we'll be alive when we meet.

I took Steph's question to mean "what if life on Earth was created directly by aliens?" Not sure if that affects the theological implications or not.

In the news, maybe @RevolverRob performed prophecy upthread?


https://www.reuters.com/article/us-s...-idUSKBN2652GO

He did say we might find life from it's metabolites.

Crossing fingers....but not gonna get too excited just yet.

[RevolverRob]

I took Steph's question to mean "what if life on Earth was created directly by aliens?" Not sure if that affects the theological implications or not.

In the news, maybe @RevolverRob performed prophecy upthread?


https://www.reuters.com/article/us-s...-idUSKBN2652GO

He did say we might find life from it's metabolites.

Crossing fingers....but not gonna get too excited just yet.

Oh now that is interesting.

[Baldanders]

Oh now that is interesting.

Well, if it's not life, there's some sort of unknown chemistry going on! Win-win for science, either way.

I do hope it's life, though.

[RevolverRob]

Well, if it's not life, there's some sort of unknown chemistry going on! Win-win for science, either way.

I do hope it's life, though.

It's an interesting phenomena for sure. I appreciate that the researchers and authors are trying to use Life as their "we've excluded all other reasonable explanations" option - as opposed to just opting for, "Evidence of Life on another planet!" And grabbing a by-line.

Maybe it shouldn't surprise me that it turns out we were looking at the wrong planet. Mars has no atmosphere and at best we were going to find evidence of past Life on its surface, not present.

[Stephanie B]

All of this ^^^^ makes me wonder what is floating among the cloud layers of Jupiter. Or how we could ever find out without running the risk of doing the equivalent of bringing smallpox to the Americas.

[Darth_Uno]

All of this ^^^^ makes me wonder what is floating among the cloud layers of Jupiter. Or how we could ever find out without running the risk of doing the equivalent of bringing smallpox to the Americas.

I would not be surprised of most all politicians had Jovian DNA - they do seem to be overly resilient gasbags.

[Darth_Uno]

It's an interesting phenomena for sure. I appreciate that the researchers and authors are trying to use Life as their "we've excluded all other reasonable explanations" option - as opposed to just opting for, "Evidence of Life on another planet!" And grabbing a by-line.

Personally, I'm pumped. If this is in fact even the most basic life, it is a massive step forward. At least now we would know it's possible.

Barring the result of some project or expedition that I'm unaware of (which could be nearly anything, I'm hardly in the business so to speak) I don't expect to find plant or animal life as we would recognize it in my lifetime. But just to have some small bit of proof that we are truly not the only life forms in the universe...that'd be pretty amazing. And if we found this literally next door, what else is out there?

[OlongJohnson]

All of this ^^^^ makes me wonder what is floating among the cloud layers of Jupiter. Or how we could ever find out without running the risk of doing the equivalent of bringing smallpox to the Americas.

I know that sanitizing anything that's headed to another planet is a yuge deal among those who do that kind of stuff. We don't want to go all the way to another planet to find life and discover that it looks exactly like what's here.