Bernard Carr - Alien Intelligences

Whether there are other intelligences in the vast cosmos is one of the big questions of human existence and perhaps of existence in general. Estimates using probabilities almost always portray a universe teeming with sentient creatures.  Any implication of human uniqueness seems to contradict basic assumptions of science. And yet, there is no sign of alien intelligences, none whatsoever.  Why?

[theotormon]

The answer will be something we haven't thought of yet.

[AZRAY]

Why do physicists assume we've observed enough of the universe to determine there is no intelligent life out there? The universe might just be full of intelligent life but we are not yet advanced enough to see what is going on.

[michaelpierce]

2 trillion galaxies with an average of 100 billion stars per galaxy. That is just in the observable universe, who knows what is beyond that. Without question our universe is teeming with life. Just try and imagine how much we DON'T know

[dissturbbed]

Thought this was about Susan Boyle at first.

[paulomiguel]

People amusingly believe they know planet earth when they simply know very little of it, the reality is there's plenty of life, intelligent and otherwise that still remains hidden from human knowledge.

[nelsonlaw]

There has to be other alien civilizations. Just because we can't see them, it doesn't mean they are not there.. I would love to live again a thousand years from now. We will become Interstellar beings..

[noisemagician]

What if our own solar system is full of life and I don't mean simple life. And we have the answers available to us and all we have to do is remove one of ''truth's protective layers''.

[syngensmyth]

They argue that earth is radio bright - but how far do our average transmissions travel?

[robotaholic]

Once you detect alien life and compare intelligence and discover the detected alien species would benefit from your knowledge of medicine for example, are you morally obligated to go there and help them?

[andresandbergfek]

What's up with the camera movements?

[daviddesimone]

I’m sure you’re aware that they don’t require oxygen etc... They could exist opposite of us. Seems we are searching for life that exists as we do, I don’t think that is the case. Perhaps they want nothing to do with us. They are fine by themselves they do not need to be discovered. Sometimes, discovery it’s not necessary

[Kimhjortsbjerg]

Evidence requires that one search ! Look around !

[jamesruscheinski]

Is there possibility that only alien civilization near to earth, in Milky Way or even closer, will be relevant intelligent alien life?

[BaldingEagle]

I like the Closer to Truth interviews, this one perhaps to short to raise expectations, yet I reflect on why Carr appears so strikingly unconvincing here. He seems to bring up the wrong arguments and balance them with other wrong arguments to arrive at a hunch, and this doesn't meet expectations.

The Drake "equation" and various uniqueness arguments apply less and less as data comes in. This should normally be a sign that something is wrong, yet they're brought up.

Surely, if we are intelligent and are to speculate and form principles, it should be from data? Rather than as Drake later admitted, making up factors and multiplying them together. What the factors are doesn't matter, as long as there are enough of them it will result in a low number, as Carr and Drake well knew.

The way for this seizure on our minds to end, and the best prediction we could make, is to project the data we have onto our knowledge about the Universe that we have:

1. We know that it takes a certain number of billions of years for the correct generation of stars to expel the heavier elements needed for Life Chemistry to occur.
2. We have a measured sample of Earth-like planets defined by just this Chemistry.
3. We have a sample of 1 as to how long it takes for this Chemistry to evolve into beings. In this sample, life survived asteroids and multiple extinctions.

The reasonable speculation would be to project this data for a low estimate of how many solar systems are as unintelligent as we are, having built no observable structures, having put out no radio signals into space, and having ventured a measly few kilometers into space. If anything, the Universe is behaving as expected, "today".

The natural thought from this, however, is more intriguing.

If we follow the same Universal Chemistry principles that we follow in gathering all of our knowledge about the Universe, the prediction should rather be that all planets suitable for Life Chemistry have evolved for as long as we have, and is therefore ready to do all the things we expect of ourselves to make ourselves noticed.

The natural expectation would rather be that Intelligent Life is roughly where we are on the cosmological clock of chemical reactions, measured by star generations, each on their individual planet, and is as ready to explode onto the scene as we. On the Cosmological time scale, I think a 100, 000 years long explosion could be considered a true explosion.

[michaelmatta]

Imagine we find aliens and soon after that we figure out we are as intelligent as their dogs and cats

[Rocky_Anunnaki]

Sir what do you think about the Anunnaki?

Hope to hear from you.

[paulomiguel]

If Humans have yet to recognize gods as ancient brothers, how much of a fanciful fantasy is it to expect them to find life much farther in time and space.
Assume humans need to learn their prehistory first and only then after having found the local extra terrestrials can they be ready to explore time more deeply.

[robertsimon]

Sir, any idea who built the pyramids of Giza ... have you ever questioned whether humans built them ?

[totalfreedom]

*1* There may be three kinds of beings in this universe: (1) superintelligent, (2) intelligent like us, or (3) a bit intelligent like the rest of animals on Earth. 🐕 🐬 🐘 🐒
*2* If (1) is true, then they would have contacted us about 300, 000 years ago, when _Homo sapiens sapiens_ began, or afterwards. Nevertheless, *13.8 billion* years after the big bang there has been *_no sign_* of a highly advanced civilization.
*3* If (2) is true, then it would take them or us millions or billions of years to make first contact, if ever.
*4* If (3) is true, then we will find them, not the other way around.
💕 ☮ 🌎 🌌

[hotstixx]

Jesus, the loss of Top Gear really hit him hard.