What Would Alien Life & Intelligences Mean? | Episode 2305 | Closer To Truth

What could life be as we don’t know it? Three transitions in astrobiology. Non-life to life. Life to intelligent life. Intelligent life to technological civilization. For alien life, would Darwinian evolution hold? Fermi’s Paradox is profound: with at least 10 22 planets in the known universe, we find no evidence of alien life, anywhere, much less alien intelligence. Is there a great filter?

Featuring interviews with Carol Cleland, Richard Dawkins, Rachell Powell, Massimo Pigliucci, and Helen De Cruz.

Closer To Truth host Robert Lawrence Kuhn takes viewers on an intriguing global journey into cutting-edge labs, magnificent libraries, hidden gardens, and revered sanctuaries in order to discover state-of-the-art ideas and make them real and relevant.

Closer To Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

00:00 Introduction
00:24 History of astrobiology
02:57 Interview with Carol Cleland
05:25: Exploring the potential characteristics of extraterrestrial life and intelligence, including the likelihood of Darwinian life and the importance of questioning biased definitions of life
06:45 Interview with Richard Dawkins
09:31: Exploring the implications of alien life and intelligence in the universe
10:25 Intelligent life to technological civilization
11:02 Interview with Rachel Powell
13:16: Implications of extraterrestrial intelligences and the replicability of minds in the universe
16:54 Interview with Massimo Pigliucci
21:02 Interview with Helen De Cruz
24:20 Outro

[tuckfeem]

When I look at those videos, it makes me wish I had Robert as a philosophy teacher or other related subject. The interest for these topics has only begun in my later years and I’d wish some school teacher had me interested sooner.
Thank you for the great content !

[gerhardmoeller]

At ~9:30:
"the barrier from nonlife to life was a barrier, but not a significant one“.
What a truly preposterous statement!

[keithmetcalf]

It's RLK 😎 speaking on Extraterrestrial life 👍👍

[mickeybrumfield]

I'm glad we are wondering about such things as other forms of life. I'm also glad we are starting to come to grips with our narcissism and realize there is likely other life out there that might not be anything like ourselves. If we think about it and try to imagine life existing, that is like we are of the multi cellular variety. We would never ever be able to imagine this form of life if we didn't have a living model to work with and study. It would be beyond our imagination. I believe there are likely other forms of life that exist out there that are of the form that are beyond our current imagination. The possibilities are so vast that we can't begin to fathom them, but I'm glad we're trying.

[khajashaik]

Some of my q's..
1. If light is travelling with speed 'c' (casuality) and photon is 0 mass(but not absolute zero) and nothing can travel with speed of light, because it needs infinite energy according to Sir Einstein, then.., from where does the photon /light getting that energy from?
2. If light can be bent when space is bent, due to gravity, then why can't the time can bend?
3. If light is released in such a way that the light reflects and travel back to source (placing the mirror exactly opposite to the light source) then what happens? Does photons collide and something happens?
4. Similar to the above one, when one stood infront of mirror and see themself, isn't his himself is seeing him at the same time when he sees himself? Means the reflection is observable to the source and what place does Sir Einstein's relativity plays here and what does it explain.

[browngreen]

My hunch is that non-life to life is an easy step considering that it happened here on Earth when conditions were extremely harsh and inhospitable some 3.5 billion years ago.

[hc-ff]

Fun ideas to play around with. I wonder if something does show up, either by electronic emissions, or by nearby presence, if it won't be robotic -- i.e., needing very little in resources to last a long travel time, and immune to cosmic radiation, etc.
They might be simply explorer ships sending signals back to their origin, or ships no longer connected to their (destroyed) civilizations. They might be guardians of the seeds of that civilization, programmed to find another planet suitable to their propagation, and able to teach its new progeny the whole culture of that long lost civilization.
But it would be robotic, able to travel an infinite length of time, with a clear, or not so clear mission. It would have the ability to communicate with us, after a period of acquaintance. Depending on the welcome, it might hang around, or depart for other destinations.

[bryandraughn]

I like to imagine a species that's a little more intelligent than ourselves maximizing their local resources. If you have your head together you can eek out a pretty long run in your own solar system. You don't want to just multiply, fight and ruin your home if you want to survive. After a couple billion years, maybe hop over to a nearby system as it drifts closer to home.

[bradsillasen]

Lots to chew on that bone! Great presentation.

[stellarwind]

There’s no real basis for an expectation that life should be elsewhere until we develop an understanding for how it emerged on our own planet.

[CaliforniaBushman]

I think the Great Filters to Technical Civilizations are:
1. The production of O2 by single celled life over almost 2 Billion Years on Earth
2. To allow for metabolism for Multicellular complex life
3. Multicellular life and O2 concentrations to exist for another Billion years to evolve sentient beings on land (non aquatic) that can build tools that make tools (with enough O2 concentration to smelt metal).
3. The resulting technical Civilization to survive it's Nuclear Age long enough to travel interstellar distances.
4. The civilization to be around long enough to detect a repeatable short band radio signal from the 1000's, or millions of light years distant technical civilization which still uses radio to communicate.

[piehound]

Yeah many thanks for your quest . . . made popular in videos for ordinary folks like me.

[richblacklock]

Could the next transition be from physical life to nonphysical life?

[jimhamlin]

The Universe is so unending and big... that we are mirco scopic life....its like we are the ants and we are trying to find something else that we cant even understand and since we cant find that we think it must not exist ..since we cant measure it and detect it Its not our fault we have limited intelligence ...it is what it is...

[wayneharrison]

Intelligent life? On the Kardashev Scale... Humanity, doesn't even rate as a one. Carl Sagan:- Humanities belief in self-importance, and the inevitable painful reality of "The Great Demotions."

[browngreen]

Intelligent life doesn't have to be technological. Maybe it's MORE intelligent to remain non technological.

[jamesruscheinski]

in the case that the step from non-life to life is not as difficult, such basic life would be more common on exoplanets in cosmos? how might basic life be discovered on exoplanets, which would be the precursor to intelligent and then advanced technology life?

[howardparis]

It's hard to listen to super-intelligent people opine on a subject when they have chosen to be naive on a critical relevant subject (UAP). That highlights the power of official gaslighting and intimidation by the military.

[tyamada]

A segment from 'Saved by the Light of the Buddha Within'...
My new understandings of what many call 'God -The Holy Spirit' - resulting from some of the extraordinary ongoing after-effects relating to my NDE...

Myoho-Renge-Kyo represents the identity of what some scientists are now referring to as the unified field of consciousnesses. In other words, it’s the essence of all existence and non-existence – the ultimate creative force behind planets, stars, nebulae, people, animals, trees, fish, birds, and all phenomena, manifest or latent. All matter and intelligence are simply waves or ripples manifesting to and from this core source. Consciousness (enlightenment) is itself the actual creator of everything that exists now, ever existed in the past, or will exist in the future – right down to the minutest particles of dust – each being an individual ripple or wave.
The big difference between chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo and most other conventional prayers is that instead of depending on a ‘middleman’ to connect us to our state of inner enlightenment, we’re able to do it ourselves. That’s because chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo allows us to tap directly into our enlightened state by way of this self-produced sound vibration. ‘Who or What Is God?’ If we compare the concept of God being a separate entity that is forever watching down on us, to the teachings of Nichiren, it makes more sense to me that the true omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence of what most people perceive to be God, is the fantastic state of enlightenment that exists within each of us. Some say that God is an entity that’s beyond physical matter – I think that the vast amount of information continuously being conveyed via electromagnetic waves in today’s world gives us proof of how an invisible state of God could indeed exist.
For example, it’s now widely known that specific data relayed by way of electromagnetic waves has the potential to help bring about extraordinary and powerful effects – including an instant global awareness of something or a mass emotional reaction. It’s also common knowledge that these invisible waves can easily be used to detonate a bomb or to enable NASA to control the movements of a robot as far away as the Moon or Mars – none of which is possible without a receiver to decode the information that’s being transmitted. Without the receiver, the data would remain impotent. In a very similar way, we need to have our own ‘receiver’ switched on so that we can activate a clear and precise understanding of our own life, all other life and what everything else in existence is.
Chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo each day helps us to achieve this because it allows us to reach the core of our enlightenment and keep it switched on. That’s because Myoho-Renge-Kyo represents the identity of what scientists now refer to as the unified field of consciousnesses. To break it down – Myoho represents the Law of manifestation and latency (Nature) and consists of two alternating states. For example, the state of Myo is where everything in life that’s not obvious to us exists – including our stored memories when we’re not thinking about them – our hidden potential and inner emotions whenever they’re dormant – our desires, our fears, our wisdom, happiness, karma – and more importantly, our enlightenment.
The other state, ho, is where everything in Life exists whenever it becomes evident to us, such as when a thought pops up from within our memory – whenever we experience or express our emotions – or whenever a good or bad cause manifests as an effect from our karma. When anything becomes apparent, it merely means that it’s come out of the state of Myo (dormancy/latency) and into a state of ho (manifestation). It’s the difference between consciousness and unconsciousness, being awake or asleep, or knowing and not knowing.
The second law – Renge – Ren meaning cause and ge meaning effect, governs and controls the functions of Myoho – these two laws of Myoho and Renge, not only function together simultaneously but also underlies all spiritual and physical existence.
The final and third part of the tri-combination – Kyo, is the Law that allows Myoho to integrate with Renge – or vice versa. It’s the great, invisible thread of energy that fuses and connects all Life and matter – as well as the past, present and future. It’s also sometimes termed the Universal Law of Communication – perhaps it could even be compared with the string theory that many scientists now suspect exists.
Just as the cells in our body, our thoughts, feelings and everything else is continually fluctuating within us – all that exists in the world around us and beyond is also in a constant state of flux – constantly controlled by these three fundamental laws. In fact, more things are going back and forth between the two states of Myo and ho in a single moment than it would ever be possible to calculate or describe. And it doesn’t matter how big or small, famous or trivial anything or anyone may appear to be, everything that’s ever existed in the past, exists now or will exist in the future, exists only because of the workings of the Laws ‘Myoho-Renge-Kyo’ – the basis of the four fundamental forces, and if they didn’t function, neither we nor anything else could go on existing. That’s because all forms of existence, including the seasons, day, night, birth, death and so on, are moving forward in an ongoing flow of continuation – rhythmically reverting back and forth between the two fundamental states of Myo and ho in absolute accordance with Renge – and by way of Kyo. Even stars are dying and being reborn under the workings of what the combination ‘Myoho-Renge-Kyo’ represents. Nam, or Namu – which mean the same thing, are vibrational passwords or keys that allow us to reach deep into our life and fuse with or become one with ‘Myoho-Renge-Kyo’.
On a more personal level, nothing ever happens by chance or coincidence, it’s the causes that we’ve made in our past, or are presently making, that determine how these laws function uniquely in each of our lives – as well as the environment from moment to moment. By facing east, in harmony with the direction that the Earth is spinning, and chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo for a minimum of, let’s say, ten minutes daily to start with, any of us can experience actual proof of its positive effects in our lives – even if it only makes us feel good on the inside, there will be a definite positive effect. That’s because we’re able to pierce through the thickest layers of our karma and activate our inherent Buddha Nature (our enlightened state). By so doing, we’re then able to bring forth the wisdom and good fortune that we need to challenge, overcome and change our adverse circumstances – turn them into positive ones – or manifest and gain even greater fulfilment in our daily lives from our accumulated good karma. This also allows us to bring forth the wisdom that can free us from the ignorance and stupidity that’s preventing us from accepting and being proud of the person that we indeed are – regardless of our race, colour, gender or sexuality. We’re also able to see and understand our circumstances and the environment far more clearly, as well as attract and connect with any needed external beneficial forces and situations. As I’ve already mentioned, everything is subject to the law of Cause and Effect – the ‘actual-proof-strength’ resulting from chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo always depends on our determination, sincerity and dedication.
For example, the levels of difference could be compared to making a sound on a piano, creating a melody, producing a great song, and so on. Something else that’s very important to always respect and acknowledge is that the Law (or if you prefer God) is in everyone and everything.

[wesleyhatley]

The Great Filter is the Hermes Event, when the Technological Singularity meets the Divine Thought of Automation a 5-dimensional perspective shift occurs.