Aliens - and I don't mean border crossers

Seeing the latest report of UFOs in the skys of Texas that happened two nights ago, I have a question and a challenge.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...15/wufo115.xml

The simple question is how you feel about the possibility of other intelligent life in the universe.

The challenge is, without direct evidence, why do you believe or not believe in LGM?

Hi, I hope it's o.k. for a brand new person to jump right in the middle, but I haven't been able to find the "introductions" department. Anyway, YES, I definitely believe there is intelligent life in other parts of the universe. Two reasons: One, too many people have seen "UFO" type craft for it to all be bogus. Two, I believe in GOD, & there's no way I could believe he has been sitting around for endless eons & not creating other life besides ours.

Personally, I think God has enough to do just keeping us earthlings in check.

I do not believe in intelligent life anywhere else. I believe that many times, people's minds play funny tricks on them.

Well, this is interesting. I have often pondered this, but at the end of the day, NO...
tHE human Race is the apple of Gods eye and his most precious creation...Jesus after all died for ''this'' world...

I DO believe that there are other creatures live in other planets. They travelled to our small planet many times.
They might not be the same as us, but for sure have better understanding than us that war can destroy all of us at the end!

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Originally Posted by mn shutterbug

I do not believe in intelligent life anywhere else.

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You mean it's here? :)

I think Larry King is an alien. Look at a headshot of him and a sketch of an alien from an "encounter". Hmm...

Interesting topic. I find it highly possible that their could be intelligent life elsewhere in this vast universe. My sister when she was younger swears to have been abducted, and I have no reason not to believe her.

There may or may not be intelligent life in other parts of the universe but its very unlikely that they would travel light years to get here.
There is no question that UFOs exist. Anytime something in the sky is not identifiable its a UFO.
The silly part is to assume they come from some far off galaxy.

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Originally Posted by zrfraser

My sister when she was younger swears to have been abducted, and I have no reason not to believe her.

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You have got to be kidding.

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Originally Posted by mn shutterbug

You have got to be kidding.

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I don't see how the possibility of an alien abduction is any more far fetched than the possibility of an invisible being creating the world around us :confused:

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Originally Posted by Xia_Ke

I don't see how the possibility of an alien abduction is any more far fetched than the possibility of an invisible being creating the world around us :confused:

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So how do you explain the world around us?

I find this very interesting! It is a topic I dedicate a bit of time to in my classes when I am teaching astronomy. The breakdown runs along the way we see here:

1. Religious: Man is the center of the universe so we are the sole benefactors of god's attention.

2. Practical: If I don't see hard evidence I don't believe it.

3. Eyewitness: So many people report seeing UFOs, and all are alien life forms (!), it has to be true.

4. Abductees: Aliens love to stick probes where they don't belong.

5. Statistical: With so many stars, if only 10% have planets.... you know the drill..

6. Grab bag: variations on, and mixtures of, the above.

7. The very interesting comments by Stephen Hawking that shoots down the statistical approach. I'll reveal this later on.

My students are overwhelmingly in favor of "unlikely." Odd. I'm more along the "practical" track but secretly hoping for LGM to be true.

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Originally Posted by jgredline

So how do you explain the world around us?

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I am not getting into a religious debate because nothing good can come out of it as far as I'm concerned. My point was that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and while his beliefs might sound crazy to you, yours might sound crazy to someone else.

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Originally Posted by jgredline

So how do you explain the world around us?

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Oh no! We already have a 4-page thread about this!

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Originally Posted by mwfanelli2

5. Statistical: With so many stars, if only 10% have planets.... you know the drill..

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That's my thought on it. With so many stars/galaxies out there, I think it is highly probable that we are not the only intelligent life forms out there. I also don't see any reason why they wouldn't come here to study us if they had the means. If we found other life out there, and we had the means to go and study them, you know we would without hesitation.

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Originally Posted by mwfanelli2

I find this very interesting! It is a topic I dedicate a bit of time to in my classes when I am teaching astronomy. The breakdown runs along the way we see here:

1. Religious: Man is the center of the universe so we are the sole benefactors of god's attention.

2. Practical: If I don't see hard evidence I don't believe it.

3. Eyewitness: So many people report seeing UFOs, and all are alien life forms (!), it has to be true.

4. Abductees: Aliens love to stick probes where they don't belong.

5. Statistical: With so many stars, if only 10% have planets.... you know the drill..

6. Grab bag: variations on, and mixtures of, the above.

7. The very interesting comments by Stephen Hawking that shoots down the statistical approach. I'll reveal this later on.

My students are overwhelmingly in favor of "unlikely." Odd. I'm more along the "practical" track but secretly hoping for LGM to be true.

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Pretty good list.
For ''fun'' and I say ''FUN'' IT might be interesting to look at all seven views. While I clearly fall into the first one on your list, I would love to hear what others believe in regards to where they fit on the list....

Having been in many debates over the years, I feel it is important to say this...That at the end of the day we remain friends..How do we do this? Simple...
Respect each others view and opinion.
No Ad Homien attacks, we are not kids
and finally, Agree to disagree....

On another note, Where and what do you teach?

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Originally Posted by Xia_Ke

I am not getting into a religious debate because nothing good can come out of it as far as I'm concerned. My point was that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and while his beliefs might sound crazy to you, yours might sound crazy to someone else.

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And I repeat.
Pretty good list.
For ''fun'' and I say ''FUN'' IT might be interesting to look at all seven views. While I clearly fall into the first one on your list, I would love to hear what others believe in regards to where they fit on the list....

Having been in many debates over the years, I feel it is important to say this...That at the end of the day we remain friends..How do we do this? Simple...
Respect each others view and opinion.
No Ad Homien attacks, we are not kids
and finally, Agree to disagree....

But understand this. God is a part of me that can't be separated. I am who I am...
and even though I disagree with your views on this, I respect them as your views...
and yes, I also do understand that my beliefs seem foolish to you and I accept that as well....

No I am not kidding. I am not saying sh was probed or had experiments performed on her, but there is an amount of time that cannot be accounted for, and she woke up in an unfamilair place. No she wasn't drinking, or drugged, or kidnapped, or sleepwalking. She is a very educated woman, with no reason to make it up. She also has vivid flashbacks of things she cannot explain. I know there are some pyschological things that could cause this. Even my wife who is a registered psychologist even believes that it is a possibilty after talking to my sister.

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Originally Posted by jgredline

And I repeat.
Pretty good list.
For ''fun'' and I say ''FUN'' IT might be interesting to look at all seven views. While I clearly fall into the first one on your list, I would love to hear what others believe in regards to where they fit on the list....

Having been in many debates over the years, I feel it is important to say this...That at the end of the day we remain friends..How do we do this? Simple...
Respect each others view and opinion.
No Ad Homien attacks, we are not kids
and finally, Agree to disagree....

But understand this. God is a part of me that can't be separated. I am who I am...
and even though I disagree with your views on this, I respect them as your views...
and yes, I also do understand that my beliefs seem foolish to you and I accept that as well....

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It's all good :) I've just found that from other boards, that religious "discussions" never seem to end well, so I try to avoid them like the plague...LOL

This would be fun to have everyone touch on their views of all 7 on the list. I will do so when I get home from work tonight. I found the Hawking lecture that I think fanelli is talking about. I want to read that first.

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Originally Posted by Xia_Ke

If we found other life out there, and we had the means to go and study them, you know we would without hesitation.

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Of course, our government has the funds to do so. :rolleyes: Our country has wasted so much of our money on space programs, why not go farther in debt investigating the extremely minute chance of other life forms.

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Originally Posted by mn shutterbug

Of course, our government has the funds to do so. :rolleyes: Our country has wasted so much of our money on space programs, why not go farther in debt investigating the extremely minute chance of other life forms.

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Why would God create such an enormous universe if we were supposed to only live in our one little teeny weeny bit of it. What is the purpose of it?

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Originally Posted by mn shutterbug

Of course, our government has the funds to do so. :rolleyes: Our country has wasted so much of our money on space programs, why not go farther in debt investigating the extremely minute chance of other life forms.

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Well, at least it would be better spent than on these stupid baseball steroid hearings...LOL

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On another note, Where and what do you teach?

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Physics (levels of conceptual through calculus-based), conceptual Physical Science, Light Science (physics for visual arts students), weather, and various math courses. Not all at the same time, of course!

This thread I like.

My personal views:
1) Is there life "out there"? Yes, probably teeming with them.
2) Are there any "intelligent" life out there? Yes, but only a small percentage as compared to #1 above
3) Have any intelligent life visited earth? I seriously doubt it (from a logistical standpoint)

On all the planets and moons around all the stars in all the galaxies, we surely can't be "all there is". Come on, just look at us. Look at what we do to one another and listen how we talk to each other.


And when we discover them, I'm going to photograph them/it/him/her :)

I guess I don't fit on "the list" because I think that if ufos are piloted by some sort of intelligence that intelligence is not alien.
The idea that they are alien started with sci fi stories liek war of the worlds and everyone just jumped on the band wagon.