Extra terrestrial life: do you believe they exist?

[viper37]

Inspired by this text:
http://quebec.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/05/03/extraterrestres-equation-chercheurs_n_9826818.html
It's in French, but all the links are in English.

Some math people have made an equation about the probability of extra-terrestril life to have existed:
A = Nast * ƒbt
A is the probability an alien life existed.
Nast is the number of planets in the inhabital zone of space.
ƒbt is the probability an intelligent life develops using technology in the habitable zone of space at the right distance from a star.

The full details of the study are here with the explanation of the match concept:
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/ast.2015.1418


So, what does Languish believe? 

[Richard Hakluyt]

I believe that they exist, the Universe is so vast. But so is time and we have no idea of the lifespan of an intelligent species. Perhaps there may be only one intelligent species per 100,000 galaxies at any one time for example.

[derspiess]

Generally don't care, but with lack of evidence to the contrary I'm comfortable with the assumption that there is no intelligent life out there.

[Caliga]

I'd say there is intelligent life, but it really doesn't matter.  We'll never be able to communicate or interact with them meaningfully unless we make some powerful technological advances outside of what we understand to be even possible right now.

[celedhring]

I'm in the "universe is way too big for us to be alone" camp. Although I certainly don't believe in UFOs and shit for the same reason. There's probably lots of intelligent species out there, but we will never be able to contact them because of the insane scale involved.

[The Brain]

If I had to I would guess that there is intelligent life out there somewhere. Or somewhen.

About what Cal said: I think interstellar travel isn't at all unrealistic, but I see the necessary breakthroughs more in biology than in rocket science.

[Razgovory]

God, I hope not.

[grumbler]

I think that answers 2, 3, and 6 are all really the same answer.  When you are talking about "the universe" the concept of simultaneity (as in "they are alive right now as opposed to past or future") is pretty meaningless.

[Valmy]

I do think there is life. I do not know if there is intelligent life since we have a grand total of one example (well maybe...) it is hard to know how common that might be. I would bet the universe is loaded with bacteria and single cell organisms though.

[viper37]

We'll never be able to communicate or interact with them meaningfully unless we make some powerful technological advances outside of what we understand to be even possible right now.

I don't think Ghenghis Khan envisionned the day he could talk to his subordinate in Karakorum and Georgia in real time while conquering Afghanistan.  I don't think anyone around him understood this to be even possible at the time.  So who knows for the future?  Not in my life time, most likely.  But in the scale of humanity's lifetime? Most likely.

[Hamilcar]

Other: we're in a simulation.

[crazy canuck]

We'll never be able to communicate or interact with them meaningfully unless we make some powerful technological advances outside of what we understand to be even possible right now.

I don't think Ghenghis Khan envisionned the day he could talk to his subordinate in Karakorum and Georgia in real time while conquering Afghanistan.  I don't think anyone around him understood this to be even possible at the time.  So who knows for the future?  Not in my life time, most likely.  But in the scale of humanity's lifetime? Most likely.

I am not sure that is a good analogy.  He could actually travel to those places.  The reason why we probably won't be able to communicate in any meaningful way is the same reason we won't be able to travel there in any meaningful way.  The difficulty of travelling faster than the speed of light.

[frunk]

Other: we're in a simulation.

The simulation could include extra terrestrial life.

[crazy canuck]

Other: we're in a simulation.

The simulation could include extra terrestrial life.

And be created by extra terrestrial life.

[Valmy]

Other: we're in a simulation.

We are all aware that the senses can be deceived, the eyes fooled. But how can we be sure our senses are not being deceived at any particular time, or even all the time? Might I just be a brain in a tank somewhere, tricked all my life into believing in the events of this world by some insane computer? And does my life gain or lose meaning based on my reaction to such solipsism?

Project PYRRHO, Specimen 46, Vat 7. Activity recorded M.Y. 2302.22467. (TERMINATION OF SPECIMEN ADVISED)