I would challenge those "figures" of the odds.
For starters there is the huge variable of a creator or not. I would presume there to be two sets of "odds". A much greater likelihood with a creator, and an extreme unlikeliness without.
Have these "odds" taken into account the countering twenty kazillion to one odds of life developing by chance in a warm pond for example?
I personally believe such speculation fruitless and pointless. It's remarkable to me that a poster who finds belief in a creator/artist ludicrous - though we're surrounded by four dimensional art - yet has belief in extra-terrestrial intelligent life, based on ridiculously theoretical odds and the speculations of astronomers recording the lengths of shimmers in far distant stars.
I mean give me a break.
I have no opinion on whether there is life on other worlds or not. I don't need there to be because I don't believe humanity is alone anyway. Many "alien-believers" I've met, have a near religious conviction based on fear of us being alone.
Secondly I prefer evidence I can sense myself, not bizzarre speculations from technogurus in need of funding.
There may be, there may not be. It's not going to affect my life either way, unless "they" initiate contact.
And who's to say "they" are able to or want to?
On the contrary God does affect my life every day, and has bent over backwards to initiate contact. [img]smile.gif[/img]
[ 07-23-2002, 07:52 PM: Message edited by: Yorick ]