From: Steele, Kirk A (SteeleKA@nafm.misawa.af.mil)
Date: Thu Jan 10 2002 - 16:54:39 MST
these types of arguments, "what are the chances of 'intelligent life early
on in the universe' given the 'innumerably odds' against" blah blah blah
blah.
Ok, these things, these indicators of arguing style, even in the light of
extreme intellectual competence and creativity, show a locus of cognition
that does not merit the attention their progenitor receives in the primary
domain of excellence.
The life is special argument is as old as science. Rupert Sheldrake tried it
three or four decades ago with ontogenetics.
If anyone wants to start forwarding these types of arguments, start listing
your populations and your probabilities and your null hypothesis's.
Although appealing to certain 'emotive' clientele, the "we are so special we
have to have been 'created'" load is just that, a load.
Make the assertion. Cite the data. Do the math. Get over it. Life happens! A
lot!
-----Original Message-----
From: Kalkor [mailto:kalkor@kalkor.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2002 10:57 AM
To: Virus (E-mail)
Subject: virus: The universe
Ok, here's something from neo-tech that I'd like to discuss with you
folks... In the story one of the students becomes a nobel-winning physicist,
and he comes up with this while in the class:
What are the odds that, given the apparent age and size of the universe, an
intelligent species evolved early on, as rapidly as we have during the last
few thousand years? If so, would it not follow that this civilization is
millions or even billions of years old? Would they not have achieved
biological immortality by now, and probably technology sufficient to control
much of the universe, and in fact the fundamental physical laws behind the
universe? Would not, then, the controlling factors of reality be mass,
energy, and conciousness, rather than simply mass and energy? Would this be
sufficient to explain dark matter?
Ah, a direct quote would have been better but I wanted to see how well I was
able to grasp the subject and regurgitate it in my own words. What do you
virians think of this idea? Far fetched? Off the point? Relevant? Immutable?
Kalkor
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