The Epic Debate of the Ages

[penda]

Melissa and I had a discussion this weekend on a topic rarely discussed.

God vs. Aliens

 Not kidding. Here's the basic argument from my side...

Four things:
1) The universe is so vast it's practically infinite from our puny perspective,
2) Our concept of reality doesn't even really take into account things like Dark Matter and the fact that relative weakness of gravity suggests that it's occurring on another plane and we're seeing it's shadow... thus, it could be even MORE vast,
3) We've discovered that life endures in seemingly impossible regions (like the bacteria living underground within the earth's crust near magma),
4) And even Bonobos have figured out how to use tools.

Given those four things, I think it's quite possible that we're not the only life in the universe and if there is life out there it is also quite possible that it's worked out how to use tools. As such, the possibility of alien visitation, while remote, isn't implausible.

Meanwhile, I think it's highly implausible that there is some bearded dude judging you, giving you a private cloud when you die, and being able to do anything but refusing to show his face in modern times (yeah yeah, burning bush... that happened thousands of years ago. Also... is a brush fire at a time when people were generally illiterate and lacked any way to record it the best he could do? Seriously, it looks kinda weak from where I stand.) 

Generally the fall back position for theists (though not raised by Melissa) is "Well, if there is no god, where did everything come from?"  The irony of that argument is that it assumes that a god has always existed and requires no explanation for where HE came from.  Yet, for some reason the concept of a universe without beginning is too difficult to imagine. 

Basically, I'm more likely to be abducted by aliens than to find myself face to face with a god in this or any other lives.

I won't paraphrase Melissa's argument because I don't want to get it wrong.  But there you go, that was our Sunday afternoon discussion.

Comments

[cockandswan.livejournal.com]

i'm all about this stuff lately.

don't forget that time could be cyclical (especially if we're gonna thing of it as a dimension) and also even if "god did it" is going to be your reason for the creation of the universe, you don't get to give that god any kind of specific characteristics without a reason or proof or a way of tying that being to a being in contact with us.

as far as other life, what about the drake equation?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB_v99FSTYc

[inevitability.livejournal.com]

I've always liked the Drake equation. It takes into account the likelihood of life, but also the likelihood that very few species would make it past the nuclear age. Good stuff. :)