do you think aliens are real?

[chickened]

I would agree, our military and its' technology is about 25 years ahead of what is publicly known according to my BIL who is in the military.
Quote:
Miniscule probabilities are those in which the denominator is large and the numerator small. For example, if scientists say the odds of life existing on another planet are 1 in a million, those are small odds.

But...the universe is HUGE. When there are billions of planets, then there are thousands of 1 in a million planets. Saying 1 planet in a million has life means that, statistically, it's more IMPROBABLE that this planet is the ONLY one with life. So it is mathematically more probable that there IS life somewhere else than that there ISN'T. I hope our species survives long enough to advance technology to find it.

At the same time, I'm pretty sure that the majority of "alien encounter" reports by people are the result of our faulty perception of stimuli as a result of our overactive brains. I can't say with accuracy that they're all fake, but there's another set of explanations for "encounters" that doesn't require the event to have actually happened as its described. Our brains are very easily tricked.

I don't want to start an argument, but UFO sightings and 'life on other planets' is mostly false. Many UFO sightings are our U.S. military doing who knows what again.

 

[AquaEyes]

Quote:
Miniscule probabilities are those in which the denominator is large and the numerator small. For example, if scientists say the odds of life existing on another planet are 1 in a million, those are small odds.

But...the universe is HUGE. When there are billions of planets, then there are thousands of 1 in a million planets. Saying 1 planet in a million has life means that, statistically, it's more IMPROBABLE that this planet is the ONLY one with life. So it is mathematically more probable that there IS life somewhere else than that there ISN'T. I hope our species survives long enough to advance technology to find it.

At the same time, I'm pretty sure that the majority of "alien encounter" reports by people are the result of our faulty perception of stimuli as a result of our overactive brains. I can't say with accuracy that they're all fake, but there's another set of explanations for "encounters" that doesn't require the event to have actually happened as its described. Our brains are very easily tricked.

I don't want to start an argument, but UFO sightings and 'life on other planets' is mostly false. Many UFO sightings are our U.S. military doing who knows what again.

I agree that most UFO sightings are mistaken -- hence I said what amounted to that in my post above. But that is very different from saying there is no other life anywhere else but on this planet.

Knowing that the universe is huge, that there are billions of stars, many with planets, makes the proposition that it happened only once rather unlikely. We don't have physical evidence to confirm its existence, but given that we have as of yet not even left our own solar system to physically explore means our range of physical data collection is ridiculously minute relative to how much is actually out there. It's like examining one drop of water and, finding no life, asserting that the oceans must also all be empty of life. As I said before, it is more mathematically improbable that life happened only once in the huge expanse of time-space than that there is life elsewhere.

 

[WooingWyandotte]

Quote:
I don't want to start an argument, but UFO sightings and 'life on other planets' is mostly false. Many UFO sightings are our U.S. military doing who knows what again.

I agree that most UFO sightings are mistaken -- hence I said what amounted to that in my post above. But that is very different from saying there is no other life anywhere else but on this planet.

Knowing that the universe is huge, that there are billions of stars, many with planets, makes the proposition that it happened only once rather unlikely. We don't have physical evidence to confirm its existence, but given that we have as of yet not even left our own solar system to physically explore means our range of physical data collection is ridiculously minute relative to how much is actually out there. It's like examining one drop of water and, finding no life, asserting that the oceans must also all be empty of life. As I said before, it is more mathematically improbable that life happened only once in the huge expanse of time-space than that there is life elsewhere.

If I didn't believe in God than I would think the same, I'm not gonna preach on here cause I know you don't want to hear it, so I'm not going to waste my breath...or fingers typing.

 

[chickened]

So what you are saying is yes? there could be aliens? a guess? that is remarkable, you dissapoint me I thought you would have a more logical approach to the subject.

You do know they have some in New Mexico.
Quote:
I don't want to start an argument, but UFO sightings and 'life on other planets' is mostly false. Many UFO sightings are our U.S. military doing who knows what again.

I agree that most UFO sightings are mistaken -- hence I said what amounted to that in my post above. But that is very different from saying there is no other life anywhere else but on this planet.

Knowing that the universe is huge, that there are billions of stars, many with planets, makes the proposition that it happened only once rather unlikely. We don't have physical evidence to confirm its existence, but given that we have as of yet not even left our own solar system to physically explore means our range of physical data collection is ridiculously minute relative to how much is actually out there. It's like examining one drop of water and, finding no life, asserting that the oceans must also all be empty of life. As I said before, it is more mathematically improbable that life happened only once in the huge expanse of time-space than that there is life elsewhere.

 

[AquaEyes]

I'm saying it's more logical to assume that there is life elsewhere in the universe than that there isn't, considering the size of the universe. I cast doubt on accounts of encounters with aliens here because I know how easy it is for faulty perception and processing to paint a picture of something that wasn't there. Life on other planets and alien encounters here on earth are two separate things.

Yes, if scientists say the odds of life existing on another planet are 1 in a million, those are small odds. But, as I stated previously, 1 in a million planets translates to 1000 planets when there are a billion planets in total. In other words, if you say 1 in 10 people are left handed, yes, that's a small percentage, which means it's relatively rare. But if I take 7 billion people, that 1 in 10 translates to 700 million left-handed people. Too often we think "1 in a million" equals "impossible." But when there are billions of stars, many with planets, we see that 1 in a million for a total that numbers in the billions equals thousands of instances of "life on another planet." Thus it is very logical to conclude that the chances of there being life elsewhere in the universe is far greater than the chances that life exists only on this planet.

Quote:
I agree that most UFO sightings are mistaken -- hence I said what amounted to that in my post above. But that is very different from saying there is no other life anywhere else but on this planet.

Knowing that the universe is huge, that there are billions of stars, many with planets, makes the proposition that it happened only once rather unlikely. We don't have physical evidence to confirm its existence, but given that we have as of yet not even left our own solar system to physically explore means our range of physical data collection is ridiculously minute relative to how much is actually out there. It's like examining one drop of water and, finding no life, asserting that the oceans must also all be empty of life. As I said before, it is more mathematically improbable that life happened only once in the huge expanse of time-space than that there is life elsewhere.

 

[MamaRoo]

Quote:
This.

 

[Illia]

Honestly the question mainly boils down to - "do you believe in god or not"

Because I'm finding a trend. Those that don't have a higher chance of believing in aliens. Just sayin'.

 

[dadsdeercamp]

YES I am one

 

[Beekissed]

I'd say so....but that's not always the case. I've heard of people that think that God is an alien from an as yet discovered planet in our own solar system.

 

[Lothiriel]

Quote:
Well, techinically that's not the right way to put the question, because even the demons believe.

But I am a Christian, and while I don't necessarily call them aliens, I believe there are life forms like that which exist. BUT... As I said before, I am enjoying this thread and don't want it to be locked (at least not on my account), so I will refrain from my long lecture on "aliens."