Re: Are we alone in the universe?

"Steven L." <sdlitvin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in news message
news:59mdnTiLkaUkmMzWnZ2dnUVZ_oGdnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Tim DeLaney" <delaney.timothy@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:fc618004-6b96-4236-bc17-8da4cad70713@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:

Probably not, but the chances seem more and more remote that
SETI will find it anywhere close to us. Every new update of the
Drake equation seems to cast more doubt on the proposition.

The discovery of liquid water on an exoplanet only 20 light years from
Earth suggests that there may be tens of thousands of planets with liquid
water in the Galaxy.

In a sample of some 100 billion suns, there should be a few with conditions
favoring life, shouldn't there ? That means liquid water, breathable air,
nice temperature on average, everything.



I was educated in an era that assumed that the "balance or nature"
implied an endless period of equibrilium on this planet. Climate
was assumed to be constant, all species existed in a delicate,
yet enduring balance, and evolution progressed in teleological
fashion towards perfection. Nothing but optimism.

It seems I'm older than you.

When I was a young kid going to public school, we kids had to participate
in those "duck and cover" shelter drills. There was far more talk about
blowing ourselves up back then than there is now.


What are the chances that we will be around, say, 10,000 years
from now? Nothing but pessimism.

The chances are quite high--because I'm positive that long before then,
humanity will have settled other worlds. And then our fate will no longer
be tied to the fate of planet Earth.

This is possible, but humanity may also have found ways to make life on
earth indefinitely sustainable, or almost.


I'm optimistic about the long-term future of humanity--because our history
suggests we have quite a bit of staying power, even against very high
odds.



OTOH, .... Will Ray ever complete his paper?

Not in the next 10,000 years anyway.

What will he (whoever he may be) be like in 10,000 years ? :)

Otto



--
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Steven L.
sdlitvin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Remove the "NOSPAM" before sending to this email address.





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