I want to see your opinions on the "Rare Earth" hypothesis

[Texan101]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare_Earth_hypothesis

Basically it's a hypothesis that argues that the circumstances in which humans became sentient are too improbable to happen again in our finite universe.

AKA Theoretically, we're the only sentient race that ever existed forever.

After reading about it, I wondered what you guys might think 'bout the whole thing. Personally, I find it kinda scary that we could be alone in the universe...

Actually, humans aren't even the only sentient species on Earth.

[Ad Bot]

[mr. pedophile]

[Frontrox]

It's interesting, but I don't think we're the only ones out here.

I read this a while ago might want to check it out

[weaver123]

I was sent here to monitor the humans.

[ShadowsfeaR]

Haha

[Tokerovin]

I am 100% sure that there are species from other worlds that are more intelligent than we are.

I have seen them before.

[Katadeus]

I am 100% sure that there are species from other worlds that are more intelligent than we are.

I have seen them before.

Do enlighten us of your extraterrestrial experience

[Maxwell23461]

Do enlighten us of your extraterrestrial experience

ya do this

[SiliconCactus]

I am 100% sure that there are species from other worlds that are more intelligent than we are.

I have seen them before.

you've also "seen" ghosts

people hallucinate very often

[Mega-Bear]

This also ties into the Fermi paradox and Drake equation, and frankly I can't see us being the only sapient race in the universe. There's always the chance we're alone but that seems kind of small if you ask me. I'm sort of optimistic so I could just be fooling myself right now, but with there being eighty billion galaxies in the observable universe, each one containing millions of stars, and each of those stars possibly having orbiting planets, it seems silly to say that only one place has intelligent life.

It's really neat when you put the vast size of the universe in perspective and try to comprehend how much life really could exist, though. Astrobiology is pretty damn cool.

[Ipquarx]

Actually, humans aren't even the only sentient species on Earth.

Passing the mirror test =/= sentience

[fred da kiko]

The universe isn't finite.

[Mega-Bear]

Passing the mirror test =/= sentience

True, but most of the species (maybe all, I haven't looked into it much) that Wikipedia says can pass it actually are sentient.

[Ipquarx]

The universe isn't finite.

Yes it is.

True, but most of the species (maybe all, I haven't looked into it much) that Wikipedia says can pass it actually are sentient.

Cite your sources.

[Katamari007]

Cite your sources.

Prior H. et al. (2008). De Waal, Frans. ed. "Mirror-Induced Behavior in the Magpie (Pica pica): Evidence of Self-Recognition". PLoS Biology (Public Library of Science) 6 (8): e202. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060202. PMC 2517622. PMID 18715117. Retrieved 2008-08-21.

http://www.africawild.com/wild/elephants.html

http://www.livescience.com/4272-elephant-awareness-mirrors-humans.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC33317/



eh, sort of a shoddy job, sorry