|
"It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination."
Douglas Adams
One can also philosophically argue from a Christian viewpoint that we're lucky to be here at all as God made us in His image, on one tiny planet in the vast Cosmos.
To quote the late great Carl Sagan,
"The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."
It's my personal philosophy, as an amateur astronomer, Astrophotographer and born again Christian that we're bloody lucky to still be here as a race. That we havn't destroyed ourselves or been destroyed, that we can look through our telescopes and see wonders and ask "Why are we here" and "Are we alone" is the purpose of life. Not to answer "42" but to consider "Why were all those stars created?" and is it just some kind if test for us as a race?
It's like God's saying "Right there you go, now you've seen what I've made, what are you going to do about it to advance yourselves as a race? " kind of question.
We've seen soooo many visions and insights from Hollywood and Sci-fi novelists about what could or might be, and many religions have their own position about what is or is not, but for for me.. to paraphrase Douglas Adams again, "If we were the only form of life it would be an awful waste of space".
ie: it seems highly improbable that we're alone here.
Cheers
Andy
|