Astronomers estimate 100 Billion planets where life may exist. This number is just a guess, there may be more, as we have yet to explore the entire universe. This apparent abundance makes one wonder, as intelligent life may exist on many of them, why we should believe that our Earth is anything special or different.
A being looking out at us from one of those planets would see the Earth as just another rock in space. Religion would have us believe, on faith, that the Earth (flat or not) is unique, yet even the possibility of life on other planets would test that belief in several fundamental ways.
A Creator ("C") would have to be given the responsibility to make all those other planets, and we also know C also has made the Universe an unpredictable place. Stars explode, asteroids strike planets, so that any given planet exists faces the possibility of destruction at any moment from some external cosmic force.
The number of possible planets suggests that life, in some form or other, is plentiful in the Universe, unremarkable, just another manifestation of matter, and completely capable of existence without any special effort from C. Life can take a myriad of paths as it spreads across a planet from the primordial spark, and while life is resilient and adaptable there exists an equal number of hazards that can extinguish it.
Some believe C has given man free will, but C is also allowing for the the possibility that on any given planet he will self-destruct, despite biblical exhortations for responsible behavior. This looks like C is hedging his bets on mankind. Even if C has a particular fondness for us it would seem our survival is arbitrary in the grand scheme. C may regret the loss of one planet, but there are plenty more so no worries.
Others hold that man has no free will and C does whatever C wants for he/she/its own reasons and therefore nothing can be done: man is helpless. Another belief is that all science is simply revealing C and leading to some grand reconciliation in the future. These are both positions that that evade a basic responsibility of intelligence which is to learn about our world and our place in it. Religion considers this a closed question, and is threatened by knowledge that challenges it.
Religion bets that The Creator cherishes mankind exclusively and that the Universe was created so man could thrive and prosper, though increasingly the evidence points to indifference at best. More likely the Universe is on its way to its own unknowable, unimaginable fate and we, life, are just along for the ride. Sure, some tinkering with dogma could include other planets, even perhaps other men, in the arms of God, but they are out there, and we are here.
When (not if) life is found outside of our planet it will present an existential challenge to our belief systems by suggesting that we, humans are likely not unique, and will not necessarily be exempted from the forces that govern the wider Universe.
Our survival on this particular planet is up to us, save divine intervention.
At 100 Billion to 1 I'm not thrilled with the odds.
I've often wondered about those who feel so special. If and when we meet a new species, I'm certainly not going to have my fundamental beliefs shaken, I can assure you.
ReplyDeleteIt has always been my firm belief that those in power historically maintain that power out of fear. They use religion to stoke that fear of the unknown and in so many instances have used religion to proclaim their own godhood. If believing Caesar and his descendants to be gods, then how is the current state of affairs any different - those who believe in every word coming out of the mouth of 45 (and if he contradicts himself, then that contradiction is either a misunderstanding or a misreporting by the slanted media) are worshiping their own, strange brand of deity.
What I fail to grasp is how a man can be a climate change denier when he has children - that is a special brand of ego when he can separate his fame and needs above any concern for the well being of his family. His legacy of money isn't going to do Baron much good in the face of global catastrophe. The song I wrote about 4 years ago called After speaks of this - I guess I was prescient.
https://www.soundclick.com/html5/v3/player.cfm?type=single&songid=10686950&q=hi link to After.
ReplyDeleteGreat comment...If only we could understand ourselves as well as we are coming to understand the Universe. The human brain is a wondrous thing, as mysterious and compelling as stars and galaxies. As much as knowledge is advancing, it does seem that mediaeval beliefs and fantasies are still prevalent in modern culture, pointing to a future evolution where these falsehoods are forever banished. Ironically, it takes a lot of faith to believe we will make it.
Deletewell said. I try to hold on to some shard of hope - but it sure seems that the masses aren't getting any smarter... wondering how many people out there believed Rush when he said that Irma was a leftist hoax - and I wonder if he evacuated since he has a home on the Florida coast. It's this kind of non-thinking rhetoric and the people who don't bother to consider what is being fed to them on a daily basis that gives my faith pause.
Deletealong the lines of racial divinity, I recently read a piece concerning the Eurocentric beliefs that were held well into the 20th century concerning the supremacy of Europeans. This in the context of the discovery of all the "indian" ruins in central America - it was widely scoffed at as many believed that an advanced civilization could not have existed anywhere other than in Europe and the mediteranean basin. Take this into the larger context of the cosmos and how theology insists that we are the chosen... same issue.
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