An octopus is now an alien and they probably can start predicting who will win the world cup. — TimeLine
I do respectfully agree and reiterate that I will certainly be cautious before ever making a decision otherwise, but my intention really was to understand whether this subject could indeed be considered Philosophy of Science and not about moderating risks and what not. — TimeLine
So, my point is, even if we found an Earth like world - with similar gravity, atmospheric composition etc - this similarly is only superficial - and its biosphere - especially life at the microbial level - would make moving and colonising this planet impossible - unless we develop immunity to its biosphere as we have done here on Earth. — JohnLocke
I have actually been to a lecture by Davis, by the way, and I find his ideas on evolution and cancer research to be really compelling. His suggestions about tracing this works similarly to his ideas of Mars, of going back to a time when it may have been habitable and how this could indeed initiate the biosignatures now on Earth. — TimeLine
It is also not without controversy. — TimeLine
Tardigrades arguably arrived via interstellar spores. There's some thought that the octopus family might have as well. — Wayfarer
I'm confused as the OP did not mention panspermia let along tardigrades and octopuses. — apokrisis
Cool. But again the OP seems utterly unproblematic in that light. It sets out a chain of reasoning in full. It asks a question that is worth answering - on moral grounds, if we are going to cart our bugs to Mars, if nothing else.
It contained a "scientific error" at the last step, in my opinion. The OP assumed that our immune system has to be evolved to recognise invasive biological threats. But we now know our immune system instead can learn because it generates a variety of antibodies on a "just in case" basis. It doesn't know what might be coming down the pipe, so it produces a range of receptors and uses these to discover what might be "alien" in terms of what it knows to be not "the usual biology out which 'I' am constructed". — apokrisis
Davies is one of my favourite scientists. He is more prepared than most to speculate wildly because that speculation could bring great rewards.
And unlike Crick, his speculation is careful. It always has a good metaphysical grounding. — apokrisis
As for tardigrades... Why would we think they are from elsewhere in the galaxy? — Bitter Crank
My general view is that the Earth IS our spaceship, the only one we have. We're never going to physically 'go where no man has gone before', i.e. to another life-bearing planet, because it's physically impossible. Interstellar distances are simply too vast. I see space travel as a sublimated wish to go to Heaven, now that 'the cosmos' has more or less replaced God in the popular imagination. — Wayfarer
The OP was about the supposition that if we as humans travelled to another planet with the same atmospheric composition would we survive, and this together with the title about aliens arriving on earth can cause - by extension - the octopus result. — TimeLine
I am doing a subject on astrobiology next year so I would be interested to read more about the subject as a whole, despite my concessions. A close friend is studying her PhD in astrogeology and knows him pretty well. — TimeLine
It was mentioned in Fred Hoyle and Chandrawickramasingha's book The Intelligent Universe, — Wayfarer
I would really like to know how earthlings would respond psychologically to an alien visitation. — Bitter Crank
There is some astrogeology going on that we know about. What are you going to learn/say/write about astrobiology, of which there is zero evidence, so far. (Or does growing asparagus on a space ship count as astrobiology?) — Bitter Crank
Indeed, interstellar distances are incredibly vast, so why exactly do you believe in something like "cosmic sperm" just because the speculation appears metaphorically compelling? — TimeLine
The incongruity is of course the "normal" domesticity of aliens + holiday meal + the horrifying scene in Alien. — Bitter Crank
I have a hard-time believing in technologically advanced aliens for some reason. Seems to me much like believing in ghosts - it's certainly possible, just very unlikely. I mean what could they understand that allows them to have such technology? How could they travel faster than light, when the speed of light is an absolute limit in the Universe? Etc.I would really like to know how earthlings would respond psychologically to an alien visitation. — Bitter Crank
Yeah, but we have no reason to think we are alone or unique in the sense that there are no other intelligent creatures out there, or that Earth is the only life-bearing planet in the Universe.we are, in fact, not alone. We are not as unique as we thought. — Bitter Crank
Our territory, obviously. If aliens exist, then either they are spiritual creatures (aware of spiritual realms), or not. They may just be intelligent, without having a spiritual nature. If that's the case, then they wouldn't have any religion. Or they may be spiritual creatures, in which case they would have their own religions. The Bible represents Creation story in-so-far as it concerns man. It is only reasonable that different creatures would have a different role to play in Creation than man, and thus may even have different moralities. These creatures may be polygamous for example.What territory do earth-bound religious cover? — Bitter Crank
Yes, He would have to. But that jurisdiction may not resemble our own religion in many regards - though it would, in at least SOME regards, have to resemble it.Does the God of Israel (or whatever gods one follows) have jurisdiction over a planet 10 light years away? — Bitter Crank
The problem with Tardigrades is not that they are too flimsy. Rather, thinking they could make it in the vacuum and cosmic radiation bath of space for a long time (6 months, say) is quite a leap. Not all of the Tardigrades in the orbital experiment survived, and that was only after 10 days. It could be that some might have survived for 180 days, but it's quite a leap -- 10 days survival to 180 day (minimum) survival. — Bitter Crank
I respect you as a poster and know you are capable of this, but when you reflect back on this thread, has there really been any critical thinking in action? An octopus is now an alien and they probably can start predicting who will win the world cup. — TimeLine
Are you done? It is not mainstream science. And clearly the thread is still here so what exactly is your point? There are just as many people who would disagree with you and say that the level of PhilSci is lacklustre at best and should be moderated. — TimeLine
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