Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life

Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life

When I look up at the stars at night, I just have to wonder who or what is

looking back at me from some distant planet in some distant galaxy. We’ve all

probably wondered what lies beyond our small, self-contained little world. The

question many have pondered is whether or not there is intelligent life beyond

earth. In the words of Metrodorus, a Greek philosopher of the fourth century,

"To consider the Earth as the only populated world in infinite space is as

absurd as to assert that in an entire field of millet, only one grain will

grow." I believe that intelligent extraterrestrial life does exist.

Critics of the theory of intelligent life beyond earth will argue that there is

no such thing because they’ve never seen a "little green man." There are those

who want proof of extraterrestrial life before they can accept the fact that

there is any life besides what is on our Earth. They have a point. I’ve never

seen an alien. I’ve never talked to anyone whose had a "close encounter."

Sure, we’ve all seen the shows on TV with convincing footage of flying saucers,

but we have no actual proof of intelligent life dependent from earth.

It is true that we have no evidence of intelligent life beyond earth, but to

claim that none exists because we’ve never seen aliens is like saying that the

atom doesn’t exist because you can’t see one. We who have a grasp of our

physical surroundings, and a basic knowledge of chemistry realize that the atom

is the basic building block of matter.

Those who say that there is no intelligent life other than our own need to

realize several things. First, our universe is infinite. This leaves literally

infinit...

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...ence, why is our government so concerned

about it?

Although we can’t prove the existence of intelligent life beyond earth, it is

very likely that it does exist. When one considers the vast infinite universe

we live in, it would be completely foolish to believe that life on earth is

unique. It is not just me who says that other intelligent life exists, though.

Many scientists and philosophers have speculated about life on other planets for

centuries, and today the search for life is a major driving factor in space

exploration. Extraterrestrial life is not just an idea reserved for those who

watch The X-files every night with all the lights out, it is an important

concept in our current space-age, and to ignore the fact that extraterrestrial

life would be like those of our ancestors who refused to believe that the world

was round.