Who here believes life exists on other worlds?

I think before I provide you with any more proof you need to learn how to READ. I've stated my opinion on this issue, and I've stated that I haven't received conclusive proof that UFOs exist; all I've said is that there are a few cases that are pretty convincing, namely the sightings over Belgium in 1991. There's much on this incident on the web, and a book has been written about it. Look into it for yourself, and if you want to discuss the issue, namely inconsistancies in the witness reports, etc., fine, but don't think your accomplishing anything by sitting here and saying "show me the evidence" everytime someone says something. The onus is on you to disprove.

 

Did it occur to you that perhaps the Belgian Air Force didn't want the world to find out about their aircraft, or perhaps it was from a neighboring country? Isn't that a more rational explanation than to assume it was from outer space?

I hope you aren't a scientist. That mindset is horribly irrational.

 

Are you making this statement being fully informed about the incident? I don't think so. Shouldn't "rational explanations" be factual? It sounds to me that you're the one assuming here, not me. I never said that it definitely was an alien spacecraft, but based on the information that has been provided, it would seem to me, that it is one of the most credible encounters with an unknown craft that could well be alien.

And since you've failed to provide any definite proof of your own to the contrary, I have no choice but to continue to hold this opinion.

 

And the sad thing is, the masses would actually agree with you that that mindset is valid...

It's not MY responsibility to DISPROVE the existence of UFOs or Santa Claus or any other stupid claims. The burden of proof lies squarely on the shoulders of whoever makes these bizarre claims.

Isn't it a coincidence that nearly ALL UFO sightings have occurred in the last 60 years, and only in the developed world? Those aliens must've timed their light-years-long trip to earth just to coincide with our existence! It couldn't possibly be, say, just the fad of the day like witches were in the 1600s...

 

Well, no, UFO sightings have supposedly occured throught recorded history, but I think that if there is intelligent life out there that is monitoring outer space just as WE are, I don't think it's a coincidence that the majority of the sightings have taken place in the last 60 years. When was the A-Bomb first tested?

Like I said, I don't have to prove anything because I've already stated my opinion on the issue. The problem here is that you've got a serious reading comprehension problem and instead of reading what I've written, you just assume that I'm one of these full-fledge UFO geeks. All I've stated is that there are a few incidents that clealry stand out are "unexplainable" and therefore are the best indications that there might actually be alien spacecraft visiting earth.

It's interesting how you place so much emphasis on "proof" when all you can offer to debunk the case that I've presented as an example is flippant remarks. Needless to say, there's no point in my trying to discuss this issue with you because you're too ignorant to accept anything that doesn't fit within your narrow parametre of acceptability. You come across as a Bible-thumper, who prefers the comfort of his ignorant, autocratic sciptures, rather than facing the truth, the possibility that we're not alone, that there are beings who are superior to us in this universe, and that they may be visiting this planet. God knows where we'd be if Humanism didn't break the bonds of your kind of ignorant, narrow-minded type who oppressed the human race by fearing science, technology and progress.

 

So here's what you're claiming: 1) Aliens capable of interstellar travel find our meager planet interesting, 2) They found the atomic bomb so interesting that they just had to travel for light-years to come and observe us up close, 3) Their technology is advanced enough to avoid detection by scientists, but not so advanced that random drunk college students can't detect them.

Then why can't you just say that they're "unexplainable"? Why is that a bad thing? Why are aliens the default explanation for "unexplainable" events?

Show me the video tape the Belgian planes recorded, complete with the little green men poking their heads out the windows of the UFO, please.

I have said before that I believe it is more than likely that there is life elsewhere in the universe. What I find to be impossibly UNLIKELY is that little green men are constantly visiting earth in UFOs.

You are the Bible-thumper, blindly asserting the truth of his wild claims without offering A SINGLE SHRED OF PROOF. Either put up or shut up.

Yawn. As a scientist, I urge you to take a look at the scientific method. It's a shame that most people (including you) just accept the claims of pseudoscience without being the slightest bit skeptical, then claim that you're the defenders of "science, technology, and progress." If scientists were as gullible as you obviously are, there would be no science, technology, or progress.

Why do you need pseudoscience like UFOs, God, astrology, or whatever else gets you off, when you can just turn to REAL science to learn some equally amazing things?

 

I agree. People who believe in things like UFOs and astrology generally aren't the brightest crayons in the box...and then they have the nerve to claim that THEY are the ones supporting science with their bullshit conspiracy theories!

Like Kandahar said, just because something is unexplainable doesn't mean that aliens did it. You guys need to actually THINK about these things for a few seconds before you settle in on the most outrageous explanation available.

 

Or, as Carl Sagan used to say, 'Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence'.

 

Exactly. Carl Sagan was actually one of the people who taught me to explore topics like this from a skeptical, more scientific perspective. I'm a big fan of his.

 

If you're basing this solely on what Kandahar is writing, then you're the one who needs to stop and think and READ a little more before you make unfounded assertions.

I'm not going to repeat what I've already gone to great lengths to explain.

I've never stated that because something is unexplainable that "aliens did it". I've already stated that I don't believe 99% of sightings. Of those 1% unexplainables, I've only said that there are a few that stand out as the best evidence that there could possibly (not definitely, just possibly) be some sort of alien spacecraft touring Earth.

 

1) Why not: we send spacecraft to barren, lifeless planets.
2) Not interesting, it was a sign that something was going on on this planet.
3) Oh, scientists have detected UFOs.

Can't you read?

Grow up.

Never said anything about "little green men".

Ooo, nice comeback.

Highly doubt you're a scientist--you have to be intelligent to be that, don't you? And I highly doubt you've understood anything I've written, as no intelligent person would accuse me of "without being the slightest bit skeptical". I'm very skeptical, but not so arrogant as to dismiss all possibilities.

You're very, very childish.

 

Your response indicates to me that you have no evidence to back your claims up. I suspect that you know that I'm right, even though you won't admit it.

If you want to go on equating UFOs with all extraterrestrial life, then that's your problem. Hopefully one day you'll wake up and learn the SCIENTIFIC METHOD before making outrageous claims.

That's all I have to say to you. Peace.

 

Dang, you're not finally going to shut up, are you?

 

UFO = Unidentified Flying Object

Could be anything, but it is a UFO until they figure out what it is. Doesn't necessarily mean aliens are up in there....

 

Ha, he said scientific method, isnt the whole purpose of the scientific method, to derive a theory?

Im not saying all UFO's are extraterrestrial, but there has to be something out there. You have to prove to people that believe in these, that ET's dont exist also, Ive seen no proof from you either. If you don't argue back with proof, then all you are doing is childish bickering.

 

A hypothesis, not a theory. And you also discard that hypothesis when the evidence does not support it.

I can propose a hypothesis that gravity is caused by a living earth that pulls me toward its center with invisible hands every time I try to escape. You can't disprove my hypothesis. Just because I have a hypothesis doesn't mean it's a GOOD hypothesis.

I never said ETs didn't exist. I think they most likely do. I just don't believe they're visiting earth on a regular basis, abducting people to give them anal probes, and drawing pictures in our fields.

It is truly sad that people can't separate the urban legends that are UFOs from the legitimate search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

 

No one can prove that they don't exist. It is silly to ask for proof. Considering the topic of the thread, the most you will get is speculation.

I did link to an article earlier in the thread showing that there are likely many more earth-like planets than we once thought. Chances are, (and I think it has pretty much been proven) that there is forms of life in the universe (microbes and such). Knowing what we know now the chance of intelligent life is paticularly slim, but not impossible...and considering there is A LOT we don't know about the universe, I like to think it is likely.

 

I think the chances of intelligent life existing somewhere else in the universe is better-than-50-50, for no other reason than that the universe is just so unimaginably huge that there must be at least a few other worlds with comparable climates and the evolution of intelligence.

Earlier I posted the Drake Equation and plugged in some numbers to test it...If my (fairly conservative) estimates were fairly accurate, there would be lots of other intelligent civilizations in this galaxy alone, to say nothing of the universe at large.

 

If there are many other civilizations, we have to wonder if they have tried to contact us. Maybe we've been looking in the wrong places or using a medium that they consider obsolete (EM waves, etc). If most have tried EM, we should be flooded with signals. Or, maybe they aren't interested in contacting others.

Or perhaps the other civilizations aren't around very long and we would only get a single short span of EM waves from one of them with millions of years in between with no signals.

It appears that if extraterrestrials visited the Earth in the past, they apparently didn't leave any signs. If they wanted us to know they were here, they could have left a satellite in permanent orbit around the Earth. They would have been much smarter than trying to leave their mark by drawing lines in the dirt (like whoever that novelist was back in the 70s who wrote Chariots of the Gods). I wish writers would become a lot more creative and intelligent.

 

I agree with almost everything you said, Shaggie.

As such, if anyone is presently trying to contact us via radio waves, we should have the technology to detect it within the next ten years.