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That's funny, because most of the people I know, including myself, who have an above average understanding regarding the enormity of the rationality and sentience of man, see no evidence whatsoever for intelligent alien life out there, beyond our tiny world.

Well, it was only a few years ago, ya didn't have any evidence of planets orbiting other star systems either. Boy, that sure changed.

Did ya know our tiny world isn't even visible right down the galactic block? A bit further away, still in our own galactic neighborhood, the giant planets of our solar system aren't even visible. Our galaxy is a big place, most don't realized how big.

On a natural level, no matter how big the numerator (# of planets) is, odds cannot be determined until we have a way to figure out the denominator (exact conditions needed to generate intelligent alien life, and the number of planets, if any, that might meet those conditions).

Fact is, we have no idea what conditions might exist which may support other types of life. Ya see, I've always felt man is really arrogant in this regard.

Some of the things being discovered are literally turning physics on it's head.

Those who believe in intelligent alien life in the Milky Way do not further their cause by belittling people who think otherwise

You got me wrong, I said I felt much of the ignorance regarding astronomy/galaxy/universe was a *hoot*, and were directed at some of your own comments as responses. Public schools and all that. You understand.

Ya see I am happy to tell people who for instance believed the moon emits it's own light, when it's actually reflected sunlight off the lunar surface. Yep...No kidding. But I set them straight and we had a good laugh. Nothing stuffy here.

In fact I've done many of things to help people understand astronomy and the universe. From kids to adults. Lots of them. Lots of work involved in that process too. More than you know.

And BTW, I readily admit, there is much more I don't know than do know or understand here. (For the record.)

I went through my UFO phase in the 70s (it was a bit of a fad,

UFO's? Interesting...I never went through or experienced that fad. I was never into fads anyway.

But since ya brought it up, I sure have seen some objects I was never able to identify. A whole bunch, in fact.

Well, it was only a few years ago, ya didn't have any evidence of planets orbiting other star systems either. Boy, that sure changed.

I am aware of that. In fact, I directed the head editor at the publisher I worked for to change a book going into a new edition to reflect that fact.

Our galaxy is a big place, most don't realized how big.

Mmmhmmm. And it is only one of many, many galaxies. Most people also don't know how SMALL creation is. For a while, the atom seemed like the smallest part, until sub-atomic particles were discovered, and then it starts getting really crazy.

Fact is, we have no idea what conditions might exist which may support other types of life. Ya see, I've always felt man is really arrogant in this regard.

That is actually my main point. Until we know, scientifically, we have no business making assumptions. Our algebraic equation has one variable too many. I had an instructor at the University of Chicago in a physical science course who marvelled that with all the life on earth, it is all carbon based. Based on what we know, you need long chains, but he figured silicon would be almost as good, and he assumed it was likely an accident of nature that it didn't happen. The same fellow also came up with a proof AGAINST global warming, or "the greenhouse effect" as it was called then (early '80s). Sounds like you are a "glass is half full" kind of guy. I would say we need to know more about the glass.

You got me wrong, I said I felt much of the ignorance regarding astronomy/galaxy/universe was a *hoot*, and were directed at some of your own comments as responses. Public schools and all that. You understand.

Got it. At no point, though, like original author who wrote the article that led to this exchange, that plenty of intelligent people can come to different conclusions than Carl Sagan, which is part of the reason that he made it such a central part of his cosmology.

But since ya brought it up, I sure have seen some objects I was never able to identify. A whole bunch, in fact.
,br> And here you bringing up an interesting point. Of course there are UFOs ... objects flying in the air that remain unidentified. Until they are identified, we don't know if it is a man-made object, an optical illusion, acts of angels or devils, the work of some secret race living under the world or intelligent alien life.

And of course I explicitly did not suggest that you bought into that stuff. With UFOs, Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, I marvel that we still don't get decent video of them even though 80% of the population carries digital cameras with their phones everywhere. I was trying to show that there is silliness on all sides of these questions.

I do not pretend to be a physical science expert, far from it. But my mostly private education was better than average, and quite broad, if not up to date. I also try to remain well-read in my adult life, a large part of the reason I frequent Free Republic, as it is not limited to the strictly political, but also things that other Freepers think worth posting.