[js1138]

I'm still thinking in Rare Earth mode. Until we have some baseline examples of extraterrestrial life, I'm of the opinion that the accidents that led to intelligent apes are rather uncommon.

[PatrickHenry]

I'm still thinking in Rare Earth mode.

So far, you're correct. Or to put it another way, you haven't been shown to be incorrect.

[jennyp]

I'm still thinking in Rare Earth mode. Until we have some baseline examples of extraterrestrial life, I'm of the opinion that the accidents that led to intelligent apes are rather uncommon.

I've changed my thinking about this lately. I think intelligence of our level may be rare, but complex multicellular life will be common. I say this because the Earth itself has contained a staggering number of different local environments over its lifetime, so I think we already have a good statistical sampling of the possible types of organism. (At least what we should find on an "earth-like" planet.)

Bacteria form the majority of the biota on Earth, and yet there are millions of species of multicellular life as well.

[Physicist]

Until we have some baseline examples of extraterrestrial life, I'm of the opinion that the accidents that led to intelligent apes are rather uncommon.

Considering how little we've actually explored, if we had compelling evidence of any sort of extraterrestrial life this early in the game, we would be forced to conclude that life is ubiquitous throughout the universe.

The fact that we haven't found anything so far tells me nothing.

[RightWhale]

I'm still thinking in Rare Earth mode.

Same here. The galaxy [and other galaxies, not that it will ever matter] is teeming with microbes, but complex life in the galaxy is mainly just what is here on earth.