[quote=afx114]I’m not saying that aliens will think/act like us because of some humanistic egotism. It’s because the Universe is made up of all the same stuff. It all follows all of the same laws. These laws guide things in the universe to be similar: There are galaxies like ours. There are solar systems like ours. There are planets like ours. There are environments like the environments on earth. Take the same elements, governed by the same laws, in the same environments, and you can reasonably assume that there will be similar results. If I pour some vinnegar in some baking soda, I can reasonably assume that it will always fizz. Because it always does.
No, I don’t think aliens will look like us. They won’t have skinny bodies with big heads and big eyes. But I do believe that evolution will find the path of least resistance, and “curiosity” and “exploration” are part of our brains for a reason. Perhaps they are a requirement for life itself… you know, to ensure your existence. Wouldn’t any intelligent being consider expansion and exploration part of its duty to preserve its existence?
THAT is why I think aliens are out there looking. Not because I want to feel special – but because the universe itself demands it of them. They aren’t out there looking for us specifically.. they’re just looking.
Or maybe I’m just batshit insane. :)[/quote]
I think any sentient species will be out there looking. But I think your assumption that everything works the same everywhere is incorrect. While certain molecular elements may be necessary to support life, how gravity effects those chemical reactions is untested (as far as my latest versions of Popular Science and their ilk have published). If life were supportable on Jupiter, for example, its gravity and other aspects would drastically effect how such life would express itself. Also, I think people are generally arrogant (like how we create god(s) generally in our own image or in the images of things we have experienced). I think we are severely limited by our own senses–dogs and whales,for instance, can hear frequencies, high and low, that we can’t. To think that other beings will have experiences like we do or will form genetically and molecularly like we do is close minded and arrogant. IMHO.
