A public lecture from a scientist adding to the conversation. What makes this lecture interesting is he is not disproving that alien life can exist, but instead trying to curb expectations because of the little data we have to back up claims. More importantly is the message that it is important for scientists to be care of biases when discussing this topic.
First off; This is a highly engaging lecture. I’d encourage folks to withhold comment before watching it through.
Second; I’m failing to find the syntax to call out other users. I’ll go caveman style and reply to the 2 posters I wish to engage with permalinks. Could you reply to this post instead of the post I ping you with?
Have you read any of the Deathworlders universe? Fascinating take on science fiction tropes, turns many upside down. I’d like your take! (Free to download, but don’t read the main page, all spoilers. Give the first chapter a read for taste.)
The premise is that the Milky Way has several intelligent sophonts. Twist being, humans are the only intelligent life that evolved on a “deathworld”, not possible in the minds of the aliens. Planets like Earth are regarded as totally inhospitable to intelligent life. Factors like gravity, solar radiation, viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, predators, plate tectonics, violent atmospheric phenomena, temperature extremes, all that, are just too brutal for evolution to produce intelligence. Intelligences that evolved on “softer” worlds are the norm.
I’d argue that some of those items, such as radiation, are necessary for complex evolution. Arguably, some items like parasites are inevitable byproducts of any evolution.
I so loved reading you two kick evolution around, and I so wish you would give a thought to the “deathworld” notion.