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At Mind Matters News: A purpose must underlie the universe if intelligent beings exist

Denyse O'Leary
May 7, 2022
Extraterrestrial life, Intelligent Design
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Theoretical physicist Marcelo Gleiser argues that intelligent life is extremely rare in the universe:

Until it becomes intelligent, life is happy just replicating. With intelligence, it will be unhappy just replicating. This, in a nutshell, is the essence of the human condition.

News, “A purpose must underlie the universe if intelligent beings exist” at Mind Matters News (May 7, 2022)

Takehome: His reasons would suggest that human intelligence cannot simply be a product of evolution, whether he realizes that or not.

Comments
Marker/10 Well, there you have it--from God's lips to your ears......chuckdarwin
May 8, 2022
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"We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary." Taken from the homily of Pope Benedict XVI at his installation.marker
May 8, 2022
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I thought it sounded familiar. Peter Ward is the paleontologist from UWash that dismantled Stephen Meyer in a debate back in '05. I originally posted, then removed, the link from DI--it was dead. I can't find a good link, sorry........chuckdarwin
May 8, 2022
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"Rare Earth" is also a book by Peter Ward and Doland BrownleeET
May 8, 2022
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Rare Earth is a band from the 60schuckdarwin
May 8, 2022
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SA I think you are reaching here just like the OP author. Gleiser's verbiage is a clever literary device, not a fundamental theory of the evolution of "happiness" in higher life forms. Sometimes it seems like you ID folks have no sense of humor or playfulness--you turn everything into a gottcha moment. It's like when everyone else is laughing at the joke, you guys are looking for an angle on how to later use the joke against you in some serious discussion. Lighten up.............chuckdarwin
May 8, 2022
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Earth to seversky- I suggest that you read "Rare Earth". I would have you read "the Privileged Palnet" but you can't handle that one.ET
May 8, 2022
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Until it becomes intelligent, life is happy just replicating. With intelligence, it will be unhappy just replicating.
That contradicts the evolution proposal. Life is happy just replicating. There's no need for intelligence. But then, supposedly, intelligence evolved and then life is more unhappy. So, evolution supposedly created something that was not necessary for survival and replication and which added the negative burden of unhappiness with survival and replication. Bacteria are happy replicating and eating. But supposedly they had to evolve into human beings in order to eat and replicate and then by means of intelligence they became unhappy just eating and replicating.Silver Asiatic
May 8, 2022
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[Gleiser's] reasons would suggest that human intelligence cannot simply be a product of evolution, whether he realizes that or not.
That certainly is not what Gleiser is saying or suggesting, nor is that a fair reading of his article at Big Think. Moreover, the headline at Mind Matters is misleading. This is what Gleiser actually writes:
While intelligence is clearly an asset in the struggle for survival among species, it is not a purpose of evolution; evolution has no purpose. (emphasis added)
Maybe UD should go back and read the article on fact-checking from a couple days back....chuckdarwin
May 8, 2022
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Theoretical physicist Marcelo Gleiser argues that intelligent life is extremely rare in the universe:
Gleiser has no way of knowing that. As he also writes,
The Universe is so huge, and the worlds within it so numerous, that it seems like anything is possible. But the laws of physics and chemistry are the same everywhere. We are chemically connected to the rest of the cosmos, sharing the same basis for life as any other hypothetical living thing. Yet we are unique. There can be no other humans in the Universe.
While human beings may be unique to Earth, if the laws of physics and chemistry are the same everywhere and the number of possible planets throughout the Universe is mind-bogglingly vast then it is quite possible that hominoid intelligences have emerged elsewhere and that says nothing about non-hominoid intelligences. But, at this point, it is more accurate and honest to admit we simply don't know.Seversky
May 7, 2022
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All life is intelligent. All life has purposes beyond just replicating. You can draw a purpose line between life and non-life, but you CAN'T single out some forms of life as uniquely intelligent or purposeful.polistra
May 7, 2022
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