It would be evidence that humans are irrelevant to the purpose of the universe:
However, ubiquitous life would also create new and unexpected problems for theism, by undermining some traditional arguments for divine benevolence and thus making it harder to believe that God cares about us. Theists argue that the best explanation for the existence of this Universe is that it was created by a benevolent God. One prima facie counter-example is offered by widespread, apparently gratuitous evil. This suggests instead a creator who is indifferent to the fate of individual human beings. Theists reply that, unless we suppose that God cares about rationality, knowledge or intelligibility, we cannot explain why this Universe is governed by regular intelligible mathematical laws. The Universe appears to be designed to be understood by its own inhabitants. So far as we know, we are the only inhabitants who could possibly understand it. So we must be essential to God’s plan.
The discovery that life is ubiquitous weakens this argument. If the Universe is teeming with life, then there are many other candidates for the cosmically decisive role previously occupiable only by human beings. Perhaps God cares that there be some rational beings, but is indifferent to their species, identity or numbers. Or perhaps God cares only for creatures who reach some threshold of wisdom or intellect that humans could never attain. God cares for beings who are sufficiently rational, intelligent, free or lovable. But it is human arrogance to assume that we are among them!
Sam Dresser, “The ethics of ET” at Aeon
And so on. Despite the fact that we have never found evidence of a single microbe, not a single microbe, anywhere but Earth. Not even a virus.
Funny how all road leads in the same direction, isn’t it? If we don’t find extraterrestrial life, humans are just a cosmic blip. And if we do find extraterrestrial life, humans are just a cosmic blip.
Jathink some people are convinced that humans are just a cosmic blip for reasons that have nothing to do with the state of cosmology, extraterrestrial life, or space aliens?
File under: Aw fer cryin’ out loud… is this what it’s come to?
See also: Tales of an invented god
and
What becomes of science when the evidence does not matter?
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