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ID and space exploration: The Privileged Planet Hypothesis

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This came up in a series on why we don’t run into space aliens. Earth is actually in a favored position for space exploration:

The Rare Earth hypothesis offers science-based reasons that life in the universe is rare. But even if life is rare in the universe, Earth may be uniquely suited to space exploration, as the Privileged Planet hypothesis suggests…

A third approach is the Privileged Planet hypothesis, according to which “the same narrow circumstances that allow us to exist also provide us with the best overall setting for making scientific discoveries.” This is, of course, one of the intelligent design hypotheses, according to which the universe is designed by an intelligent agent. Also, because we are intelligent agents ourselves, we have been situated so as to enable discovery. In the abstract of an open access paper, astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez explains,

“It is easier to launch an interstellar spacecraft from a planet in the circumstellar habitable zone of the Sun than from planets in the circumstellar habitable zones of less massive stars. In the larger context of the Milky Way galaxy, our Solar System is in the best location to initiate interstellar missions. In summary, we here confirm and expand upon recent studies that argue that the Earth and the Solar System are rare in the degree to which they facilitate space exploration.” GONZALEZ G (2020) THE SOLAR SYSTEM: FAVORED FOR SPACE TRAVEL. BIO-COMPLEXITY 2020(1):1–8. DOI:10.5048/BIO-C.2020.1.

News, “Maybe there are just very few aliens out there… ” at Mind Matters News

Other reasons why we don’t see space aliens:

1.Are the Aliens We Never Find Obeying Star Trek’s Prime Directive? The Directive is, don’t interfere in the evolution of alien societies, even if you have good intentions. Assuming the aliens exist, perhaps it’s just as well, on the whole, if they do want to leave us alone. They could want to “fix” us instead…

2.How can we be sure we are not just an ET’s simulation? A number of books and films are based on the idea. Should we believe it? We make a faith-based decision that logic and evidence together are reasonable guides to what is true. Logical possibility alone does not make an idea true.

3.Did the smart machines destroy the aliens who invented them? That’s the Berserker hypothesis. A smart deadly weapon could well decide to do without its inventor and, lacking moral guidance, destroy everything in sight. Extinction of a highly advanced civilization by its own lethal technology may be more likely than extinction by natural disaster. They could control nature.

and

4.Researchers: The aliens exist but they are sleeping… And we wake them at our peril. The Aestivation hypothesis is that immensely powerful aliens are waiting in a digitized form for the universe to cool down from the heat their computers emit.

Comments
1- We will only find ET's home by following the leas of the Privileged Planet 2- There is too much evidence to deny the existence of UFOs and the distinct probability they do not come from Earth. 3- There are plenty of people who have seen the aliens. Many are too credible to ignore.ET
October 15, 2020
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