As other people have mentioned, I believe that there is likely life elsewhere in the universe, but strongly doubt that they are capable of travelling across solar systems or galaxies, not to mention that they would choose us. If there could possibly be life THAT intelligent, there must be a wealth of other inhabited planets to choose from - probably many more interesting than ours.
Scrow said:
Here's something I've always wondered about. Let's say there is life on other planets, intelligent life. Does anyone think that humans on Earth could be the most intelligent beings in the universe, and that any other intelligent life is still at the evolutionary equivalent of our Neanderthal period?
We could be, sure.
Though I think it would take a planet practically identical to ours (which is possible) to breed the same evolution. How straight-forward is our universe? Would alien life still consist of the same fundamentals? Just distinguished by circumstance? Or would it be like nothing we've imagined? I know scientists have suggested potential life aside from carbon-based, but would such an alien type be radically different or still something we could easily perceive and define?
When we talk about 'intelligent' aliens, is there any reason to think that they would be anything like us? If they're extremely advanced on their evolutionary scale, I would think it could be very possible that they would be intelligent in a way that we might not even be able to comprehend.
Think of it this way - monkeys were [probably] at one point the most intelligent species on the planet. Their brains are not capable of so many things that we take for granted. So wouldn't it be entirely possible for another species to be so different or advanced that our intelligence couldn't even come close to understanding what they do? Put two ways, intelligence could either be evolved (monkey --> human) or completely different (one alien to another).
I've always wondered this because science-fiction often depicts intelligent life from other planets as being more intelligent than humans. Hasn't anyone ever considered it could be the other way around?
Absolutely. It's just that aliens would, as far as we're concerned, have to be more intelligent in order to visit us. Star Wars is one exception where you have a congregation of planets and all sorts of dumb, alien species.
Btw, were solar systems ever acknowledged in Star Wars? Was there anything to suggest that all the planets were either home to one star or were there many different systems?
I shouldn't make posts like these just before going to bed. 3 am. Christ.