Aliens and Spirituality
115
Jo Jaquinta
Premise
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How would incontrovertible
proof of intelligent extra
terrestrial life affect our
spiritual beliefs?
Who am I?
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IBM Corporate Clone
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Science dilettante
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Sleepy new father
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First SUUSI workshop
General Agenda
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A look at the possibility of alien life
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Not trying to convince skeptics, just giving pause
for thought
Some conjecture on how major world
religions might react
Open discussion on how we might react
How implausible is alien life?
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Very! We seem subject to very special
conditions.
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The Moon – large natural satellite changes
composition of Earth, provides tides, atmosphere
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Quiet stellar neighborhood – no sterilizing
radiation, no near miss stars or companion
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Water – the magic ingredient
But...
How implausible is alien life?
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The universe is very, very, VERY big.
The universe has been around for a long,
long, LONG time.
Statistically:
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Small chance x Large set = even odds
How implausible is alien life?
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Life Will Find a Way...on Earth!
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Extreme conditions
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Temperature, Pressure, etc.
Undersea vents, arctic ice, frozen frogs, etc.
Deep rocks
Non-carbon based life forms
Anywhere on Earth that has even the remote
possibility of supporting life
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DOES!
Indians discover Extraterrestrial
Life!
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Jayant Narlikar - Indian Space Research
Organisation
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Extra-terrestrial = “beyond” earth
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Virus found in stratosphere
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Lends thoughts to...
Panspermia
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Life on earth came from elsewhere
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Not so much parachuting dinosaurs, but air-lifted
microbes
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Atmosphere lost from stratosphere all the time
Any explosion has areas of calm
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Meteorites on Earth from Mars
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The sun of a populated planet goes nova
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And...
Late Heavy Bombardment
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Massive meteor strikes 3.8 to 4.1 Billion
Years ago
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Major craters on the Moon, Mars, etc.
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Lots of extra terrestrial material rained down
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Life started about 3.8 billion years ago
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Could be: basic molecules brought
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Implies life elsewhere
Could be: any previous destroyed
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Implies: life can start quickly
But what about intelligence?
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Is evolutionary adaption for intelligence
common?
Jack Cohen: rule of three
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Examples of adaption for intelligence:
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< 3 = parochial, >3 = universal
Dolphin, Octopus
Two other species AS INTELLIGENT AS US
Homo Neanderthalensis
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Complex tool users (including fire)
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Burial rituals
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Flute
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Jewelry
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Were our cousins, not our ancestors
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Some scientific debate
Homo Floresiensis
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Tool users
Size of prefrontal cortex implies self
awareness
Very new scientifically
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Still much debate
Major World Religion Reactions
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Aliens land in Washington DC, have tea with
the president, give an interview on FOX news
What does that say about us, about our
relationship with the divine?
Christianity
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Questions:
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If Christ died for our sins, what about their sins?
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Are aliens fallen creatures (like man), or do they
exist in a state of grace (like angels)?
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How to reconcile with a literal interpretation of
Genesis?
Answers:
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C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy
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Latter Day Saints – Christ in America
Catholicism
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Father Funes, Vatican Observatory
“The Bible, basically, is not a science book. ... What God
wrote ... is a love letter. Obviously, a concept like The Big
Bang is completely extraneous to the period The Bible
covers. You can not so ask for a scientific answers from the
Bible.”
“Since there exists a multiplicity of creatures on the earth,
then there could be us other beings, intelligent, created by
God. This is not in contrast with our faith. Otherwise we
would be placing limits to the creator God;s freedom. If the
San Franciscans consider earthly creatures as "brother" and
"sister", why could we not also talk about an "extraterrestrial
brother?”
Judaism
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Questions:
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Intelligence implies Free Will, implies Torah
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Torah is truth, cannot have two truths
Judges 5:20 “'Curse Meroz,' said the angel of
the LORD. 'Curse its people bitterly” - NIV
Talmud identifies Meroz as a star or planet
Islam
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Thoughts:
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Humans made of Earth, Djinn of Fire
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Djinn share judgement day, heaven and hell,
with humanity
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Is the door open for aliens?
Perhaps so too all creatures of the universe
God made seven heavens and seven earths
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Is seven literal, or is the implication “many”
Others
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Hinduism
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Scientology
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Oh look, more gods!
We told you so
Gaia Hypothesis
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Does the concept of an “organism” translate
beyond one planet?
What about OUR faith?
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Some points to
ponder
Challenges to our Liberalism
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Historical meetings between high tech and
low tech have not gone well for low tech
(Pre)Historical meetings between intelligent
species preceded the demise of one
How would we react to aliens that appear to
explicitly or implicitly present a threat to our
entire species?
Search for Truth and Meaning
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If we were presented with the truth of a
multiplicity of intelligencers, potentially vastly
older, vastly more powerful, vastly larger,
than our own mean
What would it say about our own?
What would it say about our relationship with
the divine?
Interdependent Web
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If the “interdependent web of existence” was
revealed to be just an “interdependent web of
Earth” does that change anything?
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Do we seek to forge dependencies between our
Earthly web and the interstellar web?
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Do we seek to learn of the interstellar web and
work out how we fit in?
Ecological Dilemma
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If it's discovered that there are truly almost
limitless resources available in the universe,
does conservation still play a role?
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What resources might the aliens come here to
exploit? Is it worth giving if what they give us in
turn cures cancer/stops war/lowers taxes?
How to adapt our Earth Centered religious
aspects?
SUUSI Specific Questions
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If they have a different lifespan, do they stay
in the Teen, Young Adult, or Median dorms?
Will they understand TWOB?
Justice, equity and compassion in toilet
labeling
Do they microbrew?
Do they have any interesting beading
techniques?
Over to you...