The Drake Equation is an argument proposed by Dr. Frank Drake in 1961, which dwells on the basis of probability theory. The equation is an attempt to multiply all variables that are relevant in estimating the number of communicating extraterrestrial civilisations present in our Milky Way Galaxy. During September of 1959, physicists Giuseppe Cocconi and Philip Morrison proposed that radio waves detected by radio telescopes may have been a form of communication from extraterrestrial life (COCCONI, & MORRISON, 1959).
It was only 2 months later that Harvard University astronomy professor Harlow Shapley hypothesized the number of inhabited planets in our Universe (Sydney Morning Herald, 1959). He stated that “The universe has 10 million, million,
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The biggest criticism of the Drake Equation focuses mainly on its arbitrary nature and the fact that many variables in the equation are based entirely on speculation. Although, parameters such as the rate of star formation have sufficient scientific evidence, other variables are subject to vast interpretation. Different scientists with conflicting perspectives will have widely different answers, meaning that conclusions drawn from the equation are highly inaccurate and unscientific (Dvorsky, 2007).
Another common argument that is often cited is the Fermi Paradox. The Fermi Paradox criticizes the blatant contradiction between the absence of evidence and the high probability rates estimated by the Drake Equation (Schilling & MacRobert, 2009). It states that according to the many propositions supporting the existence of extraterrestrial life, the Earth should have, by the present day, already been visited by them (Schilling & MacRobert, 2009). The Fermi Paradox is based on first-hand observations and is thus, more scientifically reliable and valid criticism of the Drake Equation. Consequently, the equation is widely obsolete due to the lack of any genuine evidence demonstrating any sign of extraterrestrial
Another problem found for hypothetico-deductivists comes in this statement, “Personal opinions have no place in science” this quote is extremely trivial. The scientific world would not be where it is today without the speculation a...
After realizing how intricately placed the night sky was, he introduced the many theories people have accepted as to how our universe was created. “Life originated by accident” was the first theory in which he disproved by quoting scientists and what they believe about this theory. Dr. Edwin Conklin, Professor of Biology at Princeton University, said “The probability of life originating from accident is comparable to the probability of the unabridged dictionary resulting from an explosion in a printing shop” (Donyes np).
Objection 1: One of the main issues with using all criticism in science is the fact that not all criticism is worthy of being taken into consideration. This comes up as an issue in the book “Merchants of Doubt” when talking about climate change research. In 1979, there were two studies done on the impact of carbon dioxide on the environment in response to others that had been done. One done by natural scientists and one done by economists. The report done by the natural scientists matched up with what had been said before -- that the amount it was increasing was a problem, but when the economists put out their report it was quite different. Their conclusion showed that any action at the time would be costly and that any serious changes would be so far off that they can be discounted. This is a substantial problem with including all criticism in science.
Fermi’s paradox supports this claim because theoretically there should be species capable of interstellar travel due to the age of the universe. Although we haven’t encountered any life forms from other galaxies it doesn’t mean there aren’t any. Ted Chiang uses an endangered parrot to show that a possible reason for our great silence is due to or erratic and dangerous nature as humans. However, there are still some instances where humans have connected with other species and created special bonds in the
In 1950, a man, Enrico Fermi, during a lunch break conversation he causally asked his co-workers an interesting question, “where is everybody”. (Howell, 2014) By which he meant, since there are over a million planets which are proficient enough to support life and possibly some sort of intelligent species, so how come no one has visited earth? This became known as The Fermi Paradox, which came from his surname and two Greek words, para meaning contrary and Doxa meaning opinion, about a 100 years ago. (Webb 2002) A paradox arises when you set undisputable evidence and then a certain conclusion contradicts the idea. For example, Fermi realized that extra-terrestrials have had a large amount of time to appear
By this he means if the force was weaker or any stronger, carbon would not be as readily available as it is now thereby diminishing the chances of life (Hoyle 205 - 209). Hoyle’s discovery presents a strong argument for the Anthropic Principle as it is displays characteristics that life is unique which corresponds to the first postulate of the WAP. However, Smolin concludes that this is not an Anthropic prediction since it was already a proven fact that carbon is widely
Caplan 's argument is that,if these theory is allowed perhaps the scientists would not be the
[9] Ward, Peter D.; Brownlee, Donald (2000). Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe. Copernicus Books (Springer Verlag). ISBN 0-387-98701-0.
"AAAS Board Resolution on Intelligent Design Theory." AAAS. N.p., 2002. Web. 7 Nov 2010. .
The events in the book “Life as We Knew it” by Susan Beth Pfeffer, in my opinion, are questionable at best. Along with the grammatical errors scattered everywhere, I believe that the book lacks an actual scientific basis. Here I will explain my reasoning on why the events in “Life as we knew it” are not plausible through the human interactions, astronomy, and physics.
Biological factors are related to the sexuality and development in the sexual awareness. During puberty, the young person may not be able to distinguish between sexual and aggressive urges. This would result in sexual aggression that has the outcome of leading to social offense. Drake was introduced to pornography at this critical time in his life. It was during this period that his inclination to sexual offense began to become apparent. He was struggling with the adolescent sex issues while being introduced to sexual indulgence. This contributed much to his confusion and subsequent involvement in the sex matters. Low self-esteem, impulsivity, poor interpersonal skill and poor social behavior aggravated the depth
However, there are a lot of weaknesses to outweigh the positives, which means that the model can be seriously questioned.
In conclusion, numerous examples have been provided to prove the fact that we are not alone and that extraterrestrial life exists in our Universe. The Roswell Incident, the Sumerians, and scientific knowledge have all attributed to this fact. Although we have not discovered definitive proof of extraterrestrial life, science has speculated that over the course of the next ten years, we will have made contact with alien life. We will no longer be alone on this earth, the real question however, is what do you believe?
...at different points in the past, this observation presents an interesting argument for panspermia. While this study does not provide conclusive evidence for presence of life in outer space, it does raise the possibility that our galaxy may be fool with bacterial spores.
One of the most common unanswered questions scientists find themselves asking is "Is there life on other planets?" Since the first famously documented UFO sighting in 1947, the idea of extra-terrestrial life has been debated almost non-stop. The subject has inspired many TV programs, such as The X-Files, and films (Mars Attacks, Independence Day, and the Men in Black films to name but a few). Scientists have come up with many new ideas and ways of trying to either prove or disprove the existence of life elsewhere.