From studying science, religion, and anything I can with respect to our universe is just how incredibly RARE life is.

The incredible number of factors that had to be "just right" for us to even have a chance at life on this planet, let alone the incredible amount of life, is amazing.

My friends that go the strictly science no God allowed route are seemingly hesitant to talk about what a miracle life is, well, because miracles are not based in science and to give any credence to how rare and wonderful life is might give the other side some ammunition.

I think the more we can all, despite our huge numbers of various beliefs, can simply agree that life is incredible and short and therefore we need to spend more time caring about each other and appreciating things more would seem to do the species better than simply trying to show how stupid someone else is because they have a different belief system than we do.

I mean, Diversity is good right? Isnt' that what we have learned the last 20 years? Diversity is good, we are all different, of course unless we are talking about "thought", then well, there is right and there is wrong.

"I think the more we can all, despite our huge numbers of various beliefs, can simply agree that life is incredible and short and therefore we need to spend more time caring about each other and appreciating things more would seem to do the species better than simply trying to show how stupid someone else is because they have a different belief system than we do."

While I can agree with much of this, the problem is that many belief systems do not allow for this. Particulalry the religous variety which tell you to go and and convert (and in some cases kill) anyone who doesn't "believe. This is what I think Hitch has a problem with.

We don't really know how "rare life is" since we've never been on any other planets. Has other life communicated with us? Apparently not. But life takes many forms, including some we've probably never imagined. And we won't know for sure how much is out there until we GET "out there."

It's misleading to talk about how many "factors had to be 'just right' for us to..have..life on this planet," too. Life evolved according to our planetary conditions; the planet didn't evolve to support life. Life might well evolve differently on other planets, perhaps wildly differently. As I've already said, we just don't know.

Not sure what you're getting at in that last paragraph, but certainly thinking can be factual or non-factual, rational or irrational.

As an agnostic I agree with what you post here but I wonder if you really do? Note that most religions try to preach their so called gospel more than agnostic people do. In fact that is often part of a specific mission for each religion (Jews being the major exception); spread the word!

Also many religious leaders clearly insult all that don't follow their path by saying BS like 'there is one way'. In other words they imply there is only one right and it is their religion. You have to admit this applies to the vast majority of religious leaders.

Life is indeed rare and wonderful but this has nothing to do with so called miracles. The agnostic accepts that science doesn't explain a lot of life mysteries, but we don't need miracles to fill in the gap either. i.e. we are OK with the unknown being unknown.

Anyhow, I'm all for mutual respect. I really am, but in my experence it is the agnostic that hasn't gotten much for over 2,000 years or so.

"From studying science, religion, and anything I can with respect to our universe is just how incredibly RARE life is."

I can understand your point but in fact life is anything but rare. It exists in every square inch of our earth in a variety that is unimaginable. You cannot set one foot before another without destroying a multitude of life. Its everywhere.

The fact that we have only found it on one planet so far, earth, should not let you leap to the conclusion that it is not ubiquitous in the universe. I think that within our life time we will find at least one instance of life outside of earth.

To see how sure I am of that visit my web site www.SETI.Net

Regards...... Jim

If you believe life is really that rare, you need to read Probability 1. We are finding precursors to life on Mars... Sorry its not going to turn out all that rare.

I think the more we can all, despite our huge numbers of various beliefs, can simply agree that life is incredible and short and therefore we need to spend more time caring about each other and appreciating things more would seem to do the species better than simply trying to show how stupid someone else is because they have a different belief system than we do.

While an outwardly noble sentiment, what should one do if the different belief system has been responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people?

Diversity is ADVANTAGEOUS but not all ideas are equal.

Reading these comments is like attending the Mad Hatter's tea party. Have any of you assholes who are so smug in proclaiming the existence of life elsewhere than on Earth come across any actual EVIDENCE [hel-LO -o!] of any living organism anywhere else, even in this solar system?

Can you explain how it is that humans have so much more a profound and highly developed intelligence than any other species [if any other species can fairly be said to have intelligence at all], other than simply saying, oh, humans have just evolved that way?

We haven't explored anywhere outside of the two immediate planets in orbits adjacent to us.

But probability is probability. and Hubble's Deep Field images show thousands of GALAXIES in 1/24th OF ONE DEGREE of the sky. That works out to about 9.3 BILLION galaxies that we have sensitive enough cameras to see.

And there are about 100 Billion stars in the Milkyway galaxy - a smallish galaxy. thats 9.3 x 1020 stars. the odds against life have to literally be MORE THAN ASTRONOMICAL for human life to be unique.

Can you explain how it is that humans have so much more a profound and highly developed intelligence than any other species

Absolutely - we killed off the other species (Neanderthals for one) that had similar intelligences and competed for us for food.