Possible goldilocks planet (The limitations of science)

by dhw, Friday, April 18, 2014, 13:08 (3870 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: A story filled with wishful thinking; lots of guesses from statistical blips: -http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/earth-size-goldilocks-zone-planet-found-in-distant-solar-system/2014/04/17/0bd7188c-c63b-11e3-8b9a-8e0977a24aeb_story.html?wpisrc=nl%5Feve--The fact that a planet seems habitable does not, of course, mean that there will be life on it. Why are we so keen to know if there is life elsewhere? Curiosity, obviously ... the fascination with forms of life other than our own. But I guess there are metaphysical reasons too. Atheists will no doubt seize on "alien" forms as proof that life can arise whenever and wherever conditions are right. Just another law of Nature. And theists will point out that there's no reason at all why their God should have confined life to a single planet. And if life elsewhere has not evolved ... if it's just bacteria, say ... atheists will still claim that earthly evolution is just a freak, and theists will still claim the Earth was specially chosen. Supposing there is no life on any of the habitable planets? Same interpretations: freak versus special choice. Hey ho, nobody can win.