Other Forms of Life (Evolution)

by dhw, Wednesday, November 26, 2008, 14:09 (5637 days ago) @ BBella

BBella writes: "And, to me, it is more understandable to discount a Creator God than to discount a more advanced race of beings as our creators or benefactors. Many times, within certain discussion threads, we have asked the question, how could a loving God create such a savage creation as we have here? It would seem more plausible, to me, the "creators" of the experiment, if there are such, could be more interested in the experiment itself rather than our 'feelings' about the experiment." - I would suggest that all gods are "a more advanced race of beings", but maybe terminology is raising its ugly head again. Right from the start of this forum, we've been hampered by the lack of a single term which would indicate the force that made the universe, but which would not attribute any qualities to it. The moment someone says "God", along come the attachments: "loving", "omnipotent",
"perfect", "all good" etc., so "God" and "savage" sound almost like a contradiction. A savage ET doesn't sound quite so jarring. Once we neutralize the concept (as in David's panentheism), we are free to speculate according to the evidence of the world as it is. Perhaps you yourself can think of a suitable term. - Your scenario, however, suggests two types of force: one made the universe, and one made life on Earth. This adds at least one more link to the chain, as it = A (universe-maker) may have made B (extra-terrestrial) which may have made C (= us). It simplifies matters to attribute the qualities of B to A, which gives us the same explanation as you have suggested, i.e. A could be more interested in the experiment than in our feelings about it. But despite Ockham, the simplest explanation is not necessarily the right one. That is why we need to know what evidence there is for extraterrestrial and other forms of life, and in that category I would also include the evidence for an afterlife. If our identity is not confined to our physical cells, as seems to be indicated by NDEs and OBEs, we cannot discount forms of life beyond what we now regard as physical. - In your last paragraph, you write: "The more we see commonality among species the more we grow feelings for them." And you express the hope that whatever created us might do the same. For all levels, human and "divine", I can only echo your sentiments. As Hamlet put it: "'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished."