This is the problem in my opinion. People believe that extraterrestrial life must exist because there’s intelligent life here on Earth, and the universe is unimaginably vast. I get it, I really do, but it’s magical thinking.
I once heard an astronomer describe the SETI project as trying to find life in the ocean, when all you can look at is a glass of water. That’s a great analogy, but it’s inherently biased: we already know there’s life in the ocean! Consider how different the argument would be if described SETI as trying to find a mermaid in the ocean when all you can look at is a glass of water.
I don’t personally believe in extraterrestrials, but I am fascinated by the subject. And I stand by my original post: as long as people believe in extraterrestrials, we’ll have SETI, and UFO hunters, and alien abductions, and ancient astronaut theories.
