This is a continuation of my discussion of the book Why the Universe is the Way It Is by Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe. The questions dealt with in the book are:

• Why such a vast universe? – This was the topic of the first post.
• Why such an old universe? – the topic of the second post.
• Why such a lonely universe? – the topic of this post.
• Why such a dark universe?
• Why a decaying universe?
• Why a realm beyond this one?
• Why this particular planet, star, galaxy and universe?
• Why believe the Bible?
• Why not a perfect universe?
• Why these physical laws and dimensions?
• Why two creations?
• Why is the new creation better?

We live in a time where it is practically assumed that we are not alone in the universe. From Science Fiction movies, UFO conspiracy theories, and greater understanding of the vastness and composition of the universe, it is pretty “normal” to believe that we can’t possibly be the sole inhabitants of such a vast universe. This chapter in the aforementioned book looks at a number of aspects of the inherent assumptions that accompany this belief. 

Have we been visited by aliens, or could we?

First I’ll say that Reasons to Believe published a book a number of years ago called Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men and I highly recommend it for a much more thorough discussion of this particular topic. First, UFOs, as alien spacecraft, have largely been debunked even though they remain a popular source of speculation. The few truly unexplained incidents have potential spiritual or nonphysical explanations as explained in the Lights in the Sky book. The UFOs often are witnessed or described as performing motions and feats that defy known physical laws and constraints.

Speaking of physical constraints, even if you rest on the assumption that there are potentially millions or billions of habitable planets in the universe, or even in our galaxy, the laws of physics make it impossible for a living entity to travel the distances and hazards required. We’d like to invent scientific explanations that could work for our science fiction genres, but reality dictates that these are just that – fiction. I know… we didn’t think human flight was possible, and yet it happened. And we also used to think the world is flat and learned we were wrong. However, these are not the same as relying on known physical laws and constraints.

Is the Earth unique, or not?

In my first post of this series, I mentioned that there are many criteria which must be met for life to thrive on a planet. When you begin to narrow down the combinations of factors and where in our galaxy, or in other galaxies in the universe, that these factors would be optimal, the choices for planetary locations become very scarce. Our solar system is at a pretty unique spot in the Milky Way galaxy (our galaxy). Our galaxy has spiral arms as shown below. We live in a zone that is at just the right distance from the galactic center to keep us from changing our position relative to these spiral arms. We’re also in a location that is away from the more dangerous radiation and dust as would be found near the denser parts of the arms.

Combining this galactic location with our location within the solar system, which is the right distance from the sun and protected from large onslaught of interplanetary collisions by the large gaseous outer planets, Earth holds a unique piece of real estate.

How easy is it for life to develop?

Evolutionary models hold that given enough time and the right conditions, simple single-celled life can develop from nonliving material (abiogenesis). Since the 1950s, textbooks have predominantly described a prebiotic “soup” arising on earth which contained the building blocks of life and over time these were able to synthesize themselves into early microbial life. There are several problems with this scenario. First, there is no evidence that such a “soup” actually existed. Second, the window of time from the time that conditions on Earth would have been able to support life and when life actually appeared is geologically very short. Third, the amino acid structure of DNA is very one-sided, meaning that the amino acids required have their atoms arranged in a particular-leaning direction (think left-handed vs. right-handed), even though both directions are possible and exist. Any “soup” would have to have molecules all leaning one direction for DNA to form.

As scientists now realize, life could not have “just happened” on earth, so they have taken to explaining by claiming that life was seeded on earth by aliens or through interstellar arrival of life from elsewhere. This still begs the question – where did life come from?

Alone, but not alone

These kinds of speculations stem from the fact that humans find it very hard to believe that there is anything special about us. If we acknowledge our own uniqueness and improbability of existence, then we have to also acknowledge that because we exist, we must have been created. If we are created, there must have been a Creator. And if there is a Creator, we are beholding to Him and need to learn about Him.

More on that later!