Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Spreading life to the stars....is this a good thing?


Earth based life to the far corners of the galaxy and possibly the universe beyond.

In a vast, cold universe we aren't just "Keepers of the Sacred Flame" of life, we are the bloody flame!

Casey takes issue with calling Earth life a contamination in a quote that I find pretty damn appropriate: One problem with this viewpoint is that it talks about the spread of Terran life as 'contamination', which is like describing painting as 'contaminating' a pristine canvas.

It certainly is worth reading and sitting a moment and thinking about. Agree or not, you have to admit that Kazan makes a compelling argument.




5 comments:

Anonymous said...

'In a vast, cold universe we aren't just "Keepers of the Sacred Flame" of life, we are the bloody flame!'

...oh dear...I think someone needs to get out more :-)

Anonymous said...

lmao! Shaun come on! so in retrospect it sounds like he is waving the "I am life, hear me roar" flag a bit too vigorously, but I was drawn in! your turning into a bit of a curmudgeon you know that?

Anonymous said...

'a bit too vigorously'....???

more than a little too emotive and anthropocentric for my tastes :-)

I can see it now, that little chest-thumping amoeba climbing up the side of a tea-cup and...damn, amoebas don't have chests to thump!

Anonymous said...

so what....instead of panspermia your going to rain on that parade? Some thing in the order of spampermia? Or is it something a bit deeper sir... do you ah...feel...ah.. uncomfortable with the .... ah... notion of life say, having the .... ahh... shall we say ummm duty to propagate itself? Would you say that ummm is an accurate representation of your reticence?

Anonymous said...

LOLLOL

NO, no problem at all with propagation, indeed, I believe that the universe and our galaxy will be found to be teeming with life, hence the problem with the vain notion that we aren't just "Keepers of the Sacred Flame" of life, we are the bloody flame!'

In fact, it is quite possible that the spark that begat the 'flame' came from elsewhere!