Doesn't matter if it's less probable than 1 per every solar system in the universe, the fact is, it can happen once. Just as 6 9's in a row are extremely unlikely in a random sequence, the fact that you can round pi down to 1000 decimal points and have all 6 of them illustrates the point. You'll get it eventually. In that iteration, you just got them really soon. They made the cut. They exist.
You never responded to how you knew there was an infinite number of planets, which your argument relies on.
If there's not an infinite number of planets, then the probability matters. If it's low enough multiplying it by the number of planets could get you a number that's orders of magnitude less than 1 and in that case it's very unlikely it'll exist in the universe.
I don't see how your pi example illustrates the point. Take any sequence that doesn't occur in the 1000 decimal points iteration instead of the 6 9's row. You didn't eventually get them. You'll only have a possibility to catch all possibilities if you have an infinite number of decimals but there's no evidence that an infinite number of planets exist.
Is that not the same thing?
If we all assumed we had humans, is that not a collective assumption?
I know we all didn't, but isn't 70% still a collective assumption? It's easily a majority. Most people assume it, and the others probably are aware of it.
From what I know collectively assuming something means that everyone in the collective assumes it. Collective doesn't mean "more than x%". Anyway I'm not bothered to spend time looking up semantics. I meant there wasn't consensus on the assumption. Look at the context of the sentence: It was meant to point out that we didn't all assume it after you said it was basically assumed from the start.
Yes it was basically assumed they were humans from the start, then we had a discussion over it (much?) later, and most people didn't want to change it.
I didn't assume it from the start that my inhabitants would be human.
there aren't an infinite number of solar systems, but there is an incredibly high amount (like 10^20)
Hm, if we accept that number and say the probability of an alien civ reaching space tech level develop on any given planet is 10
-8 or less and use the time factor 10
-7 the probability of finding the configuration would be roughly 10
20-8-8-7 = 1/1000 or less in the universe. Even with this probability around 10,000 alien civs would come to exist in a galaxy like the Milky Way within the history of the universe, yet the configuration probably still wouldn't exist.
Poll
