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Ancient Ideas on
Extraterrestrials.
As far back as people who lived in ancient Egypt, Sumar, and
Babylon they have believed that there was life on other planets.
There are times it is hard to differentiate between the alien life
in their writings and other entities that were Gods and demons.
However, this thinking as lead through time with each new
civilization wondering the same thing and even believing and
seeing similar sightings.
Some of the first known writers who believe in extraterrestrial
life were two Greek writers Thales and his student Anaximander
during the 7th and 6th centuries B.C.E. Many other citizens in
Greece agreed with this idea that if the universe is infinite than
there would have to also be infinite life too. However, thinkers
like Aristotle and Ptolemy worked against this idea because they
believe in a geocentric universe. Meaning humans were the only
living being in the universe, we were the privileged few to be
here, thus it is then impossible that there be life elsewhere in
the universe.
This belief system prevailed for awhile, but later on the ancient
Jewish peoples considered life elsewhere. The Talmud states there
are eighteen thousand other worlds out there, however it does not
clarify if these worlds are physical or spiritual. Once again when
Christianity took over the West and the Ptolemaic system once
again became the prevalent belief system. No church at that time
ever had said that there were no aliens; however in 1277 the
Bishop of Paris Etienne Tempier disagreed with one of Aristotle's
major points. Specifically that God could have created other
worlds because he was omnipotent, however we only right now know
of the planet earth. It still became very dangerous to express the
idea of other life out there and one of the few known believers
from this time is Giordano Bruno who was burned at the stake for
having un-Christian ideas in 1600.
Unfortunately, the church could not contain the thought on alien
life when the telescope was invented and then Copernican's beliefs
on geocentric cosmology. His belief that since God is omnipotent
he would allow for other life and it might even be a necessity.
Comparisons to life on earth and possible life on other planets
begin and there was also poetry written with these same beliefs,
that other life may be more beautiful or even larger than we were.
The ideas about extraterrestrial life have been around since the
beginning of time. Our need to believe in other life besides
ourselves and to also explore other worlds is insatiable. As we
discover other solar systems and planets, the idea of other life
out there does not become so farfetched. The more we strive to
learn and explore, the greater the possibility becomes. |
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Latest
Extraterrestrial News,
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Cracking the Question of Extraterrestrial Life (Newswise)
ORIENTAL WHIRL: Gallen’s personal drama (The New Straits Times)
2008/08/10 (The New Straits Times)
UFO believers are tired of ‘giggles’ (Arroyo Grande Times Press Recorder)
Cracking The Question Of Extraterrestrial Life (SpaceDaily)
See extraterrestrial spots go (The Cincinnati Enquirer)
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