The truth about extra-terrestrial life

Expolitics: The Death of Death is an essay included in volume four of the anthology series Death and Anti-Death which was published by Ria University Press in 2006. The essay deals primarily with the issue of extraterrestrial life and the implications thereof. Webre defines “exopolitics” as holding the view that the universe is teeming with intelligent life. All at varying stages of evolution; from the primitive to the prodigious. He argues that terran humans in the 21st century are on the verge of stumbling into this reality. By way of technological advancement and our ever-expanding, ever-evolving conceptions of ourselves and life itself we stand poised to make a quantum leap into this greater cosmic reality. He postulates that there must be many civilizations which interact with each other, on some level or another, and that these civilizations are likely governed by a kind of universal politics. One might imagine the Earth as a microcosm of this universal system with all its different governing bodies and social orders. In this view Earth humans are surely infantile on the evolutionary scale, as some of these civilizations would have been evolving for millions and possibly even billions of years. Taking particular notice of the rapid pace at which humanity has advanced just in the last 100 years Webre contemplates the almost inconceivable possibilities and probabilities which supposedly lie in wait as we transit into this new paradigm.

This is a supremely fascinating topic. What human being hasn’t wondered whether or not we are alone in the cosmos? When one looks up into the heavens it becomes abundantly clear how very small we and our beloved planet actually are. The size and scale of the universe is virtually beyond comprehension. Could we really be all alone in the vastness of space? For a long time the predominate opinion was that we were, but this has gradually changed. Science has revealed things our ancestors could not have imagined. For example the transformative discovery of an entire microscopic world existing all around us (even inside of us) brimming with life. This realization fundamentally changed the planet forever. For thousands of years humanity lived within this reality and were none the wiser. Is it possible or even probable that we will discover the macro world to be just as populated with life as the micro world is? If recent scientific discoveries are any indication the simple answer is; yes.

One of the more exciting developments has been the discovery of hundreds of extra-solar planets, i.e. planets outside of our own solar system. The numbers continue to increase and exponentially so. While initially the first planets to be located were gas giants bigger than Jupiter and thus not likely to harbor carbon-based life forms, in the last few years telescopic instruments have become so precise as to allow these planet-hunters to find increasingly smaller planets similar in size and composition to Earth. In addition to these new astronomical discoveries biologists have come to understand that life is a resilient survivor. We have found life in the most extreme of places; from zero sunlight conditions to utterly toxic environments, somehow life finds a way to thrive. This challenges the notion of life being a fragile, unique phenomenon that is easily extinguished.

Considering this issue through a theological lens complicates things even further. Did God create humankind but leave the rest of the cosmos devoid of any other sentient life? If he did create life all throughout the cosmos does that mean Jesus had to die on all the other planets carrying sentient beings as well? Or, are some of God’s children unburdened by sin and without the need for a savior? The questions are many and the answers scarce. In my opinion there is no conflict between Earthly theology and the reality of extra-terrestrial life (or any extra-intelligence for that matter, dimensional, divine, or otherwise). If there is such a conflict I believe its genesis is within the mind of man. Nevertheless theological considerations will undoubtedly play a significant role in these unfolding times.

The notion of extra-terrestrial life as put forth by this essay is exciting, if not a bit unsettling, but the argument for a populated universe is not without issue. For one, where is everybody? If we assume these civilizations are millions of years more advanced then why haven’t they made themselves known? Assuming they want to be seen or that we are interesting or important enough for them to make the effort. Some might argue they have indeed been with us all along but that we cannot pierce their aberrant world with our limited five senses. Limitation demonstrated by the microscopic world existing unknowingly until the advent of microscopes and other such sense-extending devices. As we progress further technologically, will we soon develop the instruments to enable us to confirm or deny the existence of other life forms in the cosmos? I believe we will.


Ultimately the problem with the exopolitical view is a problem of evidence. It is possible that there are millions of extra-intelligent life forms out there right now but we simply do not have the proof needed to validate such an extraordinary claim. It would be foolish of us to assume that absence of evidence is evidence of absence (as some of our antecedents did with the idea of an "invisible" living world) but the modern age relies, at least in theory, on repeatable, verifiable, and demonstrable evidence. When discussing probabilities the odds look good for the existence of extra-terrestrial life but when discussing certainties, holding this view is more of an act of faith than it is an act of knowing.