What would you choose???

[CrazyCarl]

Sweet...the nitty gritty. Lets bust out some ontology!

As far as we can see (very close to the ends of the universe), earth is the only planet with life.

As far as we can see, or know? I don't think any serious cosmologist would ever say their knowledge of the universe (much less our own oceans) is anything near exhaustive.

At the very "ends" of the universe the data people gather are not only billions of years old but fuzzy at best...usually analysing shifts in extremely faint radio signals and then magically extrapolating data out to wildly unsure, but interesting nonetheless, conclusions.

Using special equipment on the Hubble cosmologists have detected organic molecules in comets which are made of carbon, building block of life on earth, but even the detection of these molecules doesn't mean that life exists there yet or ever will.

So what you're saying is that even though our planet and even ourselves are made of much that same material, that we're still somehow different? This likely boils down to what an individual believes, values, and the circles they choose to draw...which is the whole point of the original question actually.

Even if organic material exists on a molecular level it doesn't affect my point that there's nothing to interact with in space.

...except for space itself. Not sure what experienced astronauts would say to your remark and looking at the impact craters on the moon...I'm not sure it would agree with you either.

Earth is the phenomena. Cosmologists predict that there could be other planets which have similar conditions to earth but the chance of intelligent life is 0.01 percent in each instance (we have found 100+ extra solar planets). Our orbit is in the Goldilocks zone - not too hot, not too cold, just right - plus naturally occurring liquid water. The combination of these elements is stunningly uncommon.

It seems to me, the Earth is a phenomena which exits in relation to other greater and smaller phenomena...much like everything else we perceive. The idea of phenomena itself is a matter of perspective and consciousness, as is world and being.

I'm not trying to belittle the magnificence and unlikelyness of our planet but am trying to stress it's (and our) interconnectedness to/with the perceived universe/world. Some people call it science while others call it religion...I call it riding a motorcycle.

We can observe conditions within the universe and discuss those celestial events with context, but no such context on how the universe fits into whatever larger pieces there are exists.

Hahah...I think you been in China too long and it's effecting your grammar. Could you re-render that last statement with clearer context?

CC