I think that the "intelligence" man has assigned to a creator is a reflection of our own intelligence. I don't think it is how the universe "IS". That "is"ness is beyond any manmade conception of intelligence. To accept this as being true means that both our most profound, enlightened, advanced scientific understanding, is mere drivel to what "it" really "IS". So why waste our precious life, each moment with useless speculation, when we could be using our time, for useless activity.
Should the intelligence that SETI detects in a code it might receive from outer space, be considered merely a reflection of our own intelligence and be ignored as insignificant? Would it be useless speculation to delve on its significance?
The Suggestion: A relevant short Story
By Radrook
The SETI scientist, and project administrator, David Stanton, had initially ignored the suggestion since it had seemed utterly ridiculous. Yet, the religionist, Mr. Salazar, had been insistent on being heard, and so Stanton had agreed to hear his argument in person.
Yes, they had attempted to casually ignore his strange idea. Yet, his stubborn persistence prevailed. Phone calls, letters, emails, and last but definitely not the least, his persistently contacting local city newspapers in different states and prominent magazine editors had fomented a deep interest until people began giving his idea serious consideration and the entire SETI effort was suspected to be a totally futile, and unnecessarily expensive enterprise.
Eventually, SETI began to be seriously affected as private financial contributions, and the vital government funding, began to dwindle. So a formal refutation of his idea became a matter of survival and a formal and recorded interview had been scheduled.
The day for the interview had finally arrived, and David Stanton found , Eduardo Salazar, casually seated in his office's waiting room. Salazar was a relatively young man in his late thirties, and definitely not the wise old philosopher type that Stanton had been expecting.
“Mr. Salazar?” Stanton uttered as unemotionally as he possibly could.
“Yes! That is me." Salazar responded, while stiffly stretching out a hand for a handshake
“Step right this way!” Stanton replied, as he slowly turned his back and led him towards his office.
Salazar ignored the gesture and followed him in. He noticed that there were many SETI themed photographs on the office wall. Most prominent was the one of the Allen Telescope Array with which SETI scanned the stars for a detection of any extraterrestrial signal. Some others were NASA photographs taken by space telescopes ranging from visible light, to infrared, x-ray, etc.
"Have a seat Mr. Salazar!” Stanton uttered coldly, and then proceeded to slowly lower himself into the high-backed, black leather office chair behind the massive rectangular mahogany desk, and to gaze intently at Salazar over his tinted bifocals.
Of course, Salazar had not been expecting an effusively warm reception. After all, he knew full-well that his idea was posing a serious challenge to the SETI project, and that he was rightfully being deemed to be a very dangerous man. Yet, despite his aversion to being treated disrespectfully, Salazar forced himself press on stubbornly because he felt it his moral Christian obligation to stop the double standards that were characteristic of the SETI charade.
“So what is it that we can do for you, young man?" Stanton finally said rhetorically, after an unusually long silence.
“Well, first Mr. Stanton, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to personally explain myself."
“Explain yourself?” Stanton uttered coldly, while nonchalantly lighting his expensive pipe, leaning back casually and regally in his plush seat, and puffing away until smoke was produced.
“Yes! I’m here to clarify my concept so that there might be absolutely no misunderstandings!" Salazar responded, while swiping away the smoke that had drifted his way while Stanton eyed him suspiciously.
“Misunderstandings?" Stanton replied, leaning slightly forward in his seat.
“But there are absolutely no misunderstandings Mr. Salazar. You see, son, we know exactly what you are proposing. We simply don’t agree with it. But since your idea, if indeed we can call it that, has drawn the attention of our financial benefactors, we thought we might humor you by at the least hearing you out. Especially since you agreed to have this interview recorded for posterity.” Stanton said while casually gesturing towards the location where the hidden cameras had been placed.
“I appreciate the gesture Mr. Stanton.” Salazar replied while starting to feel that he had maybe made a serious mistake.
"You see Mr. Salazar, we consider your idea ridiculous." Stanton added immediately.
“Yes, I am very aware of that Mr. Stanton, but the crucial question is why?" Salazar said, while squinting a brown suspicious eye.
"Why what?" Stanton responded, blushing while blinking rapidly in confusion.
"Why do you choose to consider my concept ridiculous?" Salazar calmly responded.
"Because any fool can see that it is utterly ridiculous? That's why!" Stanton shot back after a long pause.
“Obviously," he continued, "you don't, and certainly can’t have the faintest idea of what is involved in our meticulous search for extraterrestrial intelligence, Mr. Salazar. Otherwise you would not be objecting to our methods." Stanton said, and then rapidly proceeded to wipe the profuse perspiration that had gradually coalesced on his pale, furrowed brow with his silk, white handkerchief.
"But that is not a rebuttal, now is it Mr. Stanton?” Salazar responded, while grinning slightly.
“Instead, that is merely an objection. You see, Mr., Stanton, a rebuttal would be for you, Mr. Stanton, to explain why I must accept your explanation about a signal being from an intelligent source, when that signal could have easily arisen all by itself given the enormous amount of time that our universe has had to easily produce it without absolutely no help from any extraterrestrial intelligence"
"But that is utterly insane!" Stanton immediately shot back, while unintentionally and angrily biting down on his pipe, and wincing and grimacing from the sharp pain that it had produced on his front teeth.
"You see! Nature simply doesn't behave in that way! Entropy would prevent it!" he added nervously after removing the pipe from his thin lips, and casually placing it on a square, glass ashtray on the table.
"Obviously the nature of such a signal clearly indicates the characteristics of an organizing intellect. How else could it consistently display prime numbers in a sequence?" Stanton added.
"As I just explained, Mr. Stanton, given the billions of years that the universe has existed, such a signal being produced all by itself becomes inevitable." Salazar said smugly.
"Now, do you really expect us believe that Mr. Salazar?" Stanton said, after rising to his feet and pointing a quavering accusatory index finger at Salazar.
"What do you take me for? A fool?" Stanton shouted.
"Not at all Mr. Stanton. Just as you are not taking us for fools when you claim that DNA coded itself for the exact same reasons." Salazar responded, and then casually sauntered out of the SETI office with a broad smile on his satisfied religious face.
