When
we pose the question "is there a life somewhere else in the
Universe?", we reveal our prejudice on how special our world
is. Why not "is there a reason for life not to exist somewhere
else in the Universe"? Does technical advance of our
civilization for the last twenty five centuries justify our
prejudice?
There
are worlds infinite in number and different in size. In some there
is neither sun nor moon, in others there are more than one sun and
moon. The distance between the worlds are unequal, in some
directions there are more of them... Their destruction comes about
through collision with one another. Some worlds are destitute of
animal and plant life and of all moisture.
Democritus
(450--? BC), as cited in G.S. Kirk and J.E. Raven: The
presocratic philosophers: a critical history with a selection of
texts, Cambridge University Press, 1957.
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