Week 6, I Think We're Alone Now, Episode 617, Prologue and Act One

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/617/fermis-paradox

Listen to the Prologue and Act One, 22 minutes

Is there intelligent life in the universe? Are we even sure we can find it on earth? Fermi’s Paradox refers to an observation made by physicist Enrico Fermi that challenges the often argued “high” probability of intelligent life on other planets. If you are unfamiliar with this, research the Drake Equation. With so many worlds out there, there just has to be other intelligent life, right? Except Enrico Fermi asked his colleagues on one occasion: “So where are they? As physicists have turned radio telescopes to the heavens they have been met with only silence…. no “man-made” radio signals discovered so far… What is going on?


Listen to the Prologue and Act One, 22 minutes



  1. One of the producers of This American Life is a particle physicist turned journalist. This episode explores his personal struggle with the fact that this planet may contain the only intelligent life in all the universe. What do you think about the longing David Kestebaum feels for there to be more than this world? He appears incredibly discouraged by the thought that this might be it in terms of intelligent life? Do you respond the same way or differently?
  2. His question seems immediately spiritual in nature. A Christian might immediately see that this longing could indeed lead him to faith in God, if he pursued it in that way. One of his struggles is that if we are alone in the universe then our “greatest thoughts” are the greatest thoughts that have ever been thought! And our achievements are be the greatest achievements to be achieved. That thought could be truly frightening if one also considers the other side of the spectrum – humankind’s greatest failings and evils. These are also the greatest failings and evils ever, anywhere! How would you engage David Kestenbaum in a way that would help him understand and name his spiritual quest?
  3. What are your thoughts about intelligent life on other planets? What about unintelligent life? How would that fit into what has been revealed in the Bible about God’s creation and God’s plan?
  4. One of the theological questions associated with idea is that if God did create life on other planets, did Jesus’ death count for them too? Read Romans 8: 19 – 25. This passage seems to suggest that all of creation experienced the repercussions of the fall of humankind. But is that only this planet? There is an entire space trilogy based on that very idea! Look up the book Out Of The Silent Planet by CS Lewis. How do you react to the idea that if there are other created and fleshly beings like ourselves on other worlds that they may have not fallen, and remain in a pre-sin state? Is that possible? What are your thoughts?
  5. One idea in Christian circles is that this planet was the “nursery” planet in God’s original plan. This would mean that life was in fact created here by God, and if sin had not introduced the idea of death, life would have moved out from here as this planet filled up with “everlasting” sinless human beings who did not die! God would have transported sons and daughters of human beings to seed other worlds! That would explain the silence noted by Enrico Fermi and would also take into account the proposed number of inhabitable worlds suggested by the Drake Equation… What is your reaction to this idea?

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