The first in a series of posts of ideological turing tests.
Extraterrestrial life certainly exists somewhere else in the universe. It isn't a matter of if, but when we find it. By extraterrestrial life, I mean complex, intelligent life capable of civilizations and technology.
We haven't found any yet, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there. There are solid scientific reasons to think that other intelligent lifeforms exist, even if we have not encountered them yet.
I have an idea for a new series of posts, called "Positions I Don't Hold." These are intended as a series of ideological Turing tests for... positions that I don't hold. This was inspired by a few things. One was a discussion between Sam Harrison and Jordan Peterson on morality, where the two made an effort to summarize the other's position in as charitable a way as possible before beginning their disagreement. Another was a recent read of some old scholastic writings such as Aquinas, which always preface an argument by summarizing competing arguments.
